Is BMW's SMG the same tranmission type that is used in Ferrari? (i.e no DSG or CVT, but a actual clutch plate)
I know they say that the SMG is derived from F1 technology, any truth to that or is it all marketing on BMW's part?
Simon: Nils? You can close in now. Nils?
John McClane: [on the guard's phone] Attention! Attention! Nils is dead! I repeat, Nils is dead, ----head. So's his pal, and those four guys from the East German All-Stars, your boys at the bank? They're gonna be a little late.
Simon: [on the phone] John... in the back of the truck you're driving, there's $13 billon dollars worth in gold bullion. I wonder would a deal be out of the question?
John McClane: [on the phone] Yeah, I got a deal for you. Come out from that rock you're hiding under, and I'll drive this truck up your ass.
The Sequential M Gearbox is essentially a six-speed manual gearbox where the clutch and gearbox are operated electro-hydraulically by a computer in response to the driver pulling on two paddles behind the steering wheel, or by pushing a floor shifter forwards or backwards. There is no clutch pedal. As well, the SMG is capable of operating completely automatically if desired.
First, note that the SMG system is not an automatic transmission than can be shifted manually - like BMW's Steptronic or Porsche's Tiptronic - it is a manual transmission with a clutch, but without a clutch pedal, that can change gears by itself in response to driver input. BMW developed the SMG in close collaboration with Getrag and Sachs, and uses a similar technology in the Williams BMW Formula One racing cars.
Does Ferrari's paddle shifter transmission be put in automatic like BMW where the computer takes over?
Simon: Nils? You can close in now. Nils?
John McClane: [on the guard's phone] Attention! Attention! Nils is dead! I repeat, Nils is dead, ----head. So's his pal, and those four guys from the East German All-Stars, your boys at the bank? They're gonna be a little late.
Simon: [on the phone] John... in the back of the truck you're driving, there's $13 billon dollars worth in gold bullion. I wonder would a deal be out of the question?
John McClane: [on the phone] Yeah, I got a deal for you. Come out from that rock you're hiding under, and I'll drive this truck up your ass.
One of the main reasons why the 612 works as well in the countryside as on the track is its inviting F1 gearbox--a pair of paddle shifters on either side of the wheel (a six-speed stick-shift is also available; there is no optional automatic transmission). The forthcoming Ferrari-owned Maserati Quattroporte sedan uses a similar gearbox and is another example of the rare Italian exotic that features a backseat. The paddle shifters on both the Ferrari and the Maserati--transmission types known as sequential manual gearboxes--have automatic modes that can change the gears for you; these are not automatic transmissions, but clutchless manual transmissions that shift automatically. http://www.forbes.com/2004/03/22/cx_dl_0322feat.html
SMG1 I think was a robot-operated manual transmission. SMG2 was designed to significantly reduce shift time, and hence the design and layout are totally different. ie. you can't simply stick a shifter there and have a familiar H-pattern shifter, whereas SMG1 was simply a manual gearbox with the H-shifter replaced with hydraulics.
