For two decades, the gated manual gearbox has been motoring folklore at Maranello, a relic of the 360 Modena and 575M era, retired once dual-clutch transmissions proved themselves faster, smoother and altogether more efficient. Now Ferrari has done the unthinkable and brought it back, wrapped around the naturally aspirated V12 that remains the marque’s most emotive powertrain. The result is the 12Cilindri Manuale, unveiled this month, and it may be the most romantic Ferrari of the modern era.
Underneath, nothing structural has changed. The Manuale retains the standard 12Cilindri’s front-mid-mounted 6.5-litre (6,496cc) naturally aspirated V12, producing 830 CV and 678 Nm of torque, spinning to a spine-tingling 9,500rpm redline. Zero to 62mph still arrives in 2.9 seconds, with a top speed north of 211mph. On paper, then, the Manuale is identical to the standard car. The transformation happens entirely in how the driver commands that performance.
Rather than engineering a genuine mechanical gearbox, a near-impossible proposition given modern emissions and safety requirements, Ferrari’s engineers have developed what they call “Manuale by-wire”. The familiar eight-speed dual-clutch transmission remains underneath, but a metal gated shifter, set into a machined aluminium centre tunnel, now governs the first six ratios electronically, with reverse also accessible through the gate. The top two ratios remain the preserve of automatic mode, sensibly reserved for motorway cruising. A three-pedal footwell returns too, complete with a clutch pedal that has been calibrated to replicate a genuine bite point, weighting and resistance through spring-loaded actuators rather than any physical linkage.
It is a synthetic experience, in the strictest sense, yet Ferrari has gone to extraordinary lengths to make it feel anything but. The illuminated gearknob, machined from solid, shows both the selected ratio and drive mode. Load variation through the lever, the mechanical clicks between gates, even the ability to stall the engine or fluff a downshift, have all been deliberately programmed in. Purists might scoff at a by-wire system standing in for a proper mechanical shift, but the sensation, by every account from those who have driven it, is remarkably convincing, right down to the small imperfections that made three-pedal Ferraris so engaging in period. Production is limited to 1,499 examples, each destined for Ferrari’s Tailor Made personalisation programme, with a choice of 25 colours spanning the launch-specific Rosso Rubino through to historic liveries such as Argento Nürburgring and Blu Pozzi. Pricing starts at approximately €590,000 before options, positioning the Manuale firmly among the most exclusive front-engined Ferraris currently in production, alongside cars like the Daytona SP3.
The timing is not coincidental. As the industry races towards electrification and Ferrari’s own hybrid V6 architecture becomes ever more prevalent across the range, the 12Cilindri Manuale reads as both a farewell and a statement of intent. It is a reminder that Ferrari’s engineering culture, even in 2026, remains capable of indulging its most traditionalist instincts, provided the theatre is authentic enough to justify the effort. Few manufacturers would sanction a project this technically involved for what is, fundamentally, an exercise in nostalgia.
Whether it represents genuine mechanical purity or simply a beautifully executed simulation is a question that will follow the Manuale throughout its production run. What is beyond dispute is the ambition behind it: a naturally aspirated V12 revving to 9,500rpm, a gated shifter under the driver’s palm, and a clutch pedal demanding proper engagement, at a moment when most of the industry has quietly abandoned all three.
For the 1,499 owners fortunate enough to secure one, the 12Cilindri Manuale will stand as a final, defiant love letter to the manual gearbox, and to the unfiltered thrill of driving a V12 Ferrari exactly as its makers once intended.
Discover more @ www.ferrari-12cilindri-manuale
Article edited by Massimo Basile
Editor & Founder