Ferrari F430

Ferrari F430
Manufacturer:	Ferrari
Class:	mid-engined; coupe; sports car
Production:	2005 — present
Predecessor:	Ferrari 360
Body Styles:	Berlinetta Spider
Engines:	4.3 L V8
Transmission:
Length:	4512 mm (177.6 in)
Width:	1923 mm (75.7 in)
Height:	1214 mm (47.8 in)
Weight:	1450 kg (3197 lb)
Wheelbase:	2600 mm (102.4 in)
Predecessor:	Ferrari 360
Successor:
Aka:
Related:
similar:	Aston Martin V8 Vantage Aston Martin DB9 Ford GT Lamborghini Gallardo Panoz Esperante Porsche 997 Turbo Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Dodge Viper

The Ferrari F430 is a sports car automobile designed to replace the Ferrari 360. It debuted at the 2004 Paris Motor Show. European left-hand drive sales began in November, 2004, but right-hand drive sales did not start until Spring 2005, and the United States did not get the F430 until Summer 2005.

The F430's chassis is heavily based on its predecessor, the 360. Internally, both cars are referred to with the same number (131), though the F430 has the Evoluzione tag attached to show that it features some major changes. Internally, the car is simply known as the "Evo".

The body has been redesigned to be more curvaceous and aerodynamic. Although the drag coefficient remains the same, downforce has been greatly enhanced. A great deal of Ferrari heritage is found in the car: at the rear, the Enzo's tail lights have been added, and that car's interior vents have been added to the F430 as well. The car's name has been etched into the outside of the Testarossa-styled driver's side mirror as was previously done with the F40. The large oval openings in the front bumper are reminiscent of Ferrari racing models from the 1960s, specifically the 156 "sharknose" Formula One car and 250 TR61 Le Mans cars of Phil Hill.

File:Ferrari F 430.jpg

Ferrari F 430

Along with a restyled body, the F430 features a 4.3 L V8 engine derived from a shared Ferrari/Maserati design. This new powerplant is a significant departure for the F430's line: The engines of all previous V8 Ferraris were descendants of the "Dino" racing program of the 1950s. This 50 year development cycle comes to an end with the entirely new 4.3 L, the architecture of which will later replace the Dino-derived V12 in most other Ferrari cars. Power is 360.4 kW (483 hp) at 8500 rpm and torque 465 N·m (343 ft·lbf) at 5250 rpm. On the BBC Top Gear programme, shown on the 17 July 2005, the Stig achieved a Power Lap time of 1.22.9 which was slower than the Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale at 1.22.3. The slower lap was blamed on the F430's Bridgestone tyres supposedly having less grip than the F360CS' Pirellis. The F430 costs £118,000.

Ferrari F430 Spider rear

Other notable features include the first application of Ferrari's manettino steering wheel-mounted control knob. Drivers can select from five different settings which modify the vehicle's ESP system, "Skyhook" electronic suspension, transmission behavior, throttle response, and active "E-Diff" differential. The feature is similar to Land Rover's "Terrain Response" system.

The brakes on the F430 were made in close collaboration with Brembo. The result has been a new cast-iron alloy for the discs. The new alloy includes molybdenum which has better heat dissipation performance. Another option Ferrari is providing are carbon-ceramic discs. Ceramics have much higher heat-resistivity than metals, thus giving the F430's brakes not only good performance but also a longer lifespan. Ferrari claims the brakes will not fade even after 300-350 laps at their test track.

The E-Diff is another important addition. It is a computer-controlled limited slip differential which can vary the distribution of torque based on inputs such as steering angle and lateral acceleration.

Car and Driver found the car's performance worthy of the Ferrari heritage, and recorded a 3.5 sec 0-60 mph acceleration run in the F430. This makes it the second-quickest Ferrari road car ever made, after the Enzo. That being said, the 3.5 second 0-60 run was made on a European spec car, which has launch control, a feature designed to help launch the car from a standing start at high RPM's. Much like the E-Diff and the manettino, the launch control is a technology borrowed from Ferrari's legendary Formula 1 racing program. The launch control is unavailable in U.S.-spec F430's, presumably due to liability issues.

When Car and Driver tested a U.S.-spec F430, they recorded a 0-60 time of 4 seconds- a figure still worthy of the Ferrari name.

Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson has commended the F430s handling as a marked improvement over the 360 (described by him as a "tricky little so-and-so at the limit"). In the show, The Stig managed to pull a Power Lap with the F430 in 1:22.9, or 0.9 seconds less than a Lamborghini Murciélago.

"Wheels" magazine of Australia described the F430 as the "Greatest Ferrari ever"

Based on "Edmunds.com" the MSRP for an F1 style Ferrari F430 is $178,906.

F430 GT's placed third place in the GT2 class at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The steering wheel and dashboard of a Ferrari F430

F430 Pista

The F430 Pista is the racing version of the F430 for the Ferrari Challenge series. Power is up to 490 hp (365 kW), and the car can reach a top speed of 196 mph (315 km/h). The production model was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January, 2006.

Ferrari F430 Challenge Stradale

Ferrari F430 Challenge Stradale

Ferrari is introducing a reduced weight version of the F430. Aimed to compete with cars like Porsche RS-models, it will be 100 kg lighter and provide output of around 520 horsepower. Thus the weight-to-power ratio will be reduced from 2.96 kg/hp for the standard model to an estimated 2.60kg/hp.

Popular Culture

The F430 is the cover car for the video game Project Gotham Racing 3. The F430 also appears in Sega's Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast as one of the hidden vehicles. A further appearance for both Berlinetta and Spider models is found in Test Drive: Unlimited.

The F430 Spider is featured in the Michael Mann directed Miami Vice in Summer 2006.

The Pixar Animation Studios film Cars featured a Ferrari F430 named for Michael Schumacher, who provided the voice for the car.

External links

• 2006 Ferrari F430 Spider
• Car and Driver's test of the U.S. spec F430
• Car and Driver's test of the Euro-spec F430