The Australian International Motor Show (11-21 October 2007) will feature a number of environmental cars, but not many show visitors, looking for a car to answer the complex questions of using less fuel and lowing emissions would turn to the Ferrari stand, the home of a range of exceptional super cars. And yet, while Ferrari is displaying its fastest ever production model, the new Ferrari 430 Scuderia, the same car also has the lowest fuel consumption and the lowest emissions of any model in the Ferrari range, a seeming contradiction in terms. But the Ferrari 430 Scuderia is living proof that the advanced technology in all areas that makes it Ferrari’s ultimate supercar, is also technology that can and will make all cars use less fuel and reduce emissions in the future.

“With such beautiful styling providing the visible promise of outstanding levels of performance, its all too easy to forget that every Ferrari is also a technical tour de force and that Ferrari is debuting technology that will, one day, become much more widely available,” says Kevin Wall, General Manager for Ferrari in Australia and New Zealand. “While today’s Ferraris may seem just a dream to many, a closer look will reveal technology that will, one day make many cars safer, cleaner and – of course – faster.”

Looking at a Ferrari that can top 320 km/h, environmental compatibility may not be the first thing that springs to mind. Yet, to achieve the remarkable performance offered by every Ferrari, the engines have to be extremely efficient, extracting every possible amount of power from the fuel provided, while meeting the latest emission standards. Technology developed for Ferraris cutting-edge V8 and V12 engines will make tomorrow’s engines cleaner and more efficient.

With the new 430 Scuderia, Ferrari’s engine designers have developed a new ‘breathing’ system for the engine that releases more power and torque from the engine, in turn making it more efficient. Therefore, it uses less fuel and cuts emissions. So although the 430 Scuderia is now as fast around the Ferrari test track as the lavishly powerful limited-production V12 Ferrari Enzo, fuel consumption is cut from 18.3 l/100 km for the normal F430 Coupe to 15.7 l/100 km for the Scuderia and carbon dioxide emissions are down from 420 to 360 g/km.

Gearbox technology debuted by Ferrari first on the race track and then in road cars, the sequential or robotized manual gearbox, has already transferred to mainstream cars and it is making those cars more economical and it cuts emissions. This is because a robotized manual not only provides better than manual transmission performance, as it slashes gearchange time to just 60 milliseconds in case of the 430 Scuderia and its new F1-SuperFast2 transmission, it also removes fuel use and emissions during gear changes to effectively nil. It is no coincidence that two of the most economical conventional cars available on the market use robotised manual transmissions.

Weight is not just the enemy of performance. The heavier a car is, the more fuel is used to move it and the more emissions are produced. Working with Alcoa, Ferrari has pioneered aluminium construction, making its cars – all of which are aluminium – lighter and more fuel efficient. Aluminium is also easier to recycle – not that Ferrari expects any of its products to be recycled any time soon – but this is, again, technology that is transferring to the mass market.
 

The Ferrari 430 Scuderia takes this one step further. Not only does it use aluminium and carbon fibre, which is very light and very strong, it also pioneers the use of a new material, RTM, which is almost as light and strong as carbon fibre, but is considerably lower in cost and provides an obvious transfer prospect for reducing weight in all cars. From speeds as low as 60 km/h a car can be using more power to move air out of the way than it does to make it go down the road, so anything that can be done to cut drag will boost performance and save fuel, while cutting emissions. But at the same time, a car has to be stable in all conditions, get cooling air to the engine.

Ferrari has, once again, pioneered aerodynamic design. For example, the ‘flying buttresses’ behind the doors of 599 GTB Fiorano not only look good, they provide up to 100 kg of down force to keep the 599 glued to road, they also direct the airflow for directional stability in cross winds, yet they cause a fraction of the drag compared to conventional wings and spoilers on cars. But the Ferrari 430 Scuderia goes one remarkable step further. The industry-leading aerodynamic experts at Ferrari have achieved the seemingly impossible, by lifting the new car’s downforce by up to 30 kg with no increase what so ever in fuel-sapping and emissions-increasing drag.

Electronic Stability Control is the buzz word in safety circles, with calls for it to be made standard on all cars; such is its massive effect on safety. Needless to say, this is another technological area pioneered by Ferrari on and off the race track. While the systems used in conventional cars control just the brakes and the throttle, in the Ferraris at the Australian International Motor Show it’s possible to see the future of the remarkable life-saving technology.

The CST and E-Diff systems mean for all their huge performance potential, every Ferrari can be driven in every day conditions of rain and even snow and ice with ease and safety. In addition to brake and throttle control, the CST and E-Diff systems add the ability to change engine and steering response, brake pedal loads and do it at light speed, producing a new level of safety and control in difficult conditions. The 430 Scuderia takes these systems to a new level with full integration of the traction control and E-Diff to provide a new level of control and response. The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano has added to this technological armoury SCM Magnetorheological Suspension that can instantly change the response of the suspension to meet different road and driving conditions. This means a comfortable, supple ride, when required, yet the ability to instantly adjust to the needs of super car performance.

“A visit to the Ferrari stand is not just a chance to dream about owning the ultimate super car,” says Mr Wall. “It is also an opportunity to glimpse the future of all cars with technology that will make them safer, cleaner and faster. Thus, a Ferrari truly is a super car in every sense of the word!"