Was the Launch of the Ferrari F430 the Moment Ferrari Pulled Ahead for Good?
Key takeaways
- If it were covered in stickers, you might confuse it with Schumacher's.
- [This story originally appeared in the December 2004 issue of Motor Trend with the headline "Ferrari F430."] Ferrari doesn't care to admit there's a horsepower war going on out there.
- Its all-new engine is up to 4.3 liters, from which it kicks out 483 rampant horsepower.
Why this matters: an automotive development that could shape industry direction or buying decisions.
If it were covered in stickers, you might confuse it with Schumacher's.
[This story originally appeared in the December 2004 issue of Motor Trend with the headline "Ferrari F430."] Ferrari doesn't care to admit there's a horsepower war going on out there. But when its entry-level 360 is making 390 horsepower and just across the Milan-Bologna highway the Lamborghini factory is turning out the Gallardo with 500, something probably had to be done. That something is the F430.
Its all-new engine is up to 4.3 liters, from which it kicks out 483 rampant horsepower. And to keep it in check, the suspension gets a host of revisions, most significantly an electronically controlled differential that Ferrari developed for its Formula 1 cars, only to find it was so beneficial it was outlawed.