Selespeed is the name of an
automated manual transmission
The automated manual transmission (AMT) is a type of transmission (mechanics), transmission for motor vehicles. It is essentially a conventional manual transmission equipped with automatic actuation to operate the clutch and/or shift Gear train ...
used in
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...
cars, developed by Italian company
Magneti Marelli
Marelli Europe S.p.A. (formerly Magneti Marelli S.p.A.) is a European subsidiary of Marelli Holdings which develops and manufactures components for the automotive industry. The firm is headquartered in Corbetta, Italy, and includes 86 manufac ...
and made by
Graziano Trasmissioni
Dana Graziano (former Graziano Trasmissioni) is an Italian company based in Turin manufacturing gearboxes, drivelines and their mechatronics components.
It makes the "Pre-Cog" seven-speed Seamless-Shift gearbox (SSG) dual-clutch transmission used ...
.
The Selespeed is an automated manual gearbox with an electronic clutch. Technically, it consists of the standard (manual) 6-speed gearbox with the standard clutch and adds an electronically controlled hydraulic (robotic) that actuates both gear and clutch.
In its current incarnation, it can be operated via paddle-shifters from the steering wheel or via a "joystick" like a conventional
sequential manual gearbox, used in
touring cars
Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition that uses race-prepared touring cars. It has both similarities to and significant differences from stock car racing, which is popular in the United States.
While the cars do not move a ...
. The right-hand paddle-shifter shifts upwards and the left side downwards. The gearbox also has a city-mode that self-shifts in a manner similar to a traditional
automatic gearbox
An automatic transmission (AT) or automatic gearbox is a multi-speed transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions.
The 1904 Sturtevant "horseless ca ...
.
Selespeed was first introduced in 1999 in the
Alfa Romeo 156
The Alfa Romeo 156 (Type 932) is a compact executive car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Alfa Romeo. It was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show#1997, 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show as the replacement for the Alfa Romeo 155. The 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
The Alfa Romeo 147 (Type 937) is a small family car produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo from 2000 to 2010. The 147 was voted European Car of the Year in 2001.
The 147 was launched at the Turin Motor Show#2000, Turin Motor Show in June 20 ...
) 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 behavior is removed). Downshift is accompanied by automatic rev-matching. This gearbox is made for sportive driving but the city-mode allows using it as an automatic transmission in city driving.
Models
Automated manual transmissions made by Magneti Marelli are called “Selespeed” in Alfa Romeo cars, “Dualogic” in Fiat cars, and “D.F.N” in Lancia cars.
Other cars using similar gearboxes are the
Ferrari 355 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.
Also Fiat, Lamborghini, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Peugeot and Citroen used the Selespeed system.
[Automotive News]
Automotive News
accessdate: 1 July 2019
Notes
External links
selespeed.info
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Alfa Romeo
Automotive technology tradenames
Automobile transmissions