Sunday 9th July 2017

Ferrari F430: PH Buying Guide

Motorsport pedigree and everyday usability - here is what to look out for

---

When Ferrari pulled the covers off the F430 at the 2004 Paris Motor Show, they didn't just unveil their new compact V8 sports car, it heralded a new era for the company. Where the previous 360 still demanded compromise from its owners, the F430 was capable of being used daily.

Although the frame was a development of the 360's, the F430's 4,308cc 90-degree V8 was completely new and used four valves per cylinder instead of five in the older car. It was still naturally aspirated but 490hp made it the most powerful road-going V8 Ferrari had offered up to that point.

Transmission options remained either a six-speed manual or the robotised F1 'box with paddle shifters. The latter accounted for 90 percent of production and was a much-improved version from that used in the 360.

Other developments for the F430 included the introduction of an E-diff that used clutches to divide power between the rear wheels. However, rather than reducing power to one wheel, it would send more torque to the other and Ferrari claimed this helped to reduce lap times significantly at its Fiorano test track over the 360's results.

Also new was the Manettino dial on the steering wheel that let the driver choose from different settings for the traction control, shock absorbers, E-diff and gear shifts.

Soon after the coupe was launched, the Spider joined the range with a fully retractable, electrically operated fabric hood. A pair of steel roll hoops helped to preserve structural integrity and protect its occupants.

Two motorsport versions based on the coupe were announced in 2006 with the GTC and Challenge models, while 2007 saw the arrival of the Scuderia. This harder core coupe was refined with help from Michael Schumacher, so the Manettino allowed the driver to select suspension settings separately from the other functions. As a result, it was an even better road car despite being 100kg lighter, more focused and the engine delivering 510hp.

Ferrari celebrated its 16th Formula One World Constructors' Championship with a special edition F430 in the shape of the Scuderia Spider 16M. It used the same engine as the coupe Scuderia and was 80kg lighter than the standard open-top version. Only 499 were made, making it the rarest road-going model.

If you must have this model, expect to pay from £280,000 due to its collectability. At the other end of the F430 scale is the standard coupe that costs from £75,000, while a Spider adds around £10,000 to that price.

Search for Ferrari F430s here

---

PHer's view:
"High drama, extreme performance, looks everywhere you went, but flaky build quality and reliability. Every time I drove it I wasn't sure if something was going to fall off or stop working. But I forgave it every time because it was like no other car I have owned before or since."
David Bevan

---

Buying Guide contents:
Introduction
Powertrain
Rolling chassis
Body
Interior
At a glance

Search for Ferrari F430s here

[verssus]

Buying guide? More like Wiki page on F430

[mwstewart]

A few bits to update:

Introduction
- Scuderia's were released late 2008
- The Scuderia suspension setting is a 'bumpy road' button which turns on soft suspension mode when in Race, CT off, or CST off

Powertrain
- The cars should be serviced annually regardless of mileage
- The standard exhaust is built very well - I think the quality is actually good. Weight is not but that's a side issue. The real issue is the solid mounts at the back of the cats - with these removed the standard exhaust is reliable. The Scuderia never had those brackets so Ferrari learnt the lesson.
- '05 and early '06 cars had the 360 F1 pump which struggled to run the F1 and E-Diff systems. Later cars had an upgraded pump which can and does still fail, but not with the same regularity. The early cars can be upgraded to the later pump. There are aftermarket HD pumps available now but I don't have any experience of them,
- There was a significant upgrade to the F1 system in MY2008. It uses road inclination and clutch pressure as additional data points and has significantly more complex software (with a more powerful TCU). The clutch control and shift quality are much reduced, and clutch life is increased.
- I would dispute that 12k miles is normal clutch life. Many people get 25k even on the earlier system.

Rolling Chassis
- "Some owners have tried aftermarket outer spherical bearings as a cost-saving measure, but most have reported they don't last as long as original spec items." - this may be true for some copies, but the Hill Engineering stainless bearings last longer than the original plated steel NMB bearings.
- Brakes: CCMs were standard fit from MY08 and an optional fit from 2006. The F430 has 380mm front whereas the Scuderia uses 398mm front with different calipers and pads.
- In my experience the iron brakes are marginal for road use. Not suitable for the F430.
- The calipers are a motorsport internal dust seal type so require regular maintenance. I use a smear of red dubber grease on the seal lands during reassembly.

Body
- Check for marks on the Spider hood behind the A pillar area which typically indicate an alignment issue, or weakening of the elastic straps within the roof.
- "If something doesn't work, it could be the battery has been allowed to drain" - when this happens it tends to be more significant affecting the ECU based systems, like all of the instrument cluster warning lights illuminating, the engine firing on one bank, or the F1 system not behaving correctly i.e. it won't be that the fog light switch doesn't work.

[RamboLambo]

Buyer beware at todays over inflated prices. Was a good car in its time but the Supercar market has made significant strides forward since 2005.
Better than the 360 but not as good as a 458 as you would expect

[The Moose]

Sorry, where does this tell me what to look out for??

[Durzel]

As said already this is not a buyer's guide in the slightest, it's just a cut down wiki page. Weak!

Fortunately mwstewart filled in the sizeable gaps for you.

As RamboLambo said above prices are very strong and have been for some time. They aren't worth the current asking price relative to the 458 in my humble opinion, which is several generations ahead in every area. The difference in interior between a 2008 F430 and 2010 458 are night and day.

For pure theatre though, most if not all of its foibles and Italian quirks are forgotten.

Edited by Durzel on Sunday 9th July 18:25

[JMF894]

Having ragged one of these around Maranello I think I could forgive it most things tbh.

Doubt i'll ever have the chance mind....................

[lee_erm]

What made the 430 suitable for daily use and the 360 not? Is it just that the 360 is more difficult to driver around town?

[Jonathon-j7kvd]

Everyone saying there is no buying guide, the links to the different sections are at the bottom, you've all just read the intro page!

Buying Guide contents:
Introduction
Powertrain
Rolling chassis
Body
Interior
At a glance

[Durzel]

Jonathon-j7kvd said:

Everyone saying there is no buying guide, the links to the different sections are at the bottom, you've all just read the intro page!

Buying Guide contents:
Introduction
Powertrain
Rolling chassis
Body
Interior
At a glance

Whoops, yes you're right.

[Resolutionary]

woollyjoe said:

Seeing one of these live kerbside in central London for past 2 years has ruined it for me. I always thought it can't be a desirable Ferrari if its left to collect dings and parking bumps.

That's a bit woolly, Joe (sorry, couldn't resist). In an age of speculators and private collectors it should be seen as quite refreshing that one of these is collecting battle scars and weather muck while being sat outside. One assumes it's being enjoyed in the way it should, which I have nothing but respect for. Certainly doesn't detract from the desirability aspect in my mind, although I can sort of understand the sentiment.

[WCZ]

"High drama, extreme performance, looks everywhere you went, but flaky build quality and reliability. Every time I drove it I wasn't sure if something was going to fall off or stop working. But I forgave it every time because it was like no other car I have owned before or since."

sounds about right.

couldn't believe how much of a step up the 430 was from every other road car I'd never driven when they first came out.

[jakesmith]

Nice looking and it's a Ferarri. But as an ownership proposition these are questionable - very expensive running costs, and looks like they have been greatly superseded by the following gen supercar of 12C, 458.
I think at this pricepoint I would be looking at either a 997 GT3, or for a supercar experiene witha lot less worry, an R8 manual

[youngsyr]

Buying Guide said:

Part of the reason it's so important to check the health of the exhaust is that, in the worst cases, the pre-cat can disintegrate. Bits are then sucked into the engine and destroy it.

Doesn't the pre-cat sit in the exhaust, how can any of it be sucked back into the engine even if it does disintegrate?

[mwstewart]

youngsyr said:

Buying Guide said:

Part of the reason it's so important to check the health of the exhaust is that, in the worst cases, the pre-cat can disintegrate. Bits are then sucked into the engine and destroy it.

Doesn't the pre-cat sit in the exhaust, how can any of it be sucked back into the engine even if it does disintegrate?

The engine is only a few inches from the ground - to lower the CofG - so the exhaust sweeps upwards.

[youngsyr]

mwstewart said:

youngsyr said:

Buying Guide said:

Part of the reason it's so important to check the health of the exhaust is that, in the worst cases, the pre-cat can disintegrate. Bits are then sucked into the engine and destroy it.

Doesn't the pre-cat sit in the exhaust, how can any of it be sucked back into the engine even if it does disintegrate?

The engine is only a few inches from the ground - to lower the CofG - so the exhaust sweeps upwards.

Thanks - I still don't follow though. The exhaust valves are only open when the exhaust is blowing exhaust gas out, so wouldn't the exhaust gas blow the bits of pre-cat out the exhaust in any case?

I guess when the engine is off, bits of the pre-cat could fall into the open exhaust valves, but that seems like a bit of an extreme situation?

[Davey S2]

Drove one of these down to Monaco a good few years ago. handled well, sounded nice and the sport buckets were very good. Surprised me how good it was as a mile muncher on long sections of Autoroute as well.

As a current proposition though I'd also rather have a 997 GT3

[mwstewart]

youngsyr said:

Thanks - I still don't follow though. The exhaust valves are only open when the exhaust is blowing exhaust gas out, so wouldn't the exhaust gas blow the bits of pre-cat out the exhaust in any case?

I guess when the engine is off, bits of the pre-cat could fall into the open exhaust valves, but that seems like a bit of an extreme situation?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=opera&q=exhaust+reversion&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Exhaust reversion - the summary at the top explains it succinctly.

[steveb8189]

A buying guide for the few, not the many

[Regiment]

I've never been a fan of either the 360 or the 430, always thought that they weren't anywhere near as attractive as the Ferraris before them and after them, the 458 is fantastic looking in comparison.

[JMF894]

Resolutionary said:

That's a bit woolly, Joe (sorry, couldn't resist). In an age of speculators and private collectors it should be seen as quite refreshing that one of these is collecting battle scars and weather muck while being sat outside. One assumes it's being enjoyed in the way it should, which I have nothing but respect for. Certainly doesn't detract from the desirability aspect in my mind, although I can sort of understand the sentiment.

This ^