2005 Ferrari F430 Test Drive

The New Ferrari

Ferrari has put out information on the replacement for the 360: the more powerful F430.

Last week, Ferrari introduced the first details and photos of the new, 2006 F430 coupe, the replacement for its entry-level 360 Modena. Ferrari will display the new car at September's Paris Motor Show.

The F430 is likely to go on sale at the end of 2005. A convertible version -- a replacement for the 360 Spyder -- is likely to follow the coupe to dealerships around the middle of 2007.

The biggest change from the 360 to the F430 is the replacement of the 360's 3.6-liter V-8 engine with a 4.3-liter V-8, which appears to be an adaptation of the engine used on all Maseratis. Both Ferrari and Maserati are owned by Fiat, and the new power plant would be the first engine or platform -- a car's basic structure -- shared between the two brands.

While the Maserati V-8 is a 4.2-liter, 390-hp machine, Ferrari has increased the engine's size and modified it to rev higher than it does in the Maseratis. It produces 23% more power than the outgoing 360's engine, and has an outstanding power-to-displacement ratio of 114 hp per liter. To make a comparison to a less efficient engine, the 3.8-liter, 205-hp V-6 in General Motors' Buick Park Avenue makes 54 hp per liter.

The F430 -- as the name "360" indicated a 3.6-liter engine, the F430 indicates a 4.3-liter engine -- will also feature an electronic differential and a switch on the steering wheel that controls the integrated systems governing vehicle dynamics. A differential is a gear system which sends power from the transmission or driveshaft (the shaft which runs along a car's longitudinal centerline and connects the transmission to the differential) to the driving axles or half shafts, the rotating shafts which connect to and power a car's wheels. A differential allows the driving wheel to turn more quickly than the inside wheel during cornering, which prevents skidding and scrubbing of the tires.

Other interesting features on the F430 include an optional set of carbon-ceramic brake discs (the rotating parts of disc brakes, which get squeezed by the brake calipers to slow the vehicle), which provide optimal efficiency under extreme use, and a transmission derived from Formula 1 that cuts gear-shifting times down to 150 milliseconds. Ferrari said in a statement that the F430 will be able to accelerate from 0-62 mph in four seconds flat, and will have a top speed of over 196 mph.

Ferrari also said that the F430's aerodynamic shape "embodies the very latest competition technologies," specifically a flat underbody and a large rear diffuser, a device which redirects airflow to increase downforce.

After the F430, other revisions to Ferrari's existing cars are in the works. A replacement for the 575M Maranello coupe (temporarily named F141) will arrive in 2007 or 2008, and will use an adaptation of the Enzo Ferrari supercar's V-12. Ferrari will wait another five or six years before building another supercar like the $675,000 Enzo.

Forbes Fact

Ferrari made 4,400 cars in 2003 and does not want to increase either its volume or the prices of its cars. About 30% of Ferrari production is for the United States, the company's biggest market.