The F430 is good enough to overcome it. It gave me a Ferrarigasm even without the clutch.
Thinking about the bark it gives on downshifts gives me another.
However, there's nothing like rowing through gears and working the clutch. Take this from a late convert to manual transmissions. It's man + machine in synchronization. It's being a driver instead of being an interested participant. It's making the engine do what you want it to do. It may be fractions of a second slower, but a manual sports car is bliss.
The F360 Spider that I drove was a manual, and although it is out of this world, it is a bit of a chore to drive. To have that beautiful signature chrome shift gate, the gear spacing has to be quite large, so shifting from one to the next takes a bit of effort. No big deal when cruising, but during quick-shift driving, it is possible to not properly engage the gear. The clutch is quite heavy and the stick requires a good shove to get it engaged properly, and if it's a cold start, it takes even more effort.
But I was a manual tranny purist for the longest time especially after driving a Maserati coupe with the Cambiocorsa system, which is basically the same as the Ferrari F1 setup. That Maserati's semi-automatic was the most rubbish thing I had ever witnessed and swore off those paddle-shifted systems forever. Then, not too long ago, I drove a Lamborghini Gallardo with the e-gear, and I have to say, I think I'm now a convert! The e-gear was worlds better than the Maser, and the downshift bark never ever gets old. And when driving fast, being able to fire off quick up-shifts and down-shifts tempts my Formula 1 sensibilities. There is something magical about a proper manual, but there's also some things that a semi-automatic brings to the table that a manual tranny can't. If the new F430 system is anywhere near as good as the Lambo's, then you are definitely in for a treat.
