The Ferrari F430 is a sports car produced by the Italian automaker Ferrari from 2004 to 2009, as a successor to the 360. It debuted at the 2004 Paris Motor Show.[1] European left-hand drive sales began in November 2004, but right-hand drive sales did not start until Spring 2005, and the North American market did not get the F430 until Summer 2005.[citation needed] Its replacement, the Ferrari 458 Italia, was unveiled on 28 July 2009 and is expected to go on sale in Spring 2010 jeremy clarkson, Top sixth, Porsche, 911, F430, 355, 360, jaguar, RX7, RX8, EVO, Skyline, R32, R33, R34, 959, fifth gear, ferrari best car ever

Italian pub, Quattroroute reports Ferrari will show its first road-going hybrid next March at the Geneva Motor Show. Based on the 599 GTB, the Ferrari hybrid is expected to use a derivative of the kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) used on the prancing horse’s Formula One cars during part of the 2009 season.

The KERS setup and the concept will reportedly use a lithium ion battery pack, and based on the diagram (right) the road car will have the battery and the power electonics mounted on either side of the rear transaxle, with an electric motor incorporated into the transaxle itself. If the road car is similar to the race car, this will essentially be a mild hybrid system providing automatic start-stop, regenerative braking and electric boost. Judging by the battery size, Ferrari won’t offer any pure electric propulsion. The system is expected to boost urban driving mileage by over 30 percent from the current 8.7 mpg (US) to a slightly less miserable 13.8 mpg.

If you checked out the images we posted of Felipe Massa’s return to Maranello, you may have spotted the returning Brazilian driver chatting with one Jean Alesi and wondered what he was doing there.

The French driver raced for the Scuderia from 1991 through 1995, scoring a handful of podiums and a solitary grand prix victory in Montreal. Along with longtime team-mate Gerhard Berger, Alesi switched places with Michael Schumacher to Benetton-Renault in 1996, then bounced between a few other teams before retiring from Formula One at the end of 2001. Since then he’s been competing in DTM and then headlined the new Speedcar Series.

With the ill-fated Asian stock car series now deceased, however, the racing world has been wondering what the retired F1 driver would try his hand at next, and on Tuesday they got their hint when Alesi showed up at Fiorano to test the Ferrari F430 GT2. Alesi’s slated to race for AF Corse, the team run by Amato Ferrari, who shares strong ties with both Maranello and Maserati but no direct familial relation despite the common name.

AF Corse is the reigning two-time champion in the FIA GT series, but is reportedly preparing to tackle the European Le Mans Series, including its headline event, next year. The test session apparently exceeded expectations, paving the way for the 45-year-old driver to race Ferraris once again, for the first time in fourteen years, next season.

How can you make a Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M, built in a limited edition of just 499 vehicles, even more exciting and more exclusive? Easy, just take it to NOVITEC ROSSO, the world’s leading refiner of the sports cars from Maranello.

There the open-top lightweight model is fitted with the NOVITEC ROSSO RACE Bi-Compressor engine with 696 hp / 512 kW. It propels the Ferrari to a new top speed of more than 330 km/h. Numerous uncompromising sporty options such as 20-inch wheels, sport springs, a lift system for the front axle and exterior and interior accessories round out the product lineup.

NOVITEC ROSSO compressor technology has been the proven recipe for added driving fun for many years. For the eight-cylinder four-valve engine of the Scuderia Spider 16M NOVITEC ROSSO has now developed a custom version of its RACE Bi-Compressor engine.

The 4.3-liter V8 is supercharged by two cogged-belt-driven high-performance compressors with a maximum boost pressure of 0.48 bar. Each cylinder bank is fitted with a generously dimensioned water-to-air intercooler.

A specially manufactured heat-insulated intake manifold with larger cross-sections provides the engine with pre-compressed air. High-performance air filters and larger injectors round out the engine conversion on the intake side.

For a perfect symbiosis of maximum power yield, exemplary running smoothness and durability beyond reproach, the NOVITEC ROSSO engine specialists precision-match the new components with a newly programmed electronic engine management system.

Just as important are the larger cooling circuits for water and oil as well as dedicated cooling circuits for both compressors and the intercoolers.

The extensive NOVITEC ROSSO RACE Bi-Compressor conversion, available for 47,000 Euros for this and all other F430 Spider models, offers unique performance. With a power output of 696 hp / 512 kW at 8,400 rpm the NOVITEC ROSSO conversion surpasses the production engine by 186 hp / 136.9 kW. Peak torque grows from standard 470 Nm to 682 Nm at 6,300 rpm.

Driving performance improves just as impressively: The tuned Scuderia Spider 16M sprints from rest to 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds, and reaches 200 km/h after just 9.7 seconds. The 300-km/h barrier is shattered after just 23.8 seconds. Top speed for the open-top mid-engine sports car increases from 315 to more than 330 km/h.

For further optimized handling of the lightweight sports car NOVITEC ROSSO offers an update from the standard 19-inch tires to three-piece 20-inch wheels. The NOVITEC ROSSO NF3 double-spoke wheels in size 8.5Jx20 in front and in size 12Jx20 in back widen the track and thus allow even higher cornering speeds. The custom-tailored high-performance tires in size 235/30 ZR 20 in front and in size 325/25 ZR 20 on the rear axle are provided by technology partner PIRELLI.

NOVITEC ROSSO sport springs lower the center of gravity and further improve agile handling. For added daily utility of the Scuderia Spider 16M NOVITEC ROSSO offers a hydraulic lift system for the front axle. At the push of a button the front is raised by 40 millimeters and makes navigating obstacles such as curbs, speed bumps and garage entries easier. The front axle reverts to normal position at a second push of the button or automatically once the car reaches a speed of 80 km/h.

To give the Spider exterior an even more striking appearance NOVITEC ROSSO offers blacks taillights, side markers and reflectors.

The lightweight-construction interior can be refined with exclusive NOVITEC ROSSO options as well. The ergonomically shaped leather/carbon-fiber NOVITEC ROSSO sport steering wheel features a flattened lower rim for easier entering and exiting. The NOVITEC ROSSO carbon-fiber shift paddles are longer than their production counterparts and make manual gearshifts of the F1-SuperFast2 transmission even easier.

Special interior color requests can be fulfilled by NOVITEC ROSSO in any imaginable color combination.

All Ferrari fans will be aware that Ferrari has stopped production of its F430 model. The last of these cars is going to have a special place in a special auction - Leggenda e Passione auction will be auctioning this car being the last one to roll out the factory lines. This particular car will come with a certificate from Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo, so it will be a collector’s piece indeed.

Apart from this model, the auction will also feature a 1967 330 P4 (one of just three built), a 1957 250 Testa Rossa and a 1990 641/2 F1 car, vintage cars expected to fetch a good price.

Other models will be include the first of only two 1959 Ferrari 250GT (SWB) Berlinetta Speciale Bertones ever built, one of just 37 1962 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyders, a 1956 Maserati 250F Grand Prix car and a 2008 Maserati MC12 with only factory mileage on it. Every car has been certified by Ferrari Classiche. This year’s Ferrari Leggenda e Passione will take place May 17 at Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello, Italy.

The money from the auction will go towards the rebuilding of Abruzzo in Central Italy, the site of a devastating earthquake last month.

Yesterday Ferrari issued a recall for 1,950 of its 2005-2007 F430 Spiders involving the car’s automatic convertible top, according to the NHTSA. The problem arose from the hydraulic hoses that operate the top, which could form hairline cracks due to heat from the engine. As a result, the hoses could leak fluid into the engine bay and possibly create smoke or even start a fire. To remedy the situation, Ferrari dealers will install an insulated heat shield that will protect the hoses from heat in the engine bay.

Some intriguing reports regarding the 2009 heir to the Ferrari F430 have appeared on a Ferrari forum, and this time they seem quite credible. The mid-engined car could be presented in October this year and released on the market come January 2010, according to Ferrari Chat.

So far, the new Ferrari would be called the F450 according to this forum, but other reports also have the moniker predicted as F470. Whatever the case, prudence is probably the best bet as we wait to see more news over the next few months.

Ferrari chooses the Bologna Motor Show for the public unveiling of the new Scuderia Spider 16M, a limited edition series celebrating the Prancing Horse’s 16th F1 Constructors’ title

Bologna, December 3rd 2008 - Ferrari has chosen the Bologna Motor Show 2008 for the world unveiling of the new Scuderia Spider 16M, a special limited edition series of only 499 unique cars, launched to celebrate the 16th World Constructors’ title won by the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro in the 2008 F1 season.

This new high performance Spider encompasses all of Maranello’s cutting-edge mid-rear 8-cylinder technology. In fact, the Scuderia Spider 16M clocked a blistering 1′26”5 lap time at the Fiorano circuit, making it the fastest Prancing Horse drop-top ever. This new car was created for our most passionate clients, clients who demand the kind of exclusivity, blistering performance and enjoyment behind the wheel that only a Spider as truly evocative as this one can offer.

Another of the star attractions at the Ferrari stand is the Ferrari California, the Prancing Horse’s first ever front-mid-engined V8 and its first retractable hard-top convertible. The 8-cylinder range, traditionally located in the high performance area, now has a new GT addition with plenty of sporty blood in its veins. This is a hugely innovative car that will satisfy the demands of even our most discerning clients when it comes to driving pleasure, flexibility of use and in-car comfort. The current Ferrari 8-cylinder range is completed by the F430, which, of all the mid-rear-engined berlinettas, embodies Ferrari’s leadership in motor racing.

The 12-cylinders are represented by the 599 GTB Fiorano, exhibited in a traditional Rosso Corsa livery, and the Prancing Horse’s current flagship model, the 612 Scaglietti with Nero Daytona paintwork and with a particularly sumptuous array of additional features and accessories from the Carrozzeria Scaglietti Personalisation programme.

The Prancing Horse will also be one of the leading brands on display in the Motorsport Stadium where various competitions and exhibitions are planned throughout the Show. On Saturday, December 6th, test-driver Luca Badoer will be at the wheel of a Ferrari single-seater for the now-traditional Formula 1 exhibition complete with pit stop simulations. The FXX programme and the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell will taking centre stage on Saturday, for what has once again become a regular extra date on the sporting calendar.

Scuderia Spider 16M
The Scuderia Spider 16M is instantly recognisable because of its special livery, of which two versions are available: the basic configuration of black with grey edging or an optional tricolour livery from the Carrozzeria Scaglietti Personalisation Programme. The car also sports a special plaque celebrating Ferrari’s 16th Constructors’ World title on its rear grille. The Scuderia Spider 16M boasts a highly exclusive cabin too. Luxury touches include a silver “serie limitata” plaque just over the air conditioning vents on the dash, for instance. Other exclusive features include a roll-bar with a carbon-fibre outer shell, a specific new generation audio system which can be combined with the removable personalised Ferrari Ipod Touch 16 GB which is docked in the dash.

From a technical point of view, the Scuderia Spider 16M has a dry weight of 1340kg (80kg lighter than the F430 Spider), which, thanks to the 510 hp punched out by its V8 engine and a power-to-weight ratio of 2.6 kg\hp, guarantees stunning performance figures that include 0-100 km/h acceleration in just 3.7 second and a top speed of 315 km/h.

Ferrari California
The Ferrari California is available exclusively as a convertible with retractable hard top. Owners are offered a choice of a two-seater configuration with traditional rear bench or the exclusive new 2+ configuration with the rear bench fitted out to accommodate one or two occupants.

In line with Ferrari tradition, this model brims with innovative content. In addition to its retractable hard top and the original 2+ concept, it also features: a new direct injection V8 engine, a new 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox with steering wheel-mounted F1 paddles, new suspensions (double wishbone at the front and multilink at the rear), evolved F1-Trac traction control and Brembo carbon-ceramic disc brakes (the latter are now offered as standard on all models in the current Ferrari range).

F430
Ferrari introduced a new generation of 8-cylinder cars when it launched the F430 in 2004. The car features a whole series of technical content derived directly from the Ferrari Formula 1 single-seater. In fact, two of the features introduced on the F430 were world firsts for a road car: the E-Diff (electronic differential) which uses engine torque to optimise traction, and the steering-wheel mounted manettino which integrates the vehicle dynamics systems and allows the driver to intervene instantly without moving his hand from the steering wheel. Both the E-Diff and the manettino were later adopted on other Prancing Horse models and have now achieved iconic status as a result.

The F430 boasts a 4308 cc engine capable of delivering 490 hp - the equivalent of a specific power output of 114hp/l. This shows in its performance: 0 to 100 km/h in 4 seconds flat and a top speed in excess of 315 km/h.

599 GTB Fiorano
The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is the most powerful 12-cylinder production Berlinetta ever built at Maranello. It features the most innovative and technologically evolved content ever used by Ferrari in a two-seater mid-front engine car and offers absolute excellence in terms of sportiness, driving pleasure and design. This model sends out a very precise message: it will deliver above and beyond the driving thrills offered by such legendary models as the F40 and guarantee superb performance thanks to its innovative content and Formula 1-derived technologies as well as guaranteeing superior space, ergonomics and occupant safety. The result is a car that is the very epitome of the high tech, sporty Ferrari bloodline.

The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and accelerates from 0 to 200 km/h in 11 seconds. It also delivers a maximum speed in excess of 330 km/h. Its innovative content includes the F1-Superfast gearbox, F1-Trac traction control system and the evolved manettino, all of which combine to ensure it delivers absolutely unparalleled driving pleasure, control and sportiness.

612 Scaglietti
The 612 Scaglietti combines the pure thoroughbred performance of a sporty Ferrari Berlinetta with comfortable cabin space for four occupants. In line with Ferrari’s tradition of constantly evolving its models, numerous modifications have recently been made to the Grand Tourer flagship model. Specifically, the 612 Scaglietti now sports a special panoramic roof which covers the entire cabin. This feature really does give occupants the feeling of being in a drop-top yet they still enjoy the comfort and security of a coupé. One unique characteristic of this glass panoramic roof is its electrochromic technology. This allows its tint - and thus light levels inside the cabin - to be varied at will.

The 612 Scaglietti is also fitted with the F1-Superfast which delivers overall gearshifting times of 100 milliseconds plus a low inertia twin-disc clutch for quicker and smoother response. The Prancing Horse’s 2+2 also sports the manettino on its steering wheel - this time in a specific three-setting GT configuration.

Personalisation Programmes
The Carrozzeria Scaglietti Personalisation Programme was launched in 1997 to offer clients the opportunity to enrich their cars in accordance with their own tastes and requirements, to ensure that their car was truly unique to them. There are four distinct personalisation areas: Racing and Track, Exteriors and Colours, Interiors and Materials, Equipment and Travel. In addition to choosing from these areas, however, Clients may also make special out-of-catalogue requests. In fact, since the earliest days of Sergio Scaglietti’s collaboration with Ferrari, the Prancing Horse cars have been specially tailored for their owners. The result is that now almost every single road-going Ferrari to leave Maranello features at least some personalisation options requested by its owner.

In addition to the Carrozzeria Scaglietti catalogue, however, Ferrari also launched the One To One personalisation programme last March. Initially this was available only for 612 Scagliettis but has recently been broadened to include the 599 GTB Fiorano. Ferrari 12-cylinder clients can now visit a special Atelier in Maranello and with the help of a Ferrari consultant put together their own bespoke Ferrari, courtesy of a vast range of special features. The Atelier is a dedicated space in which clients can decide on every last detail of their new car in line with their own personal taste and requirements. Dedicated One to One personnel will assist each client with their decisions and ensure every last detail is covered to their satisfaction.

Ferrari Classiche
Founded in 2005 to offer veteran and classic car owners a specialist restoration and maintenance service as well as technical assistance and authenticity certification, the Ferrari Classiche division has thus far dealt with over 900 certification requests. It issues the authenticity certificates after meticulous research and, if required, renovations carried out using the original designs for the historic Prancing Horse cars.

Ferrari Financial Services
Since early 2007 Ferrari has also been offering a range of financial services tailored specifically to meet the different requirements of owners of all kinds of Prancing Horse cars from current models to historic, competition and even former Formula 1 cars. This new business is enjoying excellent results: to date, Ferrari Financial Services has achieved an average market penetration of 31% in Europe (Italy, Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland - though the rate rises to 46% in Germany) and 33% in the USA where it launched just a year ago. This means that in the aforementioned countries, more than a third of all Ferraris sold are purchased through one of our finance agreements. Clients may avail of personalised financial services which in the case of the 430 Scuderia package driving courses created in collaboration with Michael Schumacher who also contributed to the car’s development.

Galleria Ferrari
A record 210,000-plus visitors flocked to the Galleria Ferrari in Maranello in 2008. In addition to a major permanent exhibition of the cars that have written the Prancing Horse story both on the track and on the road, the Galleria also offered several very interesting themed exhibitions in the course of the year. The Ferrari Magic India Discovery Tour exhibition, for instance, was followed by a show of the works of the Modenese photographer Franco Fontana.

The current themed exhibition features the paintings of Enrico Ghinato and runs until December 15th. On December 18th, a new exhibition of the calendars of Gunther Raupp, which have enlivened the days of enthusiasts for the last 20 years, opens. The Galleria Ferrari is open everyday from 9:30 to 18:00.

A year of success and celebrations
2008 was a significant year for Ferrari as the Prancing Horse took its 16th victory in the F1 Constructors’ World Championship, its eighth in the last ten years.

The company’s brand development activities continued very successfully too: several new Ferrari Stores were opened internationally in 2008, including those in Singapore, Macao, Honolulu, Johannesburg and San Francisco. There are now 25 Ferrari retail outlets spread across the world’s leading cities.

Rumor has it that Ferrari is prepping a drop top version of its stripped out, track focused F430 Scuderia model equipped with the same 510HP 4.3-liter V8 engine as the coupe that could be introduced by the end of the year. Unfortunately we can’t confirm the rumors, but what we can do is show you how the lightweight 430 Scuderia Spider may look like through a set of renderings that were made by photoshop expert Jon Sibal. Follow the jump to check out all the photos.

Though high-end supercars have always been something of a marriage of art and performance, Ferrari’s cars have always managed to favor the performance side of the equation, even in their large and comfortable grand tourers. The 430 Scuderia, on the other hand, has eschewed all vestiges of fashion and comfort for outright performance, but nevertheless a new rumor insists that a 300-car limited-edition run of 430 Scuderia Spiders will make its debut at year’s end.

The self-defeat of such a move is obvious: shaving every ounce, substituting every possible material, doing away with the radio, carpets and more just to wring every last tenth of a second from the car’s lap times….only to toss in another 150lb (70kg) or more of bracing to make up for the rigidity lost by cutting the top off. It can only be a backward situation of art choosing to imitate life, as the Scuderia’s gritty carbon-fiber-heavy looks certainly cast a different image than the standard car’s more luxurious feel.

True aficionados will know the irony of the Scuderia Spider, but that likely won’t keep the car from becoming a collectible, if it is in fact produced. The rumor indicates the car will make its debut at the close of the Ferrari Challenge championship at Mugello in November, so it’ll take another two months of waiting to find out, provided no intrepid spy photographers suss the car out first.