Ferrari’s
range of V8-engined sports cars will be joined by the new
F430 Spider when it is unveiled at the Geneva Show (3-13
March 2005).
Ferrari’s new drop-top includes a number of important
technical features which give hints of the car’s F1
pedigree, starting with the innovative electronic
differential - first developed by the racing division for
the Scuderia’s all-conquering F1 cars – which improves
traction and roadholding under all conditions.
The Spider
also features the steering wheel-mounted commutator switch,
known to the Scuderia’s drivers as the ‘manettino’,
which allows the car’s set-up to be adjusted easily and
quickly.
Formula 1 is thus again the inspiration for the development
of the company’s road cars. Designed by Pininfarina, the
F430 Spider’s sinuous lines, in fact, were fine-tuned
using state-of-the-art computer aerodynamics simulation
programmes usually employed exclusively by the F1 team.
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An
evolution of the 360 Spider, the F430 Spider is
packed with the latest technology from the Formula 1
World Champion stable. |
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The
new Ferrari F430 Spider will be unveiled at the 75
Geneva Motor Show next month. |
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The F430 Spider’s shape is the result
of lengthy testing and features a pronounced nolder which is
integrated into the end of the engine cover, new bigger rear
air intakes that emphasise the car’s muscular stance, and
a new rear valance that incorporates a diffuser of
competition derivation. The engine itself is attractively
set below a glass cover.
Just like the berlinetta, the new Spider incorporates two
elliptical air intakes that feed the front radiators. The
shape of the intakes is inspired by Ferrari’s racing cars
from the 1961 season, especially the 156 F1 which Phil Hill
drove to that year’s F1 Championship title. The spoiler
that joins the two intakes at their bottom edge is highly
effective in directing the central air flow towards the flat
underbody.
The F430 Spider boasts a compact, fully automatic electric
hood that allows the engine to be seen in all its glory at
all times and which, once lowered, takes up relatively
little space, despite the uncompromising central-rear engine
layout.
The F430 Spider is powered by Ferrari’s new 490 hp,
4,308cc 90° V8 which is capable of pushing the car to a top
speed of over 310 km/h (over 193 mph) and covering the 0-100
km/h (0-62 mph) sprint in just 4.1 seconds. This lightweight
and highly compact power unit produces a specific output of
114 hp per litre with a weight-to-power ratio of 2.9 kg (6.4
lbs) per horsepower (dry weight).
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