Ferrari show 430 Challenge racecar
And the Scaglietti gets new interior tweaks
   Ferrari 430 Challenge |
Ferrari is showing the updated 612 Scaglietti for 2006 and the world preview of the F430 Challenge, the eight-cylinder Berlinetta-derived competition car that will be taking part in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli from the 2006 season.
The 1,225Kg F430 Challenge retains the same general look and 490bhp engine as the road-going version but adds a number of track-oriented modifications and new features. It joins the 360 Challenge on track next season and completely replaces it in 2007.
F1 technology transfers include the braking system which uses carbon-ceramic material (CCM) – a first for a Ferrari sports competition car. The electronic gearbox is also F1-derived and works in exactly the same way as the one used aboard the Grand Prix car. With a sinterised two-plate clutch and specific software, it offers the same gear-changing times as the road-going F430 (150ms). Fifth and sixth gear ratios have also been modified with respect to the road-going version as has the final drive ratio for racing purposes. New 19-inch slick tyres were also developed specifically by Pirelli.
Weight has been reduced in every area of the car, from the engineering to the bodywork. It uses a Lexan windscreen, an all-carbon fibre intake plenum cover, and a specific exhaust system.
The e-diff has been replaced by a mechanical differential and the EBD has been replaced with a mechanical system. Similarly, stability and traction controls are permanently disengaged and "race" settings have been maintained on the gearbox and engine management system, along with the ABS and ASR, doing away with the manettino switch. The ASR can be deactivated by the driver at will.
The new steering wheel gets a quick release mechanism to make it easier to get into and out of the car. The wheel is also equipped with buttons for radio contact with the pits, to set the pit lane speed and interface with the new colour digital instrument panel. The new exhaust system has high central tail pipes, and a modified grille which increases the extraction of hot air from the rear of the engine bay. Anti-roll bars, springs and single-rate shocks have all been modified for racing use while the centre-locking wheels make wheel changes faster too as does the fact that the car incorporates pneumatic jacks.
Scaglietti 612
Unveiled at Detroit in 2004, Ferrari's flagship now gets leather trim in the same colour as the seats extending to the headlining and the side panels running lengthways between the A- and the C-post, a new radio-CD system with satnav, voice recognition, MP3 player, Bluetooth and a memory card reader that will allow the owner to store and play 4GB of music. It gets rear parking sensors as standard.
r988 said:
Why did they bin the E-diff and EBD for mehanical versions? The originals not up to the job? or not tight enough for track work?
The whole point of E-Diff etc is adjustability.
Three of the five settings on E-Diff are for soft road use so would be useless on track. Remove unnecessary electronics, reduce potential gremlins and weight.
Also when it comes time to race proper in the 430 GT2 car they will want as much real world data as possible to transfer and I would suspect fancy electronics are a no no.
Michellotto already have a barn load of 430's under prep. may be ready for next years Le Mans series.
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