2004 Ferrari Review

Specifications

The Latest FIA n-GT Racer

The competition for “king of sports cars” credentials is as always very intense. Its a constant game of one-upmanship with Ferrari and Porsche key players.

On the road and track scene the 911 GT3 faces off against Ferraris 360 Challenge Stradale. Both are lightweight, powerful variants of already astonishing vehicles. Both are also naturally aspirated, rare, and extremely capable of top-tier performance.

The battle, however, has just been escalated to a higher level. The phrase, take it to the track can easily be used with the introduction of the 360 GTC, Ferraris newest non-street legal entry in to the FIA n-GT championships.

Does the 360 GTC name sound familiar? The three letters that follow the current Modenas 360 numeric designation go nearly four decades back to classic mid-60s and early-70s Ferraris. The first was the 330 GTC, a beautiful two-seat coupe that was followed up in 1969 with the more powerful 365 GTC. A rakish 365 GTC/4 arrived the same year, replacing the curvaceous original in 1970. Both GTC body styles have proven extremely popular with classic car collectors.

But the new GTC is hardly about collecting, its about racing. More recently at Frankfurts IAA, Ferrari launched its 575 GTC to go up against the Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT, and others in the FIAs GT championship. It was only natural that a 360 Challenge Stradale based GTC would follow in the larger cars tire treads to fight in the lower GT class. With help from Michelotto Automobili, the FIA-regulation GTC was created. Both GTC cars will be sold by Ferraris customer sports racing division Corsa Cliente, for private teams.

The FIA GT championships are among the most stringently organized racing events. Every last rulebook detail must be met, with disqualification being the result of failure to measure up. Of course Ferrari is no stranger to racing rules, having been literally born out of F1 and sports car competition.

With reducing weight being of the highest importance, the mid-engine Modena has been stripped and gutted of all unnecessary equipment, bar the onboard electronics, racing seat, dash and steering wheel. Noticeably, the GTC uses an expended floor-mounted lever for the sequential gearbox as opposed to paddles. A tubular safety cage has also been installed, as per FIA regulations, to protect the driver in case of an accident. This strict weight-loss program allows Ferrari to attain a ludicrously low restricted dry curb weight of 2,425 pounds.

Taking advantage of the lightweight design, Ferraris naturally aspirated 3.6-liter 40-valve DOHC V8 is mounted behind the cockpit. From the road-going Modena to the purely racetrack-bound GTC, theres an impressive gain of 45 horsepower. Peak power is produced at 8,750 rpm, as opposed to the stock 8,500.

Though fuel consumption is rarely an issue during short FIA sprint races, Ferrari has nonetheless reduced fuel usage of the race-spec V8, which in-turn allows teams to carry less fuel onboard during an event, reducing overall weight.

At speeds in excess of 185 mph, aerodynamics play a key role in the way any car handles. The GTC may look similar to the 360 Cup Car (Challenge Stradale), but there are some drastic changes which allow the new racer to stick to the road better. A revised front intake, skirts and rear spoiler are the key aerodynamic elements.

Prices have yet to be announced but dont expect these race-bread stallions to cost less than their road-going 360 namesakes, despite their reduced luxury content. After all, the GTC is based on the already stratospherically priced Challenge Stradale. Of course, the price of the cars will be much less than the money needed to challenge competitors in the n-GT championship.