The Gearbox That Gives You Both Worlds: Ferrari and Koenigsegg Build a Manual That’s Really an Auto

The manual transmission is disappearing from showrooms faster than a cheap sports car in a rainstorm. Automatics have gotten so good—slicker, quicker, more efficient—that most new-car buyers don’t even bother looking for a clutch pedal. Manufacturers have responded by dropping manuals left and right, even from performance models.

But two automakers aren’t ready to let the old-school gearbox die. Ferrari and Koenigsegg have each developed a transmission that acts like a full manual when you want it, and a smooth automatic when you don’t. It’s the best of both worlds, wrapped in engineering that’s as clever as it is weird.

Koenigsegg’s solution, called the Engage Shift System, debuted in 2022 on the CC850 supercar. Under the hood, it’s a nine-speed automatic with seven clutches. But step inside and you’ll find a clutch pedal and a six-speed H-pattern shifter. In manual mode, the transmission simulates everything from the weight of the clutch to the jolt of a bad shift—even stalling if you dump the clutch too hard.

Flip a switch, and it’s back to a nine-speed auto. Ferrari took a similar approach with its 12Cilindri Manuale, a special edition of its V12 grand tourer. The eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox remains, but electronic actuators and feedback systems turn it into a six-speed manual when you engage the H-pattern shifter.

You can mis-shift, stall, and feel the revs rise and fall just like in a real manual. Only 1,499 examples will be built.

The result is a driving experience that lets you have your cake and eat it too—without the trade-offs of a dedicated manual or auto. 5 seconds and weighs just 3,000 pounds. 9 seconds to 60) but swaps the V8 for a naturally aspirated V12 that sounds like angels singing. Both cars are limited-edition, but the technology is likely to trickle down.

For now, only these two automakers build an automatic with a gated manual override. If history is any guide, that won’t stay true for long.