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2005 Ferrari F430 Preview

Track Dominant Ferrari Setting Out to Reclaim the Road

The Ferrari F360 Modena is dead - long live the F430! Expect a great deal of excitement around the Ferrari stand at this years Paris Auto Salon starting September 25th, when the new model officially debuts. The release of a new Ferrari is always highly celebrated by Tifosi around the world, but should be even more so now that Lamborghinis new Gallardo and a handful of recent Porsches have superceded the F360s performance advantage. The 360 has been one of Ferraris most successful production cars, despite early criticism for its radical design departure, but it is expected the new replacement will hardly disappoint.

As with all recent entry-level Ferraris, the new F430 will be clothed in an aluminum body formed over a lightweight aluminum frame. Once again it has been shaped to take the form of a wedgy two-seat, mid-engine vehicle, just as with the F360, 355, 348, 328, 308 and 246 of the past. Yet unlike the 360, the 430 takes an evolutionary approach in styling,

The new Ferrari F430 combines elements of the Enzo supercar and outgoing F360 Modena, in a new breed of high-performance V8-powered supercar. (Photo: Ferrari North America)

borrowing from the new 612 Scaglietti, and heavily influenced by Ferraris Enzo supercar. A quick looks shows that thinner, vertically stacked headlamps with powerful xenon beam headlamps replace the current ovoid lenses. A center "inverted" intake on the front fascias leading edge has been slotted between the two main intakes, the shape and placement a combination of 360 and Enzo. Its mostly Enzo for the tall rear end design, particularly in the execution of its protruding taillamps, which break up the rear fenders curving surfaces.

The reworking of the body doesnt just stop at styling, as there are many aerodynamic tricks incorporated into the slender F430 to improve airflow

The F430 is 70 percent new with plenty of cutting edge technology, such as a faster shifting F1 gearbox and electronic differential. (Photo: Ferrari North America)

and reduce drag. The two widened front intakes, now accented by carbon fiber trim, provide additional air flow necessary for keeping the brakes cool. Additional lacerations around the front air dam as well as on the side skirts provide extra airflow without compromising the cars aerodynamics. The wind-cheating design also produces F1-like negative lift at high speeds, ensuring that the wheels stay on the ground. The larger engine breathes through accentuated scoops on the rear fenders, reminiscent of the LeMans winning 250 LM of 1965.

I put such great emphasis on the styling of the F430 for one reason; it maintains a simple, beautiful design without resorting to tall rear spoilers and over-sensationalized bodywork, unfortunate trademarks of exotic sports cars over the years. Like the

A flat underbody and carbon diffuser actually produce negative lift. The F430s taillights are similar to those on the Enzo. (Photo: Ferrari North America)

Enzo, and many modern Ferraris, the F430 features a flat undertray and carbon fiber rear diffuser; the latter integrated into the design allowing form to follow function. Even the most seemingly simple component, such as the glass rear dome, was styled by the wind.

Compared to the F360, the F430 looks about the same in terms of body proportions, but upon closer inspection the new vehicle surprised me as it bucks the usual bigger is better trend. The 430 is 177.6 inches long, which is a slight increase compared to the F360s 176.18 inch length, however the all important width and height measurements have both dropped to 176.2 inches and 47.8 inches respectively. This goes against the supercar norm which usually sees an increase in width as the body grows in length. The wheelbase, as well as its front and rear track remain unchanged from the 360 at 102.4 inches, 65.7 inches front and 64.6 inches rear,

Despite being marginally longer than the F360, the F430 is narrower and not as tall, and still the smallest car in Ferraris lineup. (Photo: Ferrari North America)

respectively. Curb weight, including all engine liquids and gasoline is 3,190 pounds, more than the 3,064 pound mass of the 360.

The name of the new model, like most recent Ferraris, stands for the cylinder displacement of the engine. Unusually there is no additional geographic or historic moniker to compliment the numeric designation, at least not yet. It appears that Ferrari may have come to a bit of a road block in deciding on an official name for the new vehicle. So far, entries have included Modena Evoluzione, Monza and Fiorano, all elegant sounding names with meaningful significance to the firm, but none has been confirmed by the factory. Ill put my money on Monza if Ferrari continues its F1 dominance and manages to clinch a 1-2 victory after 53 laps of the 5.793 km circuit. For that matter the automaker should probably call it the Schumacher, as it owes much to the worlds greatest F1 driver that will no doubt clinch his 7th world championship this season and another constructors championship for

Ferrari has honed its rev-happy V8 engine to 4.3 liters, featuring explosive performance capabilities. (Photo: Ferrari North America)

the Scuderia.

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