Selespeed
Encyclopedia
Selespeed is the name of an electrohydraulic manual transmission
used in Alfa Romeo
cars, developed by Italian company Magneti Marelli. The Selespeed is a robotized manual gearbox with electronic clutch. In its current incarnation it can be operated via paddle shifters from the steering wheel or via a "joystick" like a sequential manual gearbox. The right-hand paddle shifter shifts upwards and the left side downwards. The gearbox also has a city-mode which self-shifts in a manner similar to a traditional automatic gearbox.
Selespeed was first introduced in 1999 in the Alfa Romeo 156
. At that time it was the first car in its class with such a robotized gearbox. This first version had buttons on the steering wheel for changing gear. With the facelift of the 156 in 2002 these buttons were replaced by paddle shifters (first seen in the Alfa Romeo 147
) due to a new steering wheel design.
During normal driving it is possible to use either the paddles or the joystick but if the driver tries to use paddles during joystick mode the joystick has higher priority. The speed of the gear change depends on the engine revs, if the engine has more than 5000 rpm and the throttle is pressed more than 60% the change is faster. The system also has a rev limiter to avoid over revving, (in GTA models this behaviour is removed). This gearbox is made for sportive driving but the city-mode allows using it like an automatic gearbox in city driving.
Other cars using similar gearboxes are the Ferrari F355
F1 and Aston Martin Vanquish. The base system is similar in all cars but the speed of operation is usually faster in higher priced cars. BMW's first generation SMG was also partly a Magneti Marelli system.
Electrohydraulic manual transmission
Electrohydraulic manual transmission is a type of semi-automatic transmission system, which uses an automated clutch unlike conventional manual transmissions where the driver operates the clutch. The clutch is controlled by electronic computers and hydraulics...
used in Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
cars, developed by Italian company Magneti Marelli. The Selespeed is a robotized manual gearbox with electronic clutch. In its current incarnation it can be operated via paddle shifters from the steering wheel or via a "joystick" like a sequential manual gearbox. The right-hand paddle shifter shifts upwards and the left side downwards. The gearbox also has a city-mode which self-shifts in a manner similar to a traditional automatic gearbox.
Selespeed was first introduced in 1999 in the Alfa Romeo 156
Alfa Romeo 156
The Alfa Romeo 156 is a compact executive car introduced by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show as the replacement for the Alfa Romeo 155...
. At that time it was the first car in its class with such a robotized gearbox. This first version had buttons on the steering wheel for changing gear. With the facelift of the 156 in 2002 these buttons were replaced by paddle shifters (first seen in the Alfa Romeo 147
Alfa Romeo 147
The Alfa Romeo 147 is a small family car produced by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo from 2000 to 2010. The 147 was voted European Car of the Year for 2001, beating the Ford Mondeo and the Toyota Prius....
) due to a new steering wheel design.
During normal driving it is possible to use either the paddles or the joystick but if the driver tries to use paddles during joystick mode the joystick has higher priority. The speed of the gear change depends on the engine revs, if the engine has more than 5000 rpm and the throttle is pressed more than 60% the change is faster. The system also has a rev limiter to avoid over revving, (in GTA models this behaviour is removed). This gearbox is made for sportive driving but the city-mode allows using it like an automatic gearbox in city driving.
Models
The following Fiat and Alfa Romeos were or are available with Selespeed:| Model | Engine Size |
|---|---|
| 156 Alfa Romeo 156 The Alfa Romeo 156 is a compact executive car introduced by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show as the replacement for the Alfa Romeo 155... |
2.0 TS |
| 156 GTA Alfa Romeo 156 The Alfa Romeo 156 is a compact executive car introduced by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show as the replacement for the Alfa Romeo 155... |
3.2 GTA |
| 156 Alfa Romeo 156 The Alfa Romeo 156 is a compact executive car introduced by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show as the replacement for the Alfa Romeo 155... |
2.0 JTS |
| 147 Alfa Romeo 147 The Alfa Romeo 147 is a small family car produced by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo from 2000 to 2010. The 147 was voted European Car of the Year for 2001, beating the Ford Mondeo and the Toyota Prius.... |
2.0 TS |
| 147 GTA Alfa Romeo 147 The Alfa Romeo 147 is a small family car produced by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo from 2000 to 2010. The 147 was voted European Car of the Year for 2001, beating the Ford Mondeo and the Toyota Prius.... |
3.2 GTA |
| GT Alfa Romeo GT The Alfa Romeo GT is a sports car produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo between 2003 and 2010. A total of 80,832 units were produced. The GT was introduced in March 2003 Geneva Motor Show and it came for sale in Italian markets January 2004... |
2.0 JTS |
| 159 Alfa Romeo 159 The Alfa Romeo 159 is a compact executive car produced by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo between 2005 and 2011. The 159 was introduced in production form at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show as a replacement for the successful Alfa Romeo 156. The 159 uses the GM/Fiat Premium platform, shared with... |
2.2 JTS |
| Brera Alfa Romeo Brera The Alfa Romeo Brera is a sports car produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo between 2005 and 2010. The Spider roadster was produced between 2006 to 2010. Both cars were manufactured by Pininfarina. Only 12,488 units of Spider and 21,786 units of Brera were built. Production of both models... |
2.2 JTS |
| Spider Alfa Romeo Brera The Alfa Romeo Brera is a sports car produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo between 2005 and 2010. The Spider roadster was produced between 2006 to 2010. Both cars were manufactured by Pininfarina. Only 12,488 units of Spider and 21,786 units of Brera were built. Production of both models... |
2.2 JTS |
| Fiat Stilo Fiat Stilo The Fiat Stilo is a small family car available as a 3-door and a 5-door hatchback, as well as an estate , produced by the Italian automaker Fiat Automobiles. The Stilo 3-door and 5-door were launched in 2001 to replace the Fiat Bravo/Brava, with the Stilo MultiWagon following in 2002... Abarth |
2.4 20V |
Other cars using similar gearboxes are the Ferrari F355
Ferrari F355
The Ferrari F355 is a sports car built by Ferrari from May 1994 to 1999. It is an evolution of the Ferrari 348 and was replaced by the Ferrari 360. It is a mid-engined, rear wheel drive V8-powered 2-seat coupe...
F1 and Aston Martin Vanquish. The base system is similar in all cars but the speed of operation is usually faster in higher priced cars. BMW's first generation SMG was also partly a Magneti Marelli system.