Try and follow us if you can. Ferrari built the F430, which in turn led to the development of the F430 Challenge. That eventually turned into the F430 Scuderia, and now Kessel Racing has built the F430 Scuderia GT3. It's a road car turned race car turned road car turned race car. Got that? If anything, it's a great example of the extent to which motorsports is intertwined with Ferrari's DNA. Pending approval from the FIA, the Swiss race team plans to field the car in the GT3 class and take on Lamborghini, Corvette, Aston Martin, Porsche, Ford, and more. Two other teams, JMB Racing and CRS Racing, have also expressed interest in competing with the car as well. If everything goes as planned, the Scuderia GT3 will make its debut during the first race of the season on May 3 at Silverstone.



[Source: FIAGT3.com]

Click above for a high resolution image

Is it wrong to mess with perfection? We don't know if we would dare to change even a single nut or bolt on the F430 Scuderia if we happened to have one in the garage, but Novitec Rosso seems to have no problem with it. Granted, they have plenty of experience laying their hands on the F430; in addition to their standard version, they've also built RACE, TuNero, and Evoluzione variations. For the Scuderia they've added their twin-supercharger package good for 717 horsepower and a top speed of just over 215 mph. Considering the standard F430 Scuderia can lap Ferrari's Fiorano test track faster than the Enzo, we'd imagine this car would be insanely quick.

[Source: WorldCarFans]

When Ferrari decides to make a special edition of an already exclusive vehicle, the results are typically quite stunning. It should come to no one's surprise that the F430 Scuderia is not the exception to the rule. 510 horsepower and 5.6 lbs for every HP will provide plenty of thrills at the track or on the open road, as will the 60 millisecond shift time. The scribes over at Avto Magazin has a beautiful motion picture starring the F430 Scuderia that we had to share. The F430 Scuderia doesn't disappoint either, as it sounds as beautiful as it looks, and looks right at home on the track. Click the Read link below to view the video. It may play a bit choppy the first time through as it's somewhat high-def, but just hit pause and let the buffer build up for skip-free playback.

Thanks for the tip, Mita!

[Source: Avto Magazin]

click above image for more high-res shots of the Ferrari F430 Scuderia

It's not a good sign when there is a massive throng pushing into the display hall and an announcement from inside the hall is asking people to step back away from the stage. But when the booth happens to have a Prancing Horse above it and none other than 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher is standing front and center, it's understandable that there might be some interest in seeing what he has to show. Jean Todt was even on the outside looking in...for a short time. He was here like the rest of us, of course, to see Schumacher unveil Ferrari's latest track model for the street, the F430 Scuderia. We already know all of the pertinent details about the car, but seeing one in person was what this event was all about. And it didn't hurt that MS was here for the photo op. We actually lucked out and he walked right up to us at the side of the stage after his introduction. He looked incredibly well-rested and relaxed, unlike the car which looks like it wants to jump out of its skin.

Follow the jump for the rest of the story and make sure you check out the galleries as well.

Evidently Ferrari decided that it couldn't wait to to unveil a track-bred sports car like the F430 Scuderia on a static auto show stage in Frankfurt. Instead Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo was accompanied by F1 drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen as they pulled the tarp of the lighter, more powerful F430 in a private gathering (read: no press) at the company's Fiorano test track. Massa then slipped behind the wheel and pulled the car out the garage for some hot laps. This car's noise is the type of thing that makes grown men lose control of their bladders. A lucky attendee with a camera has posted the video, which is mostly in Italian with some English sprinkled in. But when you're talking Ferrari, who needs words? Just let the car do the talking!

The official media unveiling will indeed take place next week in Frankfurt. We'll be there.

[Source: Google Video]

UPDATE: Much better quality high-res pics added to gallery

Click image to view high-res gallery

Unfortunately for Noah or Frank, Ferrari has gone and revealed the new F430 Scuderia when neither are around, so it's up to me to convey how fantabulous this new Prancing Horse is to you. We've been following for some time what we thought would be called the new F430 Challenge Stradale, but Ferrari has instead decided to name it the F430 Scuderia. Regardless of what it's called, this new F430 joins the coupe and spyder, yet takes a decidedly harder, more track-oriented edge than its siblings. The car weighs around 100kg (220 lbs.) less than the standard F430 coupe, and its version of Ferrari's 4.3L V8 produces 510 horsepower instead of 483. That gives the Scuderia a frighteningly low power-to-weight ratio of 1 horsepower for every 5.4 lbs.

The new F430 Scuderia also promises to carry a lot of trickle-down F1 technology as well, including lightning-quick 60 millisecond shifts and an integrated traction and stability control system. In order to accentuate the car's F1 connection, none other than famed F1 driver Michael Schumacher will officially unveil the car in Frankfurt this September. Until then, we have a gallery of high-res shots for you to flip through below and Ferrari's press release after the jump.

[Source: Ferrari via Ultimatecarpage.com]