FERRARI F430 Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

The F430 Scuderia was the fastest and most track-oriented car in the Ferrari stable. The Italians took an already excellent car and made it lighter, quicker, and better on the curves.

The F430 was the base model in the Ferrari lineup. Its light construction and mid-engine made it a perfect track-car from its era. It was hard to beat even by those from Porsche or Lamborghini. And, when the other brands started to catch-up with it, the Ferrari undressed the car, made it 100 kg (220 lbs) lighter, and gave it more power from the naturally aspirated V8 engine.

From the outside, the twin-stripes that covered the car from front to back, the dual exhausts that were placed higher in the rear bumper and the special wheels showed the bystanders that that was not a regular F430. It was the Scuderia model, a term used by the Italians for their racing team.

Inside, the car was focused on the driver. Two race-bucket carbon-fiber seats covered in Alcantara were the only comfort features of the car. No floormats, no radio or air-conditioning. The latter was offered as an option. The automated transmission with one disc-clutch was controlled via the center console buttons and by two paddle-shifters behind the Alcantara-covered steering wheel. A rotary knob on that controlled the traction systems from wet to turning off everything: the ESP, the electronic rear differential, and the stability control.

The Ferrari engineers squeezed more power from the 4.3-liter engine and pushed it to 510 hp instead of 490 from the standard version. Michael Schumacher helped to tune the suspension and Brembo offered ceramic brakes discs that helped to stop the car without any fade. It was the ultimate track-car of its time, but still able to be registered on the streets.

In 2004, Ferrari unveiled its base model, the F430. But base model didn't mean slow at all. In fact, it was faster than the mighty F40 and smoke a Gallardo V10.

There were the glorious days of the Ferrari in Formula 1 with one of the greatest drivers of all times, Michael Schumacher. In those days, the Ferrari dared to translate into a street-legal car the technology from the Formula 1. And that didn't inlude only some unimportant parts. It included the E-Differential and the single-clutch, automated gearbox.

The look of the car was developed by Pininfarina. The big airvents on the front bumper were there for a reason: to cool the brakes and the engine. The engine was in the back of the driver and in front of the rear wheels. The trunk was in the front but it could barely hold anything than a sport bag. Ferrari said that the F430 shared some parts with the former 360. Maybe they counted the lightbulbs too, since the car was ages away from the 360 in terms of performance and styling.

Inside the car, the most striking view was the steering wheel. While some cars had the volume or telephone buttons on it, the F430 had the red engine-start button on the left and the “Manettino” on the right. That was also a featured from the F1 race-car. It was a rotary selector that condensed the traction control, the stability control, and the firmness of the Skyhook electronic shock-damping regulator into one five-position dial.

The standard gearbox was a 6-speed manual, and the F1-style unit was an option. That gearbox was able to shift in 0.15 second.