A few days ago I wrote an article on my personal blog (alexotics.blogspot.com) about the impending end of the analog car. As I spoke about the dying breed of lightweight, unadulterated, manual transmission rear-wheel drive coupes, I realized that these ‘end of an era’ cars could make for great investments – and great fun.
When looking at the Italian super cars, the one standout feature that has gone missing from the interior cabin is the signature gated manual transmission. That iconic clickety-clack has made way for much quicker, efficient, reliable, cheaper to maintain, and easier to drive dual clutch gearboxes with steering wheel paddle shifters. In recent years, Ferrari and Lamborghini have done such a great job with their automated gearboxes that only about 1% of their customer base opts to row their own gears. From all of the approximately 500 Ferrari 599 GTBs imported in the UK for example, only 1 didn’t have a flappy paddle gearbox. In 2010, only 6 Ferrari Californias made had manual transmissions, and by 2012 Ferrari decided to do away with the manual option all together. However saddening a thought for all enthusiasts around the world, the decision was the right one to make. It made little financial sense to continue to develop a manual gearbox when only a handful of customers wanted to wrestle their 600+ bhp super cars into gear each morning and pay for annual clutch replacements.
Sadly, this is the last of the open gated Ferrari gearbox.
Lamborghini has mirrored Ferrari’s strategy and done away with the manual option in both their flagship Aventador and smaller Gallardo. The last of its kind is the 2012 LP550-2, basically the last real driver’s Lamborghini. Luckily Porsche, Dodge, Chevrolet, Ford, and BMW continue to develop manual transmissions for their 911s, Vipers, Corvettes, Mustangs, and M series. However, word has just passed through the grapevine that the new generation 911 GT3 won’t initially come with a manual transmission and instead use the PDK dual clutch system. Purists are outraged, but there’s no denying that the PDK is the better suited gearbox for track use, which is what the lighter, more powerful 911 GT3 is all about.
What this means then for consumers is that, as investments, a 2 door sports car with a minimal amount of electronic wizardry, an old school manual gearbox, and rear wheel drive is becoming increasingly desirable. In fact, the few V12 Ferraris with a gated shifter that are currently for sale have begun to spike in value. Below you’ll find a fairly comprehensive list of the last few 2007-2012 manual transmission V12 Ferraris for sale in the world.
A stunning Vinaccia Purple 599 GTB by GHG Photography.
I personally believe there isn’t a more certain high yield investment in the world – or certainly not one as thrilling as being smart with your money by purchasing a manual 612 bhp V12 Ferrari.
For those of you that can’t get a hold of the only three manual 599 GTBs currently for sale, rest assured that there are still some manual Ferrari F430 Coupe and Spiders out there – both of which will likely yield high prices in the future as well.
2007 599 GTB – red – 6,699 miles – Greenwich
http://www.millermotorcars.
2007 599 GTB – red – 5,600 miles – New England
http://www.ferrarine.com/
2008 599 GTB – red – 4,377 kms – Germany
http://www.jamesedition.com/