The 1989 Formula One car that first raced with a semi-automatic paddle-shift gearbox was the Ferrari 640.
Also known as the F1-89, the Ferrari 640 used an electrohydraulically actuated transmission controlled by paddles behind the steering wheel. The system automated clutch and gear-change operation, allowing the driver to change gears without a conventional manual lever. A separate clutch control was mainly needed when starting from a standstill.
John Barnard’s design pursued both quicker shifts and a narrower cockpit. Eliminating the traditional gear lever and its linkage gave Ferrari more freedom when shaping the car’s monocoque and surrounding aerodynamics. The gearbox debuted competitively at the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix, where Nigel Mansell won, although early-season reliability problems limited its consistency.
The Ferrari 640 is sometimes confused with later Williams systems because Williams refined the concept rapidly. The 1991 Williams FW14 introduced a more compact sequential drum mechanism, but it was not the first Formula One car to race with a semi-automatic paddle-shift transmission. That distinction belongs to Ferrari’s 1989 machine.