Lamborghini confirms end of manuals

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Lamborghini R&D Chief Explains Why Manual Transmissions are Dead

Maurizio Reggiani, head of R&D at Lamborghini, loves a true manual transmission. But in an interview with R&T, he explains why you'll never see one again in a new Lamborghini.

Lamborghinis are supposed to be about raw emotion: the scream of a V12 engine, the thrill of mile-wide tires scrambling for grip, the joy of driving something built without a single care thrown toward convenience, practicality, or the rigors of everyday humdrum life.

You'd think a manual transmission would fit the formula perfectly.

But at the Frankfurt Auto Show last week, R&T sat down with Maurizio Reggiani, Director of Research and Development at Lamborghini. And while the Lamborghini news at the show was the introduction of the Huracán LP 610-4 Spyder, we couldn't help asking Mr. Reggiani a question that's been weighing on our minds: Is the dream of a manual-transmission Lamborghini dead?

"Unfortunately I must say yes," he told us. "All the systems that are integrated in the car need to have a dialog with one another. The clutch is one of the fuses of the system, whether you're engaging or disengaging the torque. This creates a hole in the communication between what the engine is able to provide and how the car reacts to the power of the engine. For this reason, unfortunately, I must say I am sure that in a premium supersports car like [the Huracán], we will only do a semiautomatic.

"Unfortunately, it's the demand of the control of the chassis," he continued. "If you want to control the chassis, you must control the power. If you want to control the power, the clutch must be under the control of the brain of the car, not your brain."

This decision wasn't easy, and Mr. Reggiani understands the yearning among traditionalists for a three-pedal Lamborghini. But he brings up a very good point about modern manual transmissions, one that doesn't get discussed very often among three-pedal evangelists: Today's manual transmissions aren't the pure, directly-connected driver's experience you think they are.

It all comes down to the mechanics of what happens when you push the clutch pedal. "Remember, when you put a servo system between your feet and the clutch, you have already put a filter in there. For me, the most pure expression of the manual transmission is when with your foot you push all the load that is necessary to disengage the clutch."

So when people pining for manual transmissions hold up today's three-pedal sports cars as standard bearers of purity, it puzzles Mr. Reggiani. "In all the latest manual transmissions, there is a servo that reduces the load [of the clutch pedal]," he explains. "If we want to talk about the purist [experience], we must go back 20 years, not 10 years, because already these filters were in place.

Then there's the practical side. "I've been working for Lamborghini for 20 years. I started at the time of the Diablo, [which had] a clutch without a servo. You needed 40 kilograms of force to disengage the clutch. At that time, we were making 450 N m of torque. Now we are at 690. It's a problem to manage the closing point of the clutch. If you have hesitation, with this torque you'll burn the clutch immediately.

"And unfortunately not everybody can be a super expert, but everybody wants to buy the car and nobody wants to appear stupid. For this, you must put the servo in there, and if you put the servo in there you disengage the really mechanical feeling between you and the engine."

In other words, if you want a Lamborghini with power like the 740-hp Aventador LP750-4 SV, you're gonna have to settle for a transmission that's smarter than you. As for Mr. Reggiani? When he wants to get that purist mechanical feel, he hops in his 1966 Alfa Romeo Duetto, with a manual transmission and no servos in sight.

 

I assume most buyers of the new cars are old men ? Most old men do not want to shift. In addition, grandma can also drive the car with the automatic.


Interesting how quite a few of the bottom feeders prefer the manual box. No doubt, some of the manual love is due to the reduced maintenance costs. The used modern exotic car market shows the buyers pay extra for a manual box. 599, LP 640, 355, 360, 575, S.A., and 430 etc..., all have additional value for the manual box. I have no interest in an automatic. It is unfortunate, that several car companies do not offer the manual as an extra cost option. ...of all the stupid options they offer... The manual is not in the guide as an extra cost option.

 

No that is not it. Agents of London bankers have infiltrated the automakers for the express purpose of turning Das Auto into an appliance. In order that you say ah screw it, I'll just ride a bike. Or walk, it is much more enjoyable.

 

Glad I have an early Diablo

 

peak to peak, or near Rollinsville? epic country bad ass car,

 

I'm glad I have one in my Countach!

Mike
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We knew this in 2011. Manuals are dead for a car industry that is top of the technology pole.
Honestly, if I was in the market for an Aventador or Huracan I wouldn't opt for a manual. I think the 991T and F-Type R are probably the only cars that doesn't come with a manual that should have it as an option.

Going to keep it going, my LP640.
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It will be interesting for these classics when the next generation of drivers simply cannot operate them because there were no manual cars available to even learn on (I assume 10-15 years from now you won't even be able to easily buy a "cheap" manual car for learning here in the states).

Will this effect long-term values in a negative way?

Certainly short-medium term I expect manuals to carry a significant premium for sporting/exotic cars...

 

He is being very disingenuous. There is no "Servo" in the operation of the clutch in any of the cars. In an E gear it has a hydraulic pump and a valve. In a manual it has a hydraulic pump, called a master cylinder and a pedal. Many cars made with 600+ hp with a manually operated clutch that do not require a body builder to push the pedal and the other systems can very easily be designed not to take clutch operation into account.

What he really means is manuals are not selling in sufficient number to justify building them. No reason not to just say that. We are all big boys and get it.

Very typical of the representatives of an Italian auto builder. They'll look you in the eye and lie, very often even when the truth would serve them better.

 

In March of 2009, when the order for the 2010 LP670-4SV cars were being taken....I was told by a very reliable source in the factory, that MY ORDER of a TRUE 6 speed 3 pedal SV would for sure BE THE LAST V12 Lambos with a Manual gear box.

I had to fight tooth and nail to get them to do it...as a matter of fact..they DID NOT and WOULD NOT credit me the $10K that an E-Gear option upgrade was...I ordered it, as well as being the ONLY SV 6 speed in the WORLD with the small "Speed Wing" option..

Car #12 has served me well since it arrived in early July of 2009 to me. Approaching 35K miles, no engine out service, same clutch, no issues what so ever other then tires, fluids, filters, 30k major valve adjust and one passenger side mirror motor that went bad the first week I had it under warranty...a BULLET PROF car..AND #12 matches my #12 2001 Diablo 6.0SE car #12...

I wonder WHO will get it once I leave this earth, because till then, its not going anywhere.
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I don't know......an employee of mine had several 700-800hp z06 with superchargers, one has 800 at the rear wheel, and they did fine with a manual transmission.
So if you want to render the Lamborghini owner too stupid aka not too smart, to make it all happen, even with a manly clutch pedal, then it's a failed decision to say never.

 

My 22 year old has a 15 1LE Camaro SS with a manual transmission. He told me he is happy he did not buy a slush box. My 20 year old is learning to drive the Camaro. My 16 year old will soon learn to drive the Camaro. I have one more who has to learn to drive a manual box (no learner's permit yet) .

 

Good to hear your kids like real transmissions, Lamborghini should offer a basic de electronicseniced (dont know if thats actually a word) Huracán with rear drive just basic bare bones model,save 200lbs , fun fun, if Gm and Dodge can do it, they can.

 

Yeah, that servo remark was bizarre. This guy is the head of R&D?

 

I think that was more of a language or obfuscation issue. He just said what he needed to say to get a journalist to accept it.

 

Well, we can argue to stop making them so damn electronic and computerized. Stop the dialog of the cars electronics and put the control back into the human aspect of it.

One thing that was briefly cool when I drove the 2 Huracans was it automatically blipped the throttle for me when I slowed. Cool because it sound cooled and timed right BUT my smile quickly fell to disappointment and sourness as I felt "this is all fake, I didn't do that".
And that pretty much summed up why I have little interest in the later cars.

 

I do actually prefer manuals as well, in particular in my classics.

Plainly said, on a track I am sure that a manual 599 GTB will be slower than one with F1 (which I have). This F1 system works and shifts in a way and speed, that at least I would never reach in a manual. It is dramatic.

Having experience driving a manual by the way (I believe) will prolong clutch lifetime of a F1 (or similar systems) considerably. Because you will never just stamp on the gas at a traffic light, like in a conventional automatic.

Many owners of manual Murcies seem to manage a clutch lifetime of less than 20,000 km.

I do not see any advantange or disadvantage with respect to service costs. It presumably mainly depends on driving habits, wherein "modern" driving in the sense of "digital" (press gas not or full, since there are electronic rescue systems always being alert) does not help in either cases.

 

I think most of the posters in this thread (so far) are of an age where they can remember their first car (manual) as a fond, yet distant memory. Keep in mind that today's buyers in the 30-45 y/o segment might not necessarily share the same sentiment as you about manual cars. E-gear is an evolution. Those who didn't spend enough time with manual cars to appreciate their technology won't care for them if E-gear is an option - the market seems to have spoken in that regard.

One day in the not-so-distant future, the same argument will be made between electric (or something else) vs. ICE engines.

 

You are correct. Manufacturers build what people want to buy. It's that simple.

When Ferrari introduced the F1 they predicted 30% of total 355 orders would be F1. It was over 60% and went up every year. It has gotten to the point that it makes no sense to spend the money to build cars for such a small and decreasing market segment.

 

Well yeah manuals are cool, they're historic and traditional. I get it. However, truth of the matter is that the automatic transmissions, egear, dual clutch etc are better performing these days. The dual clutch on the Huracan or the 458 are crazy fast! So I understand the longing for heritage, but I also understand the engineering and mechanical progress that car makers go through. It's one thing to hold on to tradition for tradition's sake, but we all have to adapt and move forward in time. I learned to drive in Germany, where you were (maybe still are) REQUIRED to take your driving test on a manual. And I had manuals there myself. Yes they were fun. But I'm not going to lie, my Murci egear is amazing, shifts smoothly, and sounds ungodly on the down-shift with the rev matching.

I think the manual gearbox is a thing of the past and will slowly fade away. Doesn't mean that it doesn't demand a premium for collectors that want something pure and traditional. For older cars the premium will mostly depend on the car, for newer cars, I think the importance of the manual vs automatic will become less significant, and eventually people will know it as standard.

 

"Driving a manual takes more skill and as a result is more fun and rewarding"

That's def a fair point I can see. Although driving my Murci (even the egear) and with its ungodly downshifts, I gotta say is pretty rewarding by itself lol
But yes, you're absolutely right that it takes more skill and hence usually is more rewarding.

 

Put a manual in all cars and we will solve the texting-while-driving problem and talk with phone in hand problem

 

I love the shifter in my Citroen SM
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