"The 430 Scuderia has three big new innovations" explained Andrea Ferrari, the Head of Product Marketing at Maranello, about the technology-laden, envelope-pushing star of the show in Frankfurt.

Andrea Ferrari was on hand for the debut of the 430 Scuderia at the Frankfurt IAA and in the ensuing ruckus he was able to introduce the attention-grabbing car to Italiaspeed. "Basically the 430 Scuderia is a special series derived from the F430, compared to the F430 it is lighter and more powerful and it provides a lit of new technology inside," says Andrea Ferrari. "The car weight is 100 kilos less than the F430 which brings the overall weight down to 1250 kilos dry weight, 510 horsepower, maximum speed of 320 [km/h] and acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in less than 3.6 seconds.

"There are big innovations inside," he continues. "The first one is the evolution of the F1 gearbox that we call the F1 SuperFast2, which means you can change gear in 60 milliseconds, it is by far the best result of all the robotised gearboxes in the world. The second innovation is the integration between F1-Trac and E-Diff, so electronic differential, and the traction control coming from Formula 1 that allows this car to increase the level of acceleration from outside the band of 40 percent more the traditional control for stability and traction.

"The third innovation is the new Manettino," says Andrea Ferrari, "with a new damping system developed together with Michael Schumacher. He also adds that other major features include "a new development of the aerodynamics which allows this car to have more downforce than the F430, new development of the carbon-ceramic braking system as standard, and many many years of carbon-fibre technology in order to keep the light weight of the car."

FERRARI 430 SCUDERIA – MAIN SPECIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

Lightweight, simple and striking with a distinctive engine and exhaust sound: every last detail of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia exudes uncompromising sportiness as a direct result of its close links to the world of racing, which is reflected in the car’s name: “Scuderia”. Seven-times World Champion Michael Schumacher was also involved in the car’s development, with the result that the most advanced single-seater technology is now available to Ferrari’s sportiest and most passionate clients.

With a dry weight of 2775 lb (1250 kg) and 510 hp delivered at 8500 rpm by its naturally aspirated 4308 cm3 V8 engine, the 430 Scuderia boasts an extraordinarily low weight-power ratio of just 2.45 kg/hp, which allows it to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.6 seconds. It can also complete a lap at Fiorano in a time comparable to that of the Enzo, the Ferrari that has come to epitomise Maranello’s philosophy of transferring F1 content to its road cars. Thanks to its sophisticated aerodynamics, F1-SuperFast2 gearbox and E-Diff coupled with the sophisticated F1-Trac traction control system, this sporty new mid-rear engined berlinetta combines ultra-nimble handling with blisteringly fast acceleration. The result? Absolutely superlative driving pleasure both on the road and on the track.

ENGINE AND ENGINE SOUND

The 430 Scuderia’s engine is an evolution of the F430’s 90° V8 which features a number of modifications to boost its specific power output from 114 hp/litre to 118 hp/litre. The inlet ducts and exhaust system have been optimised, most notably through the adoption of the exhaust geometries derived from the F430 Challenge and the use of carbon-fibre on the intake manifold and for the filter housing to aid weight reduction. Thanks to Ferrari’s Formula 1 experience, the 430 Scuderia’s ignition system boasts special coils and, for the first time on a market-targeted car, a dedicated CPU capable of monitoring the ionising currents generated inside the combustion chamber between the spark plug electrodes. This means that every single sparking detonation is detected for every cylinder and sparking is faster and more accurate across the board. The 430 Scuderia’s compression ratio has also been increased to 11.88:1, thanks in part to a new piston design.

Particular attention was paid to achieving just the right sound from the engine and exhaust as this has always been one of the real trademarks of every Prancing Horse car. Cutting-edge calculation tools were employed to optimise the 430 Scuderia’s intake and exhaust systems and sound damping, with the result that the exhaust and engine sound inside the cabin is clear, powerful and particularly thrilling in full acceleration.

F1-SUPERFAST2 GEARBOX

The F1-SuperFast2 is an evolution of the F1 gearbox used on all of Ferrari’s models and reduces gear-shifting times to just 60 ms, the fastest time of any of the models in the Prancing Horse range, the lowest overall of any automated-manual gearbox. Significantly, Ferrari calculates the gear changing time according to the acceleration gap, not just the time it takes to engage the gear. The various stages are implemented in parallel (non-sequentially). In the case of the F1-SuperFast2, genuinely innovative integrated engine and gearbox management programmes allow the combined disengaging/engaging of the gears to take place partly in parallel with letting the clutch in and out.

E-DIFF2: E-DIFF WITH F1-TRAC

The E-Diff2 (which is integrated with the gearbox) is one of the primary components which clearly demonstrate the 430 Scuderia’s links to the track. In use for many years now in Formula 1, it is integrated with the car’s stability control system. The 430 Scuderia is the first high performance road car after the F430 to sport an electronic differential.
 

Torque is continuously distributed between the wheels via two sets of friction discs (one for each driveshaft) controlled by a hydraulic actuator. The amount of torque actually transmitted to the driven wheels depends on driving conditions and brings considerable advantages in terms of performance, direction stability, active safety and handling feedback.

The F1-Trac traction control system, which is also derived from Ferrari’s F1 experience, ensures that even more drivers will be able to extract the maximum performance from the car, thanks to the exceptional cornering, safety and stability it offers. Introduced for the first time on a road car with the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, it is faster and more precise than a traditional traction control system and optimises traction by modulating power delivery to help maintain the desired vehicle trajectory. The system estimates the maximum available grip thanks to continual monitoring of the relative speed of the wheels. The integrated E-Diff and F1-Trac systems offers 40% more acceleration out of corners than a traditional traction and stability control system.

RACING MANETTINO

The manettino has already featured in several of Ferrari’s road cars but the 430 Scuderia features the special Racing version which puts the emphasis firmly on track-specific sporty driving and provides the driver with even more choice in terms of the car set-up. With this in mind, the ICE setting available with the F430 has been removed and a new CT- (Traction Control Off) setting has been introduced. This deactivates the car’s traction control, but unlike the CST position, retains the safety of the car’s stability control system to ensure a level of safety is maintained.

Another novelty with the 430 Scuderia is a button on the centre console which allows the suspension to be controlled separately from the predefined manettino strategy. This allows the driver can maintain maximum performance even on irregular road surfaces. Michael Schumacher made a particularly valuable contribution to this area of the car’s development. In fact. he and the car development team worked together to ensure that the 430 Scuderia delivers both exceptional performance and fantastic driving pleasure which is within reach of non-professional drivers.

BRAKES

The 430 Scuderia boasts a specific braking system featuring CCM (carbon ceramic material) discs with specific dimensions to cope with the car’s increased performance. The front discs are now 18 mm larger than those on the F430 and are designed to dissipate the extra heat created by the higher performance and are even more hard-wearing for greater efficiency. These components, together with 6-pot calipers, guarantee blistering performance at all times and, equally importantly, consistently efficient braking during prolonged track use.

AERODYNAMICS

The 430 Scuderia’s external styling has been honed to improve its aerodynamic efficiency by increasing overall downforce whilst still retaining the same drag values as the F430. The aerodynamic efficiency of the newly-styled rear diffuser has been enhanced by the addition of a revised profile for spoiler at the rear of the engine cover and by the large venturis that run from the front wheel houses to the rear bumpers, achieving the patented “Base Bleed” effect developed by Ferrari as part of the FXX project. The Base Bleed effect has the double advantage of reducing the pressure in the rear wheel arch, thereby increasing downforce and lowering drag by blowing the car’s “wake”. Furthermore, the new lower sill profiles ensure a more uniform distribution of air over the lower parts to ensure uniform distribution of the vertical load between the front and the rear of the car.

STYLING AND PERSONALISATION

The 430 Scuderia’s ultra-sporty character and blistering performance have led to the redesign of many of its exterior and interior styling features. This was done to give the F430-inspired model its own strong personality and to further enhance the aerodynamics of what is a very extreme car. The modifications made to the exterior focus on increasing downforce. In-depth research went into reducing the car’s weight and has led to extensive use of carbon-fibre, including some of the bodywork components.

The cabin has been inspired by racing and, once again, the emphasis has been on weight reduction and using technical materials where possible. The new “Super Racing” seat boasts an all-carbon-fibre structure and is available in several different sizes as well as being manually adjustable, including a recline adjustment for the seat back.

The Carrozzeria Scaglietti Personalisation programme has also been enhanced to meet the 430 Scuderia’s specific requirements as well. The Racing and Track area, in particular, now offers carbonfibre kits for the 430 Scuderia to enhance the message that this is a lean, track-focused driver’s car. The headlamp assembly, engine cover, front spoiler, side sill kick panels and diffuser are all available in this high tech material. There is also now a choice of wheel rim colours and a specially designed carbon-fibre helmet is available to order.