OV9

I love Manuel boxes.

I thought I might be swayed by Pete’s 600LT, but since I drove it in conditions where it couldn’t deploy full power without spinning up - even in 4th - any benefit of “immediate” shifts wasn’t apparent. Maybe next time.

Anyway - this post is dedicated to the gated shift. Much loved by Ferrari, but others like Lambo have joined in. I’ve only used one - in a 355 (was it a 360?) at a 6th-gear (I think) runway day thing.

Which very much left me nonplussed. What’s the appeal? If anything it slows things down.

WhatamImissing?

Never used one, but evocative, Ferrari, nostalgic, shiny, wow, amaze, wow.

I'll always remember when Richard Burns was on a Jeremy Clarkson video with Tim Harvey IIRC (I think they were trying to decide the best handling car), and they were driving a Ferrari 550. Burns was making noises like he'd creamed himself when snicking that gearbox about. In RB we trust.

Can't find the clip on YT.

Clicky-clacky noises ftw

It’s about 20 years since I drove a Diablo SV with a gated manual; I don’t particularly remember the gate being problematic. It doesn’t stick in the memory though.

I’m sure I’ve driven something with a metal plate like an open gate, but with much shorter prongs between the gates - just a wavy line effectively. All the clacking as you push the lever into gear, none of the awkward following slots.

I saw one in a Focus Ghia that someone had made, nearly convinced myself it was a Ferrari by the snicketyness.

Dave!

Only gated shift I've driven was an R8 and it didn't do anything for me, felt obstructive if anything. Quite like the Lotus open mechanism though, tactilely snicky snicky goodness.

That’s it - it was in an Elise that I saw a more open version:

Jobbo wrote: Sat Feb 27, 2021 3:15 pm That’s it - it was in an Elise that I saw a more open version:

That's crazy extra weight to add to an Elise!