Ferrari
F430 / Ferrari F430 Spider
The Ferrari F430 is a high-performance
sports car produced by the Italian automaker Ferrari
to succeed the 360. It debuted at the 2004 Paris Motor
Show.
The body has been redesigned to be
more curvaceous and aerodynamic. Although the drag
coefficient remains the same, downforce has been greatly
enhanced. A great deal of Ferrari heritage is found
in the car: at the rear, the Enzo's tail lights and
interior vents have been added. The car's name has
been etched into the Testarossa-styled driver's side
mirror. The large oval openings in the front bumper
are reminiscent of Ferrari racing models from the 60s,
specifically the 156 "sharknose" Formula
One car and 250 TR61 Le Mans cars of Phil Hill.
Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson has commented
on the F430's handling being absolutely brilliant,
a marked improvement over the 360; he claimed that
Ferrari holds that "even the most butter-fingered,
incapable driver could drive the F430 around their
test track only one second slower than the most skilled
test driver". He has in fact proclaimed, on more
than one occasion, that the Ferrari F430 is "just
about the best car I've ever driven", a status
he previously attributed to the F355 (but never the
360).
The F430 Spider is the convertible
version based on the coupé. The 430 Spider is
Ferrari's 21st roadgoing convertible. The Spider is
- just like the coupé - quite similar in looks
to the Ferrari 360. Despite the car's mid-mounted engine
Ferrari's engineers found a way of creating a hood
that automatically folds away inside the engine bay,
thus ensuring purity of line. The striptease from a
closed top to an open-air convertible is a two-stage
folding-action that has been dubbed "a stunning
20 second mechanical symphony". After a short
to and fro, the entire top disappears into a closed
storage area between the seating and the engine. |