So Ferrari, so good
Ted Macauley test-drives the car derived from a Grand Prix winner
For anyone who – like me – aspires to own a dream car like the Ferrari F430 Scuderia, the opportunity to put it through its paces at the company’s Fiorano test track is irresistible. It is there, on those flat-out stretches, that any lingering doubts are lost in the roar of the mighty 4.3-litre V8 engine.
“Awesome” is an understatement; this car contains clever electronics derived from world champion Kimi Räikkönen’s 2007 Formula One winner. The gearbox is automatic – hardly surprising because no human could change gear so speedily.
There already exists the 430 Coupe and the Spider, priced at around US$258,000 and $276,000, but the ultra-refined Scuderia, 100 kilos lighter, will cost another $70,000. Dreams of this magnitude don’t come cheap.
Its wow-factor certainly brought a smile to my face even if I failed on wavering nerve to reach the top-end speed of 315kph. Hitting the 96kph mark in under four seconds is enough of a breathtaking experience to keep anyone grinning for a year.
It is basically a road-going example of Ferrari’s Formula One finesse, with a traction control and stability system that can quickly correct the wildest manoeuvre in a split-second. It is probably the most awe-inspiring two-seater supercar ever sold – and the safest, too.
Seven-times champion Michael Schumacher unveiled the 510 horsepower showcase flyer at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. He told me later: “I love it. It’s the nearest thing you’ll get to a full-blown racer.” Could you get a more high-powered endorsement than that? www.ferrariworld.com
Second opinion
The BBC’s Jeremy Clarkson once said of the standard Ferrari F430 that it’s “just about the best car I’ve ever driven”
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