Lamborghini Isn't Following Ferrari's Manual PathWill Sabel CourtneyThe recent arrival of the Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale came as a real surprise to most of us, returning a gated (albeit electronically controlled) shifter to the Maranello lineup after years of absence. Could Lamborghini, we wondered, follow a similar path?"There are a few customers that are still in love with this kind of stuff," Lamborghini's chief marketing and sales officer Federico Foschini says about the manual during a sit-down with Road & Track at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. "And I think that it's an opportunity ... but it's not the trend. Because such kind of—let's say, performance and driving engagement—you cannot experience with this kind of gearbox, you know?"Gated manual in the Ferrari 12Cilindri ManualeFerrariOur ears perked up when Foschini called the stick shift "an opportunity," but there's a big difference between recognizing a small desire in the market and actually engineering and building a manual transmission. One barrier to this, Foschini notes, is Lamborghini's penchant to follow motorsports; where its race cars go, Lamborghini road cars follow. "And this trend [in racing] at the moment is embedded mainly on hybridization, and [the] automatic gearbox, with [the] possibility to have the actionable shifting at the wheel with the paddle," Foschini says. "That's the way that I think we need to go."Andi HedrickIn other words, don't expect a Lamborghini with a manual transmission any time soon. Foschini also points out that Ferrari is selling the 12Cilindri Manuale in a limited series, not as a regular production model.AdvertisementAdvertisementIt's hard to dispute that manual transmissions in high-dollar sports cars and supercars are definitely in demand; just look at the U.S.-bought Porsche 911 GT3 manual take-rate numbers that hovers near 70 percent as an example. If a manual is available for certain special vehicles, the market tends to respond.In addition to all the manual transmission talk, Foschini spoke about the possibility of bringing back more historical nameplates following the revival of the Countach. That said, he says it would need to be a special, brand-defining vehicle for it to make a return.Lamborghini"Maybe in the future we find another model that can be so inspiring," Foschini said. "But normally, we are not used to taking old models and bringing to the present time—revising them, just for the sake, to have this model in the [modern] time. But if there is a special meaning—like, for the Countach—we do it."In other words, Lamborghini isn't closing the door on bringing an iconic name back into the fold. There are already rumors of a Miura-like tribute model based on the Revuelto, and it could be launching in time for Monterey Car Week this year.Greg PajoAs far as current models, Foschini continued to speak positively about the chances of a new Sterrato derivative. The Huracan Sterrato was shockingly fun to the point it would seem foolish for it to be the only off-road focused supercar-based model Lambo ever made. "I think that also the Revuelto can be sold," Foschini said, about applying the Sterrato formula to other vehicles. "But I think that if you have to choose one of the two supersport cars, it's the Temerario, as it was for the Huracan. This is the best candidate—in terms of daily usability, in terms of engine, in terms of all that is about the concept of the car for this."AdvertisementAdvertisementWe'd have to agree that the smaller Temerario makes more sense as an off-road vehicle base, but it would be quite special to see the V-12-powered Revuelto get a similar treatment. Foschini didn't even close the door on a more rugged Urus. Granted, the Urus is already an SUV with light off-road chops, but one with all-terrain tires and off-road-focused design could round out a full Sterrato lineup in our eyes.Greg PajoThe most immediate reveals we can expect from Lamborghini, however, will be the aforementioned Revuelto variant at Pebble Beach and a new Temerario flavor before the end of 2026. Both will be high-performance cars, so think faster around the track, not Sterrato-style off-road fun. Foschini told us that the new Revuelto is a "huge improvement in terms of performance" and that the design is "really, really cool." Just as it should be for an extreme V-12 powered Lamborghini.You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State