The F430 Scuderia – A GT-R Beater?
I’d say that currently the Nissan GT-R is probably one of the baddest, meanest, fastest cars on the market – or at least it will be when available over here. That’s a shame in a way, because Europe really should be the home of fast, sporty cars that everyone lusts after. However, the GT-R will even leave a Audi R8 standing, so we’re left really with few options. If you did want something from the true home of the supercar (Italy by the way, in case you weren’t paying attention), luckily Ferrari will give you something that you can almost blast off in. That car is the F430 Scuderia.
The Ferrari F430, it would be fair to say, is very similar to the F430. But only in so far as looks are concerned. It would be an injustice to say that is it the same car, because underneath the bonnet (and along with plenty of the design) there are significant changes.
Weight of course is always an issue, and cars have indeed been getting heavier (but as I pointed out in my last article, a good deal of that weight is used to create safety structures to protect us in the event of a crash). However, this often means that a car with more power will do the same speed as last year’s model, as the weight has gone up. Not so with the Scuderia, the weight has in fact gone down. It comes in at only 1350kg, a whole 100kg less than the standard car.
Both power and torque are up, with the 4.3 litre engine really going for it by providing 503bhp and 470Nm. Tell that to your diesel driving mate and see the look on their face. Naturally, the standard manifolds and intakes wouldn’t be enough, so plenty of these are finished by hand. The exhaust system is now also more free-breathing to give the engine even more life.
Naturally, it’s no use having all that power if you have a duff gearbox. Ferrari have learnt from their F1 success here and provided the ‘Superfast2’ – this thing will switch ratios (think cogs) in 60 milliseconds. Luckily, this will drive the Scuderia hard. So hard in fact, that the 0-60 time of only 3.6 seconds is the same as that of the GT-R.
Of course, the need to get all that power onto the road requires something more than driver skill. This is where the very clever E-diff comes into play, giving four modes that have a huge impact on the stability and traction control of the car. This switch is on the steering wheel, just as you would find it on an F1 car. So, all very inspiring so far.
Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, depending on how much of a purist you are), this is case of paying more to get less. You see, the £172,500 price tag is rather steep. Especially given that it is about 50 big ones more than a bog-standard F430. What do you get ‘extra’ for your money apart from more power? Let’s take a look.
Carbon ceramic brakes are standard on this beast of a car – and you’ll need them when you are trying to stop at 199mph. Just remember, you need some heat in them to make them work. Naturally you don’t get carpet, whilst lightweight specialist sport seats and swatches of carbon fibre keep the curb weight nice and lean. Fantastic.
The exterior is great. The F430 is in my opinion a car that you’ll love or hate visually. I really fall into the latter category. This one looks even better, with 20 inch alloys, a lowered ride height and a lovely baby blue finish – though I doubt they call it that.
There are rumours that it is quicker than an Enzo – though personally I feel that is not the point. The fact that the dynamics were honed by a certain M Schumacher is much more to the point. So, if you’re a playboy or a Russian mafia type, I’d say this is the car to go for. Especially if you like the odd blast around the track. Just remember, the £100,000 you’re spending on this instead of 2 GT-R’s will be worth it!
Posted by: Mr Butterscotch
