Car Reviews > Ferrari > 430 > New Ferrari 430 Scuderia Car Review

Scuderia - Winning Formula for a Special Edition

All it takes to make a winning special edition is to manufacture a car that buyers will desire with passion now and in the future. That is all. Actually, it is a feat that most companies cannot begin to pull off with the same exciting results as Ferrari has just done with their new 430 Scuderia. Borrowing from Formula 1 technology, it is a car that is destined to spend a fair amount of time on the race track. Judging by its capabilities, it will succeed both at the track and on the open road.

The Scuderia starts out with a very lightweight build. With an overall weight of just 1250kg, the Scuderia makes the most of its already enormous power by refusing to load it down with metal. The weight to power ratio is just 2.45kg/bhp, in fact, which makes it one of the fastest cars on the road and perfectly at home in a race. It speeds from 0 to 60 in a flash - just 3.6 seconds. Its 4308cc V3 engine produces 510bhp of magnificent power.

Formula One has left its mark on the Scuderia to be sure. The transmission, for example, is a F1-SuperFast2 that Ferrari has decided to use throughout its range; it is based on the F1 gearbox. This gearbox is amazing, getting shifting time down faster than the blink of an eye, to just 60 milliseconds. This is the fastest for Ferrari, and indeed for any automated-manual.

The special electronic differential comes from Formula One too. The E-Diff2 orchestrates continuous distribution of the torque between the wheels using a hydraulic actuator and two friction discs. A traction control system, called the F1-Trac, provides excellent safety, performance and stability.

If you like the distinctive sound of a thoroughbred sports car, you will be thrilled with the tuneful roar of the Ferrari Scuderia. Incredibly, Ferrari spends a good deal of time, effort and engineering capability on perfecting that sound to make it that exciting. This may seem frivolous to someone who has never driven a Ferrari, but those who have will know how much it adds to the experience.

The ride is not as comfortable as, for example, a plush luxury saloon, but a race track ready sports car is not built to sit back in and relax. You drive a Ferrari Scuderia for the experience of driving, and if the seat is a little less than cushy, it only means you will be awake and alert to respond to every nuance of the road or track.

True Ferrari fans who like the idea of owning a special edition with the performance to back up the distinction will not have any qualms about paying the £172,500 asking price for it. What is more, the people who have that kind of money to spend on a sports car will probably not even feel the pinch of the high fuel costs with consumption figures of 18mpg for combined driving. Anyone who does not understand that should face it: the Ferrari Scuderia is not a conservative city car with its mind on economy. It is a beautifully mean, growling beast that apologizes to no one. Drivers who take the Ferrari Scuderia for a test drive should hold on tight and enjoy the drive.

by Autoweb