2005 Ferrari F430 Test Drive

Engine As Art

Ferrari's F430 showcases its engine under a glass hood. The forthcoming F430's convertible top won't hamper the view.

Did You Know?

• European manufacturers — notably Porsche, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari — have long called their minimally equipped two-seat roadsters "spiders" or the alternative spelling "spyders." This has everything and nothing to do with arachnids. In the 19th century, the speediest stripped-down horse-drawn carriages were called spiders because they looked like them: a two-seat cab suspended in the middle of spidery axles and wheels built for speed. Neither a Porsche 550 Spider nor a Ferrari F430 Spider has eight legs, but the conceit remains, just as it does for such carriage-derived car names as Phaeton, Cabriolet, Victoria, Brougham, Berlinetta, Coupe and Roadster — all buggies, originally.

   

• The F430's gaping front intakes in its bumper, which feed air to radiators

  + enlarge image  |  view gallery >

  ahead of each front wheel, are homage to the 1961 Ferrari 156 F1 race car in which famed driver Phil Hill became the first-ever American world Grand Prix champion. Unlike previous Ferrari racecars, which all had classic egg-crate grilles, Hill's car had an unusual pair of nostril-like vents.