The Final V12 Ferrari To Function A Guide Transmission

Rarity has all the time commanded a premium on this planet of high-end automotive gathering, and the automobile in query on this dialogue is not any exception. Whereas the age of naturally aspirated V12s involves an in depth, a mix that’s even more durable to come back by is a front-engine V12 paired to a guide transmission. With regards to Ferrari specifically, it is a custom that goes again a long time, cut up between two-seat sports activities vehicles and four-seat GTs. Solely a handful of modern-day Ferrari fashions can certainly ship the joys of piloting 12 cylinders with a three-pedal setup. Because the final analog V12 grand tourers, these vehicles are rising as the last word collectibles, with the cost being led by the 599 GTB Fiorano, because the final V12 Ferrari guide.

Ferrari’s Closing V12 Gated Chapter

When the 599 GTB made its debut in 2006, it turned the Italian marque’s flagship two-seater Grand Tourer and successor to the celebrated 550 and 575M Maranello, fashions from the Montezemolo period. Beneath that sculpted Pininfarina bodywork lies a 6.0-liter V12 primarily based on the one used within the Enzo. Whereas it delivered 651 horsepower within the halo supercar, the output was detuned to a barely decrease 610 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque within the 599. The sprint to 60mph was accomplished in 3.7 seconds, and the highest pace was 205 mph, huge numbers for the time, however nonetheless spectacular at the moment. 

And but, it was the gearbox, or extra exactly, the shortage of a selected variety, that actually set the 599 aside. By the mid-2000s, Ferrari had principally transitioned to the F1-style automated guide as customary gear, selling its lightning-fast shifts and ease of use. As a consequence, of the 4,000 Ferrari 599s made, solely between 32 and 37 examples of the 599 have been geared up with the six-speed gated guide, worldwide. That is one thing that has been confirmed by RM Sotheby’s, citing 30 have been constructed, of which 20 made it stateside, whereas the remaining went to different markets.

Ferrari 599 Guide: A Fourfold Premium for a Third Pedal

Quick ahead to more moderen instances, and that rarity has immediately translated to extra worth. Based on the Hagerty Valuation device, a inventory 599 GTB with the F1 transmission trades for anyplace between $180,000 and $200,000. Examine that to a 599 GTB geared up with the guide, and also you’re taking a look at anyplace between $700,000 and $900,000, which is nearly 599 GTO territory. A 2007 599 GTB Fiorano offered at Amelia Island in 2023 for $830,000. That is an nearly three-to-four-fold premium, simply for the gated field.

Apart from the situation and originality, documentation is important on this rarified market. When you’re searching for considered one of these fashions, you ought to be cautious of aftermarket conversions. Whereas it is technically doable to retrofit an F1-equipped 599 with a guide, and might be had for underneath $200k, such vehicles lack the collector cachet and investment-grade desirability of a factory-equipped guide. Even minor deviations from the unique specs can have a big impression on valuations. If you’re fortunate sufficient to search out an unique 599 guide on the market just like the one we’ve listed right here, issues like a Ferrari Classiche certificates additional assure the authenticity of the car.

Past the 599, listed below are some extra fashions that comply with the cherished front-engined V12 Ferrari guide GT components. 

Supply: Basic.com

Analog Icons Are Having a Renaissance

The hovering values of those Ferraris are not any shock and mirror a broader market pattern: a rising backlash towards the digitization of contemporary efficiency vehicles. Whereas they’re immensely succesful out of the field, the present crop of supercars lack the mechanical drama that you just as soon as bought from these unique vehicles, and for some, nothing can exchange the evocative noise of a high-pitched V12, and the flexibility to row via the cogs themselves. 

That nostalgia is now fueling a renaissance within the type of a rising tradition for resto-modding. Boutique producers like Touring Superleggera, the famed Italian carrozzeria, are maintaining the spirit of the normal V12 mildew alive. The coach builder confirmed off the gorgeous Veloce V12 eventually 12 months’s Monterey Automobile Week, a limited-run automobile squarely aimed on the collectors craving for an analog expertise.

With simply 30 models slated for manufacturing, the Veloce 12 incorporates a bespoke aluminium physique that builds upon the timeless strains of the already gorgeous 550. Whereas it is a fashionable recreation, Touring has crucially retained the mechanical purity, because of the 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 paired with the gated guide, which inadvertently is an homage to grand touring Ferraris from the Nineteen Sixties and ‘70s. 

As Ferrari and the remainder of the automotive trade transfer in the direction of hybridization and electrification, the demand for gated V12 manuals will solely proceed to develop. These vehicles signify an irreplaceable second in historical past when efficiency, magnificence, and purity co-existed on the highest doable stage, so we anticipate values to proceed to develop over time.

Picture Sources: RM Sotheby’s, Broad Arrow Auctions

FAQ 

1. What was the final Ferrari V12 guide?

A. The 599 GTB Fiorano is the final V12 Ferrari guide. 

2. What number of Ferrari 599 manuals have been made?

A. It’s estimated that between 30 and 37 models of the 599 guide have been constructed, with 20 coming to the USA.

3. Can you continue to purchase a guide Ferrari?

A. No, you may now not purchase a brand-new Ferrari with a guide.  All fashionable Ferrari’s function an computerized transmission. 

4. Is the Ferrari 599 funding?

A. Being a limited-run V12 Ferrari, the 599 is usually a nice funding. Components like mileage, situation, and originality will impression its long-term worth. Solely round 30 models of the 599’s shipped with a guide, making them extra collectible than automatics.

5. Is a Ferrari 599 guide conversion doable?

A. Sure, it’s doable to retrofit a 6-speed guide transmission in a Ferrari 599.