Ferrari aficionados and motorheads the world over have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Ferrari F430 Challenge Stradale. The previous 360 CS took the 360 Modena coupe, put it on a diet and gave it some stripes. The result was a leaner and meaner prancing horse that put the 360 Challenge race-car into street-legal form. The very idea of taking the already superlative F430 and giving it the same treatment was simply mouthwatering.
This spy shot was snapped at the Nurburgring, which seems a little odd considering Ferrari owns three circuits of its own in Italy. The test mule shows most of the visible modifications to be featured on the F430 Challenge Stradale...expect the wheels to more closely resemble the magnesium CS rims up front than the stock 430 wheels at the back.
Until now the jury was out on whether the 430 CS would gain its performance edge "merely" by shedding extra mass or also be treated to a few extra cavallini, but the latest reports indicate that the 430's high-revving soprano V8 will get a boost to 520 horsepower (30 over the "ordinary" F430), thanks to a revised ECU and new exhaust system. Couple that with 200-lbs worth of liposuction thanks largely to selective use of carbon fiber body panels and you've got a recipe for satanic performance.
[Source: Motor Authority]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
G @ Nov 23rd 2006 8:03PM
It still casts a pale shadow to the fabulous F355.
http://www.automobilesdeluxe.blogspot.com
Gooch @ Nov 24th 2006 11:51AM
G, I am with you on that. If I won the lottery, the Ferrari I'd buy is the F355. Don't get me wrong -- the others are fabulous as well, but when I think of "Ferrari" I think of two cars: the P3 and the F355.
Of course, the second Ferrari I'd buy is a 250GT, and the third, a 275GT, and the fourth...
This could go on all day.
Po?ciel We?niana @ Nov 24th 2006 1:00PM
No Ferrari will be better than classical ones. Ever.
Bill Maher is an Idiot @ Nov 25th 2006 4:51PM
The F355 is a joke. The car's aged as well as a C4 Corvette.
Andy @ Nov 25th 2006 4:54PM
The 360 Challenge Stradale didn't put up the numbers the 996 GT3 did, despite costing a lot more. Hopefully, Ferrari will do better with the F430.
People look at the status cars from their eras with veneration. That's why a lot of older folks love the Countach. It looks weak to me, but men in their forties love it. The F355 doesn't impress me with its flat design, but some people love it.
Bill Maher is an Idiot @ Nov 25th 2006 11:50PM
This isn't another one of those deals where some guys with no taste are saying the 355 is beautiful when it really looks like a thin brick, is it? The F355 SUCKED.
mk @ Nov 28th 2006 12:57AM
F355 was a great car, not that I would know from first hand experience, but from a design standpoint, to my taste, it is the pinaccle of the line started from the 308, narrowly edging out the rarer, and technically more interesting 288GTO. IMHO, of course. I'd take one with a body colored targa roof, and a 6-speed.
The 360, I think was a departure. with a whole new design language, and a fastback profile. The 360 CS looks HAWT from astern. in all other areas, the 430 has it ALL OVER the 360. the same sleek glasshouse, but more agressive vent openings, sinister front expression, and the shark nose from the 50's GP and F1 race cars. (looks much better than the odd trapezoid intakes on the front of the 360, and it's oddly split headlight housings.)
IF somehow the 360 CS rear grille, tail lights, and bumper could be grafted onto the 430 with CS-spec engine, with BBS Challenge wheels, and 430 road-spec interior, I would be set. In my dreams.
Car videos & Motorcycle videos @ Dec 14th 2006 6:03AM
This car will be awesome just like the older Ferrari 360 Stradale, and they are not droping in price either.