It probably comes as no surprise that in the 1930s Enzo Ferrari was a very successful works team manager for the Alfa Romeo. However it wasn’t until 1947 that Ferrari produced a car under his own name and so began one of the most successful and famous marques ever conceived.
People able to afford and enjoy a Ferrari F430 are privy to a unique motoring experience because very likely they, better than most, will understand why Ferrari is so different to any of the other sports luxury cars available. Ferrari genuinely offer uniquely designed sensational looking sports, luxury road cars at equally sensational prices. However the high price in this instance is deserved because Ferrari provides its models with the latest engineering technology inspired from successful Formula One experience.
The Ferrari F430 has arguably the most breathtaking appearance of any Ferrari currently in production. The sleek aero-dynamic design cannot help but attract attention, and whether it comes in red livery or another colour, everyone immediately recognises it as a Ferrari. The Ferrari F430 Spider will likewise set hearts racing as it offers open air motoring from inside a practical, but sophisticated luxury cockpit.
A long experience devoted to the development of super-fast luxury cars is a niche market that Ferrari has managed to develop with only a few serious rivals. At £118,500 for a new Ferrari F430 Coupe the F430 could never be considered cheap, but to understand the cost you need to appreciate what it is that you’re actually buying.
The Ferrari F430 is an accomplishment of a company whose history spans a large proportion of the twentieth century developing Formula One and Super Fast Road Cars. The road cars have also been luxuriously appointed in order that Ferrari attracts the kind of clients able to afford as well as enjoy their products, and thereby generate the finance for developments to a range of models probably unequalled anywhere on the planet. Luxury cars such as Ferrari are worth every penny because they genuinely support a sphere of development that other manufacturers cannot hope to focus on. Currently the Ferrari F430 is the ultimate road machine offered by this Italian marque.
The Engine
There was a time when Ferrari was associated with V12 engines only, but time has moved on and in respect to the Ferrari F430 a 4.3 litre V8 is present. With around 490 horsepower produced at 8,500 rpm it is easy to understand how this super-fast machine is capable of almost 200 mph and soars between 0-60 in just 4.0 seconds. The fact that the Ferrari F430 is able to handle this kind of power without drama identifies what some of the high initial cost is spent on.
The Drive
Climb out of your hot hatch and in behind the wheel of the Ferrari F430. OK, so the first thing you probably notice is that you’re sitting a little lower than usual, or you just might be too excited by the Ferrari logo on the centre of the wheel hub to think of anything other than the fact that you’re sitting in one of the fastest road cars on planet earth! Fire up the engine and the howl from 490 horsepower is enough to bring home the fact that your sitting in something that makes sounds faster than your hot hatch can move. You will also have noticed that everyone within a square mile knows that you exist. The sound of the V-8 4.3 litre engine can be intimidating first time you hear it because if ever any engine could be compared to a raging bull, this is it. A six speed manual transmission supplied either through a Formula One paddle or the standard Ferrari open-gate. The F1 paddle is for drivers who don’t want to waste precious seconds changing gears, while the standard open-gate is for those with time on their hands. However, a very special feature of the F430 is its electronic differential which allows a driver to push this Ferrari harder than most through bends. Knowing all this is good, but experiencing it is, sensational.
With a straight road ahead push the throttle to the floor and amaze yourself at how quickly the straight road ahead suddenly becomes a bend. Straight-line performance is awesome, pushing you firmly back in the seat so that the thrill of acceleration is almost lost as you attempt to focus well ahead of where you are pointed. Just as you begin to ease off and do a little recovery from the G Force pounding of a straight line power burst, a curve demands that you think about turning the wheel in your hands. Amazingly all you need do is think and follow the line of the bend because the F430, with all its clever Formula One development, helps you round, and as it does so you realise that you’re having to get accustomed to another set of G Forces which few people ever experience. The temptation to drive fast is a constant companion, but so is the fact that you’re driving one of the safest super-fast cars ever built. The Ferrari F430 is an involving experience, built to provide drivers who enjoy motoring an opportunity to escape the limitations imposed by lesser machines. The only experience to top a drive in the Ferrari F430 would be a drive in a Ferrari F430 Spyder with the top down.
