This autumn Ferrari will unveil the replacement for the 430 series. The new car is radically different too. New engine and transmission, new gearbox, all-new structure, new driver aids.
The basic structure of the current 430 is a modified version of the 360’s aluminium frame. But for the new car – name unknown – the structure and chassis will be completely new. It’s a blank-sheet car, for the stylists, aerodynamicists and engineers. We know this because it’s going to be built on a new production line, the one Ferrari installed for the California.
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The new car will go faster than the current 430 while using less fuel. We’re talking about power well north of 500bhp, 0-62 in under 4seconds and breaking the 200mph barrier then. It keeps a V8 engine, but direct injection (as recently fitted to the 911 Carrera) gives it the efficiency. The new fuel system is well able to work even at the 8000rpm-plus of the screaming Ferrari V8.
As to the size of the engine, we frankly don’t know. Our Ferrari engineers are keeping schtum, but we’ve heard two sets of rumours. First, it’ll grow towards 5.0 litres. Second, it’ll shrink, but get turbos.
There’s no F1-style KERS yet. Ferrari says it’ll be about 2012 before we see it in a road car. Look, they can’t even get it working reliably in a racer yet.
But more efficiency gains in the engine can come from careful internal friction improvements. Which might sound dull, but last year they quietly cut the official consumption of the 599 by 15 percent without harming power.
The transmission is new. No more is it the single-clutch F1 type, even though with the 430 Scuderia Ferrari honed that to a pitch of speed and smoothness no other manufacturer has got close to.
No, for the new car it’s a twin-clutch seven-speed. It’s the one from the California, but its shift strategy is faster and more aggressive for the mid-engined car. Ferrari engineers are very proud of this gearbox. It’s as compact and as light as the six-speed F1, whereas Porsche’s PDK is 30kg more than a 911’s manual box.
Ferrari engineers tell us they’ve made major breakthroughs with stability control electronics. They say they can now make the cars as quick around a track with the electronics on as off, even with genius test drivers at the wheel never mind normal human beings. With the E-Diff and F1-Trac, the new base car is likely to get close to a current Scuderia on the track.
And yet the engineers insist it’ll be comfortable. For the California, they had to design new strategies for the adaptive damping to stretch the possible compromise. They made the California as sporty as a Ferrari should be but more smooth-riding. Now they can up the ante on the new mid-engined car, by shifting the compromise the other way: just as comfy as an existing 430, but even sharper to steer.
Though one scooper shot a near-finished car rolling onto a trailer, the test cars driving near Maranello are still heavily disguised. You can tell they have slightly longer wheelbase and marginally wider track compared with the hacked-about 430 bodies that they’re using for disguise. They also have big air scoops above the rear wheels. Aero innovations include ducts to remove air from high-pressure areas such as the wheel-arches and exhaust it without turbulence in spiralling jets at the rear.
We don’t want the car to grow. Its size is already a bit of a nuisance on tight twisty roads. Besides, size means weight. To help fight the pork, some exotic materials will be used in the structure, but it’ll mostly be aluminium.
So what difference does the new assembly line make? Well, the cars are put together in modules, rather than as a series of components bolted to the base shell. This means that they can also be taken to bits in modules when they need servicing. In the first three years, a 599 needs 50 hours’ scheduled maintenance. The comparable figure for the California, manufactured the new way, is just 11 hours.
Because Ferrari has gradually made its cars more and more useable over the past decade, people are driving them more. And that’s why service times matter now.
So it’s going to be a busy year for Ferrari. We don’t even have the California in the UK yet, and the 430 Scuderia Spider 16M isn’t even on the road anywhere. But come autumn, we’ll see official photos of this V8 coupe replacement. Prices? Unknown but high. Desirability? Higher still.
Great. I’m a big fan of the F430 myself – I’ve never quite known why, but I am. Definitely looking forwards to the new one, hope that it’s perhaps a bit less computerized than the outgoing model.
lol at the KERS reliabilty thing, but i cant wait to see a pic of this new ferrari.
“and the 430 Scuderia Spider 16M isn’t even on the road anywhere” that’s not exactly true, ’cause I saw one in Monaco just 2 weeks ago, stopped the car and talked with the owner – to me an unknown bloke – and he had just received this 16M version of the Scuderia. And what a heavenly noise it made.
But still, can’t wait to see the new MR-V8 Ferrari.
You’re not kidding about people driving them more, even where I live, up north, I see several per week.
If it turns out to have a smaller engine with turbos, will this signal the end of the capacity = name trend?
I hope it will be a take it on car like hte good old 355!!!
4.8 litre twinturbo v8 is the way to go for the 430 replacement, anything more makes it less fun to drive and more of a lazy muscle car
Why I can’t watch videos from my country? (Brazil)
New Ferrari is always good news. Sounds promissing, personally i’m hoping for a 5litre V8 with a turbo! I really do hope that the designers do a better job than they did with the California, something like 599 meets 355 anyone?
It’s a 4.5 litre v8 (no turbos) putting out around 520 hp. it’s called the 450, it might haves KERS, and it’s out at the frankfurt autoshow.
They gave us (some)numbers but I wish they gave us some defining body features of the car other than the events, but thats to come
. I don’t want the front of the car to look like the 550 with an air intake smack in the middle, but I defiantly want the side to look like the 550.
p.s. Most people, including myself, think of a Ferrari they usually picture the 430, so the replacement of the 430 has to look good
.
@kilroy:
why would it look anything like a 550 when thts a gt and not done in the same vain as the 430?!?
someone say…that can be NA 4500cc x over than 515 bhp. obviously nothing official.
This year is quite full for real for ferrari, a lot of unofficial voices about new scaglietti and the new baby ferrari. Well i think that if something will happen tg will say it.
i don’t want it to look like any of the current Ferrari range, i hope it looks completely new, how ever still Ferrari recognizable. it simply has to look better than the current Ferrari range…
the 430 is like bread n butter to ferrari like a corolla is to toyota.
get it wrong and their cash cow explodes into pieces of beef that the raging bull’s gonna eat up.
Good old Ferrari.. times are hard, money is tight, and they’re making something bigger, better, and less affordable… Sounds cool though.
Well they are Ferrari after all; a company who perform 1000 point checks on paint thickness over the body of every car and make the engine moulds from sand (true fact!)
Can’t wait for the pics though. The mention of larger intakes above the rear wheeels has me drooling already.
Is it called the Ferrari F450?
i am hoping that it does not fellow ferria v8 mid engine trend of giving real good car with not many down side then the fellow up to be good but nowear near as good as the last car. I also think that clarkson is bit wrong with his comments on the all new ferrias being not as nice as they use to be because i belive that 430 to me is real good looking car and also is very now. It is more two door racer but also it is car that you can drive london to monaco as more of GT car that supercar that is the reason why i think it more of a ferria than the 599 or 612 that are both only just GT cars not road racers like 430 and my other fav that is the same R8 5.2V1O.I think the new F450 from some spy pics i have seen it is more of an dino ok is nice car but it is not the ferria of the tewety first centry.
Even though the F1 team are doing badly it still doesn’t dilute the brand and a new Ferrari is still very desirable. It would be interesting to see if Ferrari go the turbo or even supercharger route, everyone else seems to be so that they can get more power and greater efficiency so I wouldn’t be surprised if they do. You don’t often think of Ferrari as a turbo kind of company because it seems like “cheating” a small bit, but the F40 had turbos I think so they have a little bit of history there but not as much as say Porsche.
Is this new car the 430 scuderia or what. Rily cant wait to see it. Will it beat the enzo?? It should.
Hope the new engine is not turbocharged, the enging reving up to 9,000 rpm is wonderful.
I do expect more than 520 bhp, the Scuderia has almost that. Yes, it is a very squeezed engine, but nontheless having a slightly bigger engine will mean more power for this new Ferrari.
Mid engine with twin turbos doesn’t seem like a great idea (remembering the R8 incident with the RS6 engine).
Mmmm. A big 9000rpm V8 engine in a Ferrari, gret noise, great driving experience, great looks, oh wait… No. Modern Ferrari’s don’t look as incredible as the Ferrari’s of old. The 250 GTO is a great example, it’s stunning looks put it in the pages of history, along with the E-Type Jag and the Lotus Type 49.
The Ferrari’s of today are sculptured around aerodynamics first, and then they try to make it look stunning, but fail miserably. Why can’t they have classic styling but have modern technology hidden away under the beautiful bodywork? Or why can’t they but beauty before science and work aerodynamics around the impressive looks?
Do’h! I put gret, i meant to put great. I type way too fast!
hope it’s a looker, the 30kg lighter and nanoseconds faster bit simply fails to rattle my cage.. so hope the folks at the prancing’s stables get it right this time and give us a fezza we could actually fall in love with… fingers crossed
Please, please Ferrari, make this one look good and not a gurning simpleton like your current cars. Seriously, don’t waste time making it any faster, I’ve driven a few F430s and they’re suicidally fast on a public road. They don’t need to be any faster – only Wayne and Barry care about half a second here or there. Channel all your efforts into making a car that’s not embarrassing to look at, because that’s where all your cars fall down at the moment. Please, please Ferrari, make this one look good.
Do they really need to improve every single bit of transmission electronics and clutch? Yes, they do because Ferrari needs to keep up with Porsche, which is making the 911 too much a nerdy thing.
But I don’t expect a low size engine with turbos, Ferrari never made one since the 80s. It may be a 5-ish litre, maybe slightly less, so it may be called 480 or 500(like Volvo 480 or like Fiat 500, you know).
The only thing I’m looking forward to see improved is the looks. 360 and 430 were honestly banal and all the current Ferrari have got interiors that don’t match the price tag. Please Ferrari, abort those steering wheels the same shape of a Fiat Tipo and the tanned leather and the carbon everywhere and the instruments taken from a cheap videogame.
I know Ferrari love science and maths these days, but I do hope it’s a looker. I just can’t look at an F430 and want one, but I can with an F355.
They can’t call it the 500, because Fiat and Ferrari are tied together, and obviously Fiat makes a 500.
I give you the 499 Monza.
“FERRARI F500″
LMAO!……i dont care if it doesnt look to great….but shud be able to whip the new gallardo’s ass bad!
infact i like the looks of the 430 scud….more in blue
So it’s an angry California? They should name it the Ferrari Schwarzenegger.
I grew up loving Ferrari, but the magic is gone for me. An Italian Porsche unfortunately, If I had the money it would be an Aston on the driveway…and I am not even English !!
Is it the F450? There was a video om YouTube about it.
recently a lot of spy video on you tube. i seen a spy fezza video yesterday and it was long and clear. but strangely the first car sounded different from the second. also larger car and huge central muffler confirmed.
Check this out!
woah – sounds ace – shudve copied the KERS from McLaren like McLaren did with them in 2007 lol – the spygate scandal
that video was ae wonnit
ace i mean lol
I was out driving today and saw an f430 drive past me down a narrow road. It was beautiful and I couldn’t help but get the window down to hear it more clearly as it went past. Heaven! I can’t wait for this new car to be released as well!
a 4.2l v8 twin turbo or 3.5 tt like the 288
Has anyone seen the website of a former Lambourghini director of the seventies? aanyone who has a love for classic super cars would find it rivetting.
Further to my posting ,the wesite ishttp://www.roger.ph/
Reading this, I am starting to really look forward to the new Ferrari… Hopefully the design will include a convertable hard top in the forseeable future as i think the soft-tops look stunning when they’re roofless but extremely ugly when the black roof is up. but thats my opinion. As for the peep who hoped it would be like the 355- that is a damn nice car but i honestly hope its more reliable than a 355. Very nice car indeed and as someone who has connections with a 355, 512 and a F430 owner and having been in them myself, i can honestly say the F430 is by far the best, and most reliable, comfortable and best lookin at the moment so fingers crossed the new one will be as good, if not better as it will be seriously scrutinised by us Fezze fans if not.
Ali x
Check this out!
I think the F430 was a great car to start with, they would be hard-pushed to improve it. It, in my opinion, was the best car of the range as an all-rounder. Looks great, blindingly quick and is more technologically advanced than any other car in its class.
I perfer this
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i am a HUGE ferrari fan and i cant wait to see the new 430 especially with the claim of breaking the 200 mph barrier
Well the F430 has been a breath of fresh air to ferrari, since the 360 thankfully stopped being produced. So i just hope they dont muck this one up… F500 anyone??
I dont think KERS will be happening if FIA keep on taking the P!SS and changing the rules every 5minutes (its not as if F1 is a playground game).
Turbos would be interesting, although if they made a scud version or whatever they would call it, they could do that..would whip the cr@p out of a lambo LP400 SL if they make one…
the looks on the other hand……..
Im expecting it to be in direct competition with the 911 Turbo, hence yes 200mph will be forseeable. It could be a little less, but as JC showed in his DVD thriller (i expect commision for plugging it in this forum Mr. C!) he proves that the sub 200mph top speed of the 911 T is wrong, because he hit around 201 in it
WOW nashon…thats a pretty clever wording.
But you do have a point. If they get this wrong and their ‘cash cow’ product (those that do not know what this is, its a product where it has a large market share and a small market growth) they will flump up. All this after the F1 scandal? They cant afford to lose. Then look at the new LP……Theres a tricky battle for the prancing horse yet!
Does anyone else also think that the ferrari keyfob up there looks INCREDIBLY tacky? Should be ultra cool, (so a simple long fob with ‘ferrari’ across it imo), not like a ford keyfob sprayed red and a sticker on it.
I recently saw an F430 spyder in person and found that the wheel base was a bit squat (and that the owner left the keys in the centre consol with the roof down, guess you really cant get away with stealing one though), so im glad that they are at least making it longer.
Ferrai are3 getting really boring and nerdy in my opinion, and they new 430 looks pretty much the same, but has the new double brake super transmition gearbox yeyyyyy, just get a mitsabishe evo to have some realy fun
It better be good. If it isn’t, well Ferrari just had to ruin it. But we’ll see.
why isnt there pic???!!!
my frends dad has audi s5 its awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!
ferrari’s f430 is a very good car.
Hopefully the designers at Maranello have had a bit of a break since they showed us the California, so the 430 replacement should be quite pleasing on the eyes. If not then I’ll just stop liking Ferraris altogether. Like I hate BMWs.
Awesome!
that vid is soo funny luv the cars i want more
xoxoxo
awesome cars really kool
Нештяк!)) 5+
If god was a car he be a ferrari
Unprejudiced making my first post at foreman.blogs.topgear.com , which seems to be a wonderful forum!
rewal noclegi
Hey, best forum. Mill Valley sheepskin & leather co.?