Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale driven: a gated shifter and clutch pedal over a dual-clutch heart

What Ferrari has built, and what it hasn't

Ferrari has brought back the clutch pedal and gated shifter with the 12Cilindri Manuale, but it is not a mechanical manual. As Chasing Cars explains in its first drive from the Balocco Proving Ground in Italy, beneath the aluminium shift gate sits precisely the same eight-speed dual-clutch transmission as a standard 12Cilindri, in a system Ferrari calls 'Manuale By-Wire'. Drivers can optionally work a clutch pedal and move a milled ball lever through six forward gears, with sensors transmitting those commands to the DCT's control unit. ¹

Boss Hunting, which examined the car statically in Maranello, describes the hardware in similar terms: the six-speed gear lever and clutch pedal are real, physical objects that send electronic commands rather than operating a traditional mechanical linkage. The clutch pedal is by-wire and heavy, with sensors reading foot position to hydraulically actuate the DCT's twin clutch packs. Seventh and eighth gears are reserved for automatic control only, and there are no steering-wheel paddles. ²¹

The engineering reason is performance. Ferrari's global marketing manager Emanuele Carando told Boss Hunting that the brand could have built a mechanical manual but that wouldn't fit its principle of never walking back performance. Because a dual-clutch underpins the system, there was no need to detune the 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12, which retains 610kW with a 9500rpm redline. Chasing Cars notes customers had asked for a conventional manual, with some saying they would accept reduced power and torque, but Ferrari insisted a return to three pedals could not make the V12 slower on paper. ²¹

Specifications and how the by-wire system behaves

The engine is unchanged: a 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 producing 610kW at 9250rpm and 678Nm at 7250rpm, with a 9500rpm rev ceiling, according to Chasing Cars' test report. Ferrari's 2.9-second 0-100km/h claim is achieved with the DCT in automatic mode, and the brand acknowledges that human-operated manual shifts won't match that time. The chassis is claimed to be 15 per cent more torsionally rigid than the 812 Superfast, with a wheelbase 20mm shorter and active flaps beside the rear glass balancing downforce and drag. ¹

Engagement is genuinely consequential. Chasing Cars reports the clutch requires roughly 10 to 15 kilograms of force to operate, with springs, cams and rollers generating pedal resistance and machined steel mechanisms creating opposing force in the lever and a metal-on-metal 'clink'. Smooth shifts depend on co-ordinated left foot and right hand; poor technique can cause lurching, bunny-hopping or even stalling. ¹

Ferrari does draw a line at damage. Boss Hunting reports that software protection stops drivers from 'money-shifting' into first from fifth, while Chasing Cars describes a locking solenoid that blocks prohibited shifts such as accidentally selecting second at engine-destroying speed. Chasing Cars' reviewer found that safeguard removes anxiety but also dilutes some of the allure of a fully unforgiving manual. ¹²

Cabin, equipment and exclusivity cues

The Manuale shares the standard 12Cilindri's leather-and-carbon-clad cockpit, with the bespoke centre tunnel housing the exposed shift gate. Chasing Cars notes designers used the 599 as the tactile reference, and the illuminated shift pattern shows orange in manual mode and white in automatic. Buttons for drive, neutral and reverse sit behind the lever, and the centre console and pedal box have been redesigned around the new interface. ¹

Equipment otherwise mirrors the regular car: a 15.6-inch digital instrument cluster, 10.25-inch central touchscreen, 8.8-inch passenger display, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and wireless charging, with the Balocco test car fitted with a 15-speaker, 1600-watt Burmester stereo. Two seats sit ahead of a 270-litre boot, with Comfort or Racing-spec seats and exclusive six-groove upholstery patterns available. ¹

Exterior differentiation is subtle. According to Boss Hunting, 25 heritage paint colours will be offered, every Manuale will be 'Tailor Made' with extensive interior customisation, and telling the car apart from the standard version means spotting silver shields, a pinstriped nose and discreet badgework. ²

Price, allocation and Australian timing

Chasing Cars lists the Australian price at $1,204,000 plus on-road costs, compared with $803,500 for the automatic coupé and $886,800 for the Spider — the figures on different bases and for different variants, so they are not directly comparable amounts. Boss Hunting characterises the premium as roughly 50 per cent over the standard car, and cites expected local pricing of about $1.2 million. ¹²

Exclusivity is severe. Just 1499 units will be built, all coupés, with the limited Australian allocation expected to be delivered from the second half of 2027, according to Chasing Cars. Boss Hunting reports Maranello will tap its best customers — including a handful of Australian VIPs likely to take delivery late next year — and that walking into a dealership will not secure one, though pre-owned examples may surface in future years. ¹²

Ferrari is also considering where the by-wire system goes next. Boss Hunting reports the brand is looking at what other models could benefit from the Manuale By-Wire system, and expects a wider rollout within a few years — an outlet prediction rather than a confirmed product plan. ²

First-drive verdicts

Chasing Cars came away from Balocco with a two-sided impression it presents explicitly: intellectually this is an extraordinarily sophisticated imitation of a mechanical shift that isn't completely real, yet the clutch work is real and consequential, the gate feels and sounds superb, and the car rewards co-ordination far beyond pulling a paddle. Combined with the V12, light steering and lovely balance, the outlet judged it a genuinely fantastic driver's car for the well-heeled and fortunate. Its listed negatives include the vast $400,000-plus premium, the shift protection, and a dated-looking dashboard. ¹

Boss Hunting frames the car as Ferrari threading the needle: less a return to the 1990s than a recreation of manual feel while retaining current-generation performance the brand says a dual-clutch requires. Its own static impression in Maranello was that the hardware appears and feels authentic, with the by-wire clutch pedal demanding real weight of foot despite its electronic actuation. ²