Maserati Spyder Owner's Manual page 187

The "Cambiocorsa" gearbox has
therefore the purpose of relieving the
driver from bothering and straining
aspects of manual transmission
management, without depriving him
of the pleasure of controlling
gearshifting directly. In the event that
the driver, in particular situations,
prefers to give up this option as well,
the total automatic mode can be also
enabled.
The servo assisted system basically
consists of a hydraulic actuator, fitted
directly onto the gearbox housing,
which manages both the gear
selection and engagement by means
of two different pistons.
The two pistons are controlled by a
series of solenoid valves, hydraulically
powered by an electric pump and a
storage battery.
An electronic control unit, after
receiving the requests from the driver
and after evaluation of the vehicle
operation conditions, detected
through a series of sensors,
autonomously manages gearshifting,
thereby controlling clutch, gearbox
and engine torque directly.
When shifting gears, the engine
control is assisted by the gearbox
control.
Interfacing between gearbox and
engine control remarkably improves
the system performance and relieves
the driver, during gearshifting, from
any need to synchronize the clutch-
accelerator operations. Actually, the
accelerator pedal can be even kept
always pressed down.
The "Cambiocorsa" gearbox not only
manages the transmission upon the
driver's request, but also "tutors" and
assists him while driving.
As a matter of fact, the system
automatically excludes all wrong
gearshifting requests, avoids
unintentional switching off of the
engine and wheel locking in low grip
conditions. As far as driving assistance
is concerned, it furthermore ensures
that the first speed is immediately
available when the vehicle is stopped
and that gears are automatically
downshifted in case of sudden
deceleration, with subsequent sharp
request for acceleration. These aspects
improve driving safety, since the
possibilities for the driver to carry out
wrong maneuvers are decreased.
A display on the instrument panel
indicates the gear currently engaged,
while diagnostics messages are
managed by the electronic control unit
through a warning light and a buzzer.
Technical specifications
7
187