Ferrari F430 Scuderia

Hardcore V8 Ferrari is here!

The rumours have been circulating for a while, along with the spy shots and that slightly odd name ‘Pista’, but here at last is the hardcore Ferrari F430, and what a mighty weapon it looks set to be.

Officially called the F430 Scuderia, it becomes the third model in the F430 range, and is envisaged by the factory as a regular stand-alone variant in its own right – unlike the F360 Challenge Stradale that appeared in limited numbers towards the end of the 360 Modena lifecycle.

The headline figures make compelling reading: the V8 now produces 510bhp and weight has been significantly reduced – by 100kg to a dry weight of 1250kg – through the use of lightweight materials and a spartan interior. Details are scarce as to exactly what Ferrari has done with the materials of the body, but we’ve been told that the rear engine cover is now Lexan instead of glass and the car has simple door cards with a bare alloy floor. As you can see from the photos, the Scuderia has a pair of uncompromising bucket seats which should provide a further weight saving.

Ferrari is also keen to promote the F430 as a technological showcase rather than simply a lighter F430, and as such the new car contains an updated version of the F1 gearbox with some new software named ‘Superfast’. This has speeded-up the gearshift process even further; to give you some idea, a regular F430 has a gearshift time of 150milliseconds, a 599 of 100 milliseconds, but the Scuderia can change gear in just 60 milliseconds – as fast as the 1999 Ferrari F1 car…

The Scuderia also features a revised E-Diff rear differential which for the first time has been combined with the 599’s F1 track mode system. This has led Ferrari to revise the

Manettino steering wheel control wheel: the firm has binned the two low grip settings so the sequence is now ‘normal/sport/race and then ‘traction control off but some stability right at the final threshold', and finally an all-off mode.

We’ve also been told, straight from the horse’s mouth as it were, that the Scuderia will allow some form of control in the cockpit over the adjustable dampers through an independent switch. Current Ferraris have been criticised in some quarters for tying in too closely the damping system with other functions such as the gearshift speed.

There is no word yet as to what the official UK specification of the Scuderia will be. Ceramic brake discs look pretty much a certainty, and there is a rumour within Ferrari UK that they’ve been enlarged and revised for this car. As can be seen from these official photos, different coloured wheels are an option along with the stripe kit.

There's no official word on prices yet, except that it’ll cost more than the F430 Spider but less than a 599: maybe £20K - £30K more than the regular F430 is our rough guess. Expect the Scuderia to land in the UK right at the end of this year or at the beginning of 2008.

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lydian

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