2004 FERRARI F430 4.3L V8 6MT (490 HP)

Vehicle Overview

In 2004, Ferrari unveiled its base model, the F430. But base model didn’t mean slow at all. In fact, it was faster than the mighty F40 and smoke a Gallardo V10.

There were the glorious days of the Ferrari in Formula 1 with one of the greatest drivers of all times, Michael Schumacher. In those days, the Ferrari dared to translate into a street-legal car the technology from the Formula 1. And that didn’t inlude only some unimportant parts. It included the E-Differential and the single-clutch, automated gearbox.

The look of the car was developed by Pininfarina. The big airvents on the front bumper were there for a reason: to cool the brakes and the engine. The engine was in the back of the driver and in front of the rear wheels. The trunk was in the front but it could barely hold anything than a sport bag. Ferrari said that the F430 shared some parts with the former 360. Maybe they counted the lightbulbs too, since the car was ages away from the 360 in terms of performance and styling.

Inside the car, the most striking view was the steering wheel. While some cars had the volume or telephone buttons on it, the F430 had the red engine-start button on the left and the “Manettino” on the right. That was also a featured from the F1 race-car. It was a rotary selector that condensed the traction control, the stability control, and the firmness of the Skyhook electronic shock-damping regulator into one five-position dial.

The standard gearbox was a 6-speed manual, and the F1-style unit was an option. That gearbox was able to shift in 0.15 second.