What was the first F1 car with paddle shifting?

[tuj]

Topic says it all. I have heard the '89 Ferrari was the first, but curious if anyone knows definitively?

[WhiteBlue]

It was IMO invented by Barnard and the time and Ferrari sounds right.

from GP.com Encyclopedia

Courted by Ferrari in 1987, Barnard was able to dictate his terms to the Italian company - he was given $2 million and his own design center - Ferrari Guildford Technical Office - in England. It was from here that he masterminded his next technical breakthrough - the semi-automatic gearbox. Soon afterwards he was lured to Benetton and established the Benetton Advanced Research Group at Godalming and designed the B191, which formed the basis for the 1994 World Championship-winning B194.

89 was Barnard's last year with Ferrari again from GP.com:

In March 1989 Cappelli was replaced as head of the racing department by Cesare Fiorio, formerly the competitions director of Lancia and Alfa Romeo. Barnard's new 641 appeared in Brazil and Mansell won on the car's debut. Berger was fortunate to emerge unscathed from a fiery accident at Imola and was not fully competitive until the autumn. In June the team announced that Enrique Scalabroni would take over chassis design from John Barnard for the 1990 car.

[xpensive]

It was indeed the work of John Barnard, but I like to think that the 1989 Ferrari was the 640, as driven by Mansell and Berger.
The 1990 cars had different designations, 641, 642 and 643, but to Alain Prost's disappointment Barnard had left by then and I think he was succeeded by Scalabroni and American Steve Nichols from McLaren.

One detail though, the first semi-automatic of 1989 did not have "paddles", it was thumb-operated. As I remember it anyway.

[scarbs]

As I recall the Ferrari always raced with paddles, the paddles failed in an early race and Mansell pitted to replace the steering wheel. Ferrari also changed all four tyres, so perhaps the first five wheel pitstop!

It was Mclarens belated entry to Semi-auto's that was with buttons.

[RH1300S]

It was the Ferrari 640 as designed by John Barnard - clever guy

[xpensive]

I seem to remember an interesting story from the early 1989 season, when there were considerable reliabilty issues with it,
why Ferrari top-management demanded a 640 with a conventional shift-system to be built.

But Barnard, ever the perfectionist, had left no space for anything of the kind.

[Scotracer]

As I recall the Ferrari always raced with paddles, the paddles failed in an early race and Mansell pitted to replace the steering wheel. Ferrari also changed all four tyres, so perhaps the first five wheel pitstop!

It was Mclarens belated entry to Semi-auto's that was with buttons.

I watched that a while ago - Brazil 1989

[Raptor22]

The First F1 car with a paddle shift semi auto matic gearbox was the Ferrari type 639 Designated the F189 and raced for the first time at Jacarapagua in Brasil. It won first time out.
It only raced for 2 events before being replaced by the f189B or type 640. The changes to the car were engine, airbox and diffusor. The changes were significant enough to warrant a new type designation to the car.
The type 639 had the engine airbox inlet on either side of the roll hoop just behind the drivers head. also the diffusor on the 639 was a very simple raised floor and not the sophisticated design that McLaren debuted on their MP4-5.

The next car to go paddle shift was the Williams Renault FW-12B of 1990.
McLaren only followed in 1992 with a paddle shift override full auto box.

[autogyro]

The First F1 car with a paddle shift semi auto matic gearbox was the Ferrari type 639 Designated the F189 and raced for the first time at Jacarapagua in Brasil. It won first time out.
It only raced for 2 events before being replaced by the f189B or type 640. The changes to the car were engine, airbox and diffusor. The changes were significant enough to warrant a new type designation to the car.
The type 639 had the engine airbox inlet on either side of the roll hoop just behind the drivers head. also the diffusor on the 639 was a very simple raised floor and not the sophisticated design that McLaren debuted on their MP4-5.

The next car to go paddle shift was the Williams Renault FW-12B of 1990.
McLaren only followed in 1992 with a paddle shift override full auto box.

The McLaren did not have the auto until 1992, because Ron Dennis was rude to me outside his hosp unit at Estoril in 1989.
His loss.

[rjsa]

As I recall the Ferrari always raced with paddles, the paddles failed in an early race and Mansell pitted to replace the steering wheel. Ferrari also changed all four tyres, so perhaps the first five wheel pitstop!

It was Mclarens belated entry to Semi-auto's that was with buttons.

Wasn't McLaren (if I remember right with Porsche) the first one to try something in gear selection with a sequential stick?

[xxChrisxx]

The McLaren did not have the auto until 1992, because Ron Dennis was rude to me outside his hosp unit at Estoril in 1989.
His loss.

Quoting for emphasis. Just in case people missed your original comment.

[bazanaius]

The First F1 car with a paddle shift semi auto matic gearbox was the Ferrari type 639 Designated the F189 and raced for the first time at Jacarapagua in Brasil. It won first time out.
It only raced for 2 events before being replaced by the f189B or type 640. The changes to the car were engine, airbox and diffusor. The changes were significant enough to warrant a new type designation to the car.
The type 639 had the engine airbox inlet on either side of the roll hoop just behind the drivers head. also the diffusor on the 639 was a very simple raised floor and not the sophisticated design that McLaren debuted on their MP4-5.

The next car to go paddle shift was the Williams Renault FW-12B of 1990.
McLaren only followed in 1992 with a paddle shift override full auto box.

The McLaren did not have the auto until 1992, because Ron Dennis was rude to me outside his hosp unit at Estoril in 1989.
His loss.

I knew I should have started that sweepstake...1 day 20hrs and 8 minutes.

[Raptor22]

A correction to my earlier post. The Type 639 apparently never raced. It was the prototype for the concept of the 640 which started the season with a suboptimal airbox. It was the first f1 car to have the 7speed semi auto paddle shift gearbox.

The 640 was replaced by the 640/2 early in the season.

[autogyro]

The McLaren did not have the auto until 1992, because Ron Dennis was rude to me outside his hosp unit at Estoril in 1989.
His loss.

Quoting for emphasis. Just in case people missed your original comment.

Just thought I would post it again, in case Dennis has not yet read it.

[xpensive]

...the 640 which started the season with a suboptimal airbox.

The 640 was John Barnard's first atmospheric car since the original MP4-1, which didn't have a "snorkel-type" airbox either.

I think the idea with the side-inlets was that cleaner air to the rear wing in the corners would compensate for the loss of inlet pressure at top speed, however the Ferrari V12 of the time was a dog why I guess they needed every Hp.