Ferrari may have found a way to bring the manual gearbox into the modern age, with its controversial 12Cilindria Manuale. But one of Maranello's biggest rivals, Lamborghini, has no interest in following Ferrari down the same path.
In an interview with Road & Track, Lamborghini's Chief Marketing and Sales Officer, Federico Foschini, says there could be an "opportunity" in offering a manual gearbox to customers, but that he doesn't see it as a trend that its production cars need to follow.
For Lamborghini, the manual clearly isn't a priority. The last production Lambo with a manual was the Gallardo LP 560-2 50th Anniversario, which debuted for the 2013 model year. That's right, it's been more than 13 years without a manual Lamborghini in the lineup.
For other brands, a manual gearbox remains the calling card. But even for automakers like Porsche, it's becoming less of a fixture in the lineup than ever before. The German automaker has drastically reduced the vehicle count on which a row-it-yourself gearbox can be ordered.
Lamborghini buyers raising their hands for a model with a manual likely remains a low number. Perhaps a high-dollar, limited-run special could happen down the road, but it's not likely.
Motor1's Take: Lamborghini believes its road cars should relate to its race cars. Considering there's no raging bull currently rocking a stick shift on a circuit, we don't expect a production vehicle to suddenly offer one on the order sheet.
Additionally, finding a true manual gearbox to handle the tremendous power being created would create quite an engineering challenge. After all, even the simulated manual in the Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale remains a unique take on an automatic transmission.
