Manual Lamborghinis ‘an opportunity’, but unlikely to copy Ferrari
After Ferrari brought back a semi-simulated manual transmission for the first time in 15 years, Lamborghini says it’s unlikely to follow suit.
Manual transmissions have become almost non-existent in the world of supercars, outside a handful of niche brands still offering three pedals as an option.
Ferrari righted some of those wrongs when it revealed the 12Cilindri Manuale earlier this month, fitted with a gated six-speed shifter and three pedals, though the system itself isn’t directly connected to the transmission, and is instead a ‘by-wire’ system which overrides the automatic gearbox.
This led to some levels of skepticism, not that Ferrari would care much given all 1499 examples would have likely sold out shortly after it was revealed.
We may not see a rush of other brands doing the same thing, after Lamborghini’s chief marketing and sales officer, Federico Foschini, told Road and Track it’s unlikely that the Raging Bull brand will bring back manuals.
“There are a few customers that are still in love with this kind of stuff,” Foschini said.
“And I think that it's an opportunity ... but it's not the trend. Because such kind of – let's say, performance and driving engagement – you cannot experience with this kind of gearbox, you know?”
According to Foschini, one of the limits to creating a manual is Lamborghini’s current motorsport links, which he says dictates what its road-going cars are fitted with.
“And this trend [in racing] at the moment is embedded mainly on hybridisation, and [the] automatic gearbox, with [the] possibility to have the actionable shifting at the wheel with the paddle,” Foschini added.
“That's the way that I think we need to go.”
The last manual Lamborghini produced was the Gallardo L 560-2 50th Anniversary, all the way back in late 2013.
Despite the brand’s reluctance to go back to manual transmissions, one company recently shared its plan to give some Lamborghinis, and other high-end models, the same style simulated manual as Ferrari’s 12Cilindri Manuale.
Rezvani’s Quick Shift follows a similar formula to the 12Cilindri Manuale, with a gated shifter system letting drivers to override the brain of the automatic transmission, changing gears in a more tactile, familiar way than pulling paddles behind the steering wheel.
Initially announced for the Ferrari 458, 488 and F12, the Quick Shift mechanism is also available for the GT4C, while Rezvani says it’s being further developed to be fitted to the Lamborghini Huracan and Aventador, plus the Chevrolet Corvette C8.
Jordan Mulach
