A tuner has successfully converted a Ferrari 458 to manual transmission - the result looks like it came from the manufacturer.
The Ferrari 458 is considered a great success by the Italian sports car manufacturer - not only because of its 4.5-liter V8 naturally aspirated engine. With the Renner, the whole package is just right. The whole? Luckily for some fans, a manual gearbox is missing, after all Ferrari only equipped the sports car with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. US tuner Modificata has now changed that: After its conversion, the 458 Speciale is on the road with a six-speed manual transmission.
Looks like Ferrari
Modificata specializes in the restoration and conversion of Italian sports cars. The tuners justify the conversion of the 458 to a manual transmission with the desire for a sensitive driving experience that "no longer exists in modern cars". The manual six-speed gearbox is operated via a stylish stainless steel lever with a metal ball head that goes well with Ferrari models. The newly formed center tunnel and Ferrari-typically exposed shift gate look as if they could have come from the manufacturer itself. The tuners are happy that there is no better sound than that from a V8 suction engine revving up to 9,000 rpm and the metallic click-clack of the manual transmission.
New pedals
In the driver's footwell there is a racing pedal set installed by Modificata - after all, the production model lacks the clutch pedal. Despite the additional pedal, however, the manual transmission conversion should ensure that the 458 is lighter than with its standard dual-clutch transmission. In a video, the conversion specialists show how the manual transmission and pedals work - the functionality looks smooth at both low and high speeds.
It is not yet known whether Modificata would like to offer the manual switch conversion for interested parties or whether the conversion should remain a one-off project.
Conclusion
The Ferrari 458 Speciale is one of the best sports cars of recent years. Its equipment with a 4.5-liter naturally aspirated engine makes fans rave - and its seven-speed dual-clutch transmission causes no trouble. But US tuner Modificata prefers a manual transmission for a perfect driving experience - and installs it in the 458. The conversion, which is visually successful with a newly formed center tunnel and an open shift gate, also seems to work technically well, as the Modificata specialists show in a video.
