Citing demand from Ferrari enthusiasts, European Auto Group is planning to full transmission swap for a limited number of Ferrari 458 Italias
The Ferrari 458 Italia may have been born and bred in Maranello, Italy, but a select few are going to be spending some time being retrained at a small stable in San Antonio, Texas.
European Auto Group (EAG) has announced its plans to be the first tuner to fit the Ferrari 458 Italia with a gated six-speed manual transmission.
The 458’s naturally aspirated 4.5-litre V8 making 562 horsepower and just shy of 400 lb.-ft. of torque has always been commanded by the brand’s dual-clutch F1 tranny—until now.
Carbuzz spoke with the shop’s owner, Art Bartosik, about the project.
“People are screaming for a manual 458 and 488. If the demand wasn’t there, we wouldn’t do it” he said.
It won’t be easy, even if EAG’s portfolio includes a Ferrari F430 it converted into a manual, because the F430 already had a factory manual option available to work with. The 458 does not.
This time around, Bartosik says, the “transmission in the 458 needs to be swapped out for a six-speed because it came with a dual-clutch.” The video above features the prototype, which is still in development. Bartosik says the company plans to convert “around 10 or 11 of them.”
“We’ve already got a list but people should start lining up out the door,” he said. “It’s going to be exclusive.”
Deposits are being collected now, and these purist machines surely won’t be long on the market. Bartosik says that there are more swaps to come once they’re done with the 458s.
“The Lamborghini Huracan is definitely on the list.”