2009 Ferrari F430 Road Test Review
F430 Photos
It’s one thing to evaluate a car along the highways and byways of Canada, but I recently got to check out a sports supercar at one of the world epicenters of performance motoring - Maranello, home of legendary Italian manufacturer Ferrari.
Not only did I see the F430 being built at the spacious and ultra-modern Ferrari factory, but I also got to drive it on the company’s own race circuit - Fiorano. To serious car nuts the world over, Fiorano is a place of mystical fame - the track where just about every new Ferrari competition car gets to turn a wheel for the first time.
For decades, the world’s best racing drivers have lapped Fiorano at speed and anyone who gets the privilege of driving there feels a sense of awe that the likes of Michael Schumacher, Gilles Villeneuve, Niki Lauda, Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen and many more fabled drivers were there before them. While VLM was at Fiorano, Ferrari even rolled out a Formula One car for a few quick demonstration laps with test driver - Spain’s Marc Gene - at the wheel.
Ferrari has had much to celebrate lately. Last year saw the company’s 60th anniversary and more recently, Ferrari has been marking an amazing 60 years of working with Shell almost continually as a fuel and lubricant supplier. There are probably very few corporate partnerships anywhere in the world of sport that have lasted as long as that between Ferrari and Shell. And Shell has made a significant contribution to Ferrari’s success, even though fuel formulations are quite restricted. When Marc Gene had his F1 car prepped for the track, it was topped up with standard Shell V-Power pump fuel, and he noted no significant performance loss over race-day fuel.
The F430 is the least expensive way to enjoy Ferrari ownership, but that doesn’t mean that this is an affordable car by any stretch of the imagination. It’s almost entirely hand built with all the same care and attention as the more costly 599 and 612 models and there’s simply no way that this can be achieved cheaply. As the company’s volume model, though, it does compete very strongly with high-end “exotic” sports cars from other manufacturers.
As might be expected, the styling is just stunning and it’s always been something of a mystery to me how Ferrari seems to “get it all right” decade after decade. If there’s such a thing as an ugly Ferrari or one that didn’t quite cut it in the styling stakes, you have to dig very deeply indeed into the history books to find it.
Around the bodywork there are several functional ducts and - perhaps best of all - the engine can be seen in all its glory through the rear window. All too many cars these days - even some of the exotics - bury the engine out of sight under black plastic panels, but not Ferrari. Interestingly, the mid-mounted powerplant doesn’t seem to create any significant cockpit heat, nor does it make anything but “all the right noises.” In fact, almost any Ferrari ever built is pure joy to listen to and this F430 is no exception.
Power for the F430 comes from a 90-degree V8 mounted ahead of the rear wheels for optimum weight distribution. Of 4.3 liters displacement, it produces a stirring 478-horsepower which is delivered with remarkable smoothness. There are two transmissions available, a 6-speed manual with the traditional Ferrari gate or an “F1” electronic automatic which can be shifted manually using steering wheel paddles like Ferrari’s F1 cars. For drivers who spend a lot of time around town, the latter gearbox is the best choice and to be frank, shifting manually with the paddles is faster than any manual box could ever be. The gated manual box takes a bit of getting used to, but actually it’s easier to operate than it looks at first sight.
Climbing into an F430 isn’t the easiest of tasks, but once tucked in there, it’s one of the most desirable motoring locations on the planet. In contrast to many exotic sports cars of a few years back, the cockpit is beautifully finished and trimmed, with none of the ragged edges once a part of even very expensive models in this class.
This car is made to be driven with verve and my laps at Fiorano showed just how close to a road-going racing car this Ferrari (and almost certainly any Ferrari) really is. However fast you think the next corner’s coming up, the big Brembo brakes haul it down with amazing efficiency. Accelerating back up to speed is expectedly quick, given the 478 horses the driver has available. The car is well balanced and responsive and in many ways, quite easy to drive. Performance was further enhanced by Pirelli’s superbly grippy top-of-the-line P Zero tires.
Driving a Ferrari on its home track really brings out the undeniable culture of performance and engineering quality that has been part of the great Italian manufacturer’s way of life for decades. My track experience at Fiorano earned me a “Pilota Ferrari” certificate - now all I have to do is find the cash to buy the car!
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