What was the first road car to have a paddle shift gearbox?

"jeffywk" (jeffywk) 02/09/2015 at 10:41 • Filed to: Paddles, save the manuals, flappy paddle, ferrari, 360, question

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Just something I was thinking about this morning: what was the first road car available with paddles? The Ferrari 360 was the earliest car I could think of. Was there anything before that?

JR1 > jeffywk 02/09/2015 at 10:43

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Ferrari 355 I think

TheJWT > jeffywk 02/09/2015 at 10:43

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I'm pretty sure it was the 355 F1

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > jeffywk 02/09/2015 at 10:44

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Pretty sure the 355 had them too.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > jeffywk 02/09/2015 at 10:44

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When did the E46 M3 get an SMG? It's the only other one of that time period that comes to mind. The budget bonus answer is the MR2 Spyder, which got an SMG in 2002.

jeffywk > TheJWT 02/09/2015 at 10:46

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I figured it was probably a Ferrari. I wonder what the first non-Ferrari to have paddles was?

TheJWT > jeffywk 02/09/2015 at 10:48

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I'm not sure about that; I think some Astons had them in the early 2000s, but I doubt they were the first non-Ferraris to do so.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > Aaron M - MasoFiST 02/09/2015 at 10:48

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The E36 had the SMG, but I'm not sure if it had flappy paddles if I'm honest.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > jeffywk 02/09/2015 at 10:50

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Alfa had selespeed with buttons on the steering wheel in 1999 if I'm not mistaken.

Anon > jeffywk 02/09/2015 at 10:51

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One of the earliest has to be the CLK GTR in 1997.

Dasupersprint - base trim is enough > jeffywk 02/09/2015 at 10:52

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If I'm not mistaken, I think the Toyota Celica had them for the 2000 MY

McMike > jeffywk 02/09/2015 at 10:54

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Ferrari 355 (1997)

There were other automated manuals with a plate clutch before that, but they were not paddles.

jeffywk > Anon 02/09/2015 at 10:56

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That must have been the first non-Ferrari, then.

PlasteredClover > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 02/09/2015 at 11:14

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my 2000 gt-s has the buttons instead of the paddles.

RazoE > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough 02/09/2015 at 11:37

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Sure that's not just an automatic with buttons to shift? In that case 1998 Toyota Altezzas (IS300s) had them. But they also had an actual 3 pedal manual.

Toyota MR2 Spyders had actual "SMG" manuals as an option.

Law > jeffywk 02/09/2015 at 12:53

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Dec. 1996 E36 M3 SMG (European-spec only)

jeffywk > Law 02/09/2015 at 18:32

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Oh! So apparently not the Ferrari 355! I have to research more!

Manuél Ferrari > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 02/09/2015 at 18:55

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I'm not sure either. Curious to know

Manuél Ferrari > jeffywk 02/09/2015 at 19:06

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Not paddle shift but still semi-automatic manual transmissions that did away with the clutch pedal:

Historically, the first semi-automatic transmission which was marketed by a major manufacturer was the 1941 M4/Vacamatic Transmission by Chrysler . It was an attempt to compete against rivals' automatic transmissions , though it still had a clutch , it was primarily used to change range. The main difference was the addition of a fluid coupling between engine and clutch, and the shifting mechanism.

Citroën produced a number of variants on semi-automatic transmission. The Citroën DS , introduced in 1955, used a hydraulic system to select gears and operate the conventional clutch using hydraulic servos. There was also a speed controller and idle speed step-up device, all hydraulically operated. This allowed clutchless shifting with a single selector mounted behind the steering wheel. This system was nicknamed 'Citro-Matic' in the U.S.

For the 1968 model year, the Volkswagen Beetle offered an optional transmission marketed as Automatic Stickshift which was essentially a three-speed manual without a clutch pedal. Application of the driver's hand to gearshift knob caused the clutch to disengage via a 12 volt solenoid operating the vacuum clutch, thereby allowing shifting between gears. Once the driver's hand was removed, the clutch would re-engage automatically. The transmission was also equipped with a torque converter, allowing the car to idle in gear, like an automatic. The torque converter was operated by transmission fluid. This would allow the car to stop in any gear and start from a standing stop in any gear. This transmission was first available on the 1967 Volkswagen Beetle, and was made available on the Karmann Ghia in 1967. VW dropped the transmission option altogether in 1976.

For the SAAB 900NG a semi-automatic transmission was available for Turbo models only between 1995 and 1996, mostly for European market. The 'Sensonic' clutch variant provided a manual gear lever as in a standard manual transmission car, but omitted the clutch pedal in favor of electronics which could control the clutch faster than an average driver.

Nikita > jeffywk 05/04/2018 at 19:01

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It is the Ferrari 355. Paddle shift was invented way back when there were barely any cars, but Ferrari 355 was the first production car. It’s called F1 gearbox because of Ferrari introducing it during 1979 Brazil GP.