F430 Spider

Design and styling

Created by Pininfarina, the F430 Spider is inspired by the car's exceptional engineering and Formula 1. The nose, which is characterised by two distinctive air intakes, draws inspiration from the Ferrari 156 F1 that Phil Hill drove to his F1 World Championship title in 1961. The Enzo Ferrari was the inspiration for much of the rear styling of the new F430 Spider, and the Ferrari meticulous aerodynamic detailing is reflected in the design of the nolder incorporated into the engine cover and the new rear diffuser integrated into the bumper, which boasts race-derived dimensions.

Extreme care has also been lavished on designing the exterior details. The wing mirrors now have specially profiled twin mounting arms that channel air flows to the engine intakes, and the F430 name has been embossed on the back of the driver's side mirror. Even the finish of the engine bay is a work of art in terms of its distinctive shape and materials.

Design

As with every Ferrari,Pininfarina quite rightly took inspiration from the cars'exceptional engineering and performance. Long hours spent in the wind tunnel working with Ferrari's aerodynamics specialists greatly influenced the muscular lines of both the coupé and spider versions. For instance, two distinctive elliptical air intakes channel air into the generously dimensioned radiators that cool the powerful engine.

Their shape was inspired by the Ferrari 156 F1 that Phil Hill drove to his F1 World Championship title in 1961.

The two intakes are linked at their lower edge by a spoiler that directs the air towards the car's flat underbody, thus greatly improving downforce.

The meticulous work that has gone into optimising airflow through the car has given rise to a number of carefully contoured scoops and vents along the cars' sides and rear. In fact, even the wing mirrors now have specially profiled twin mounting arms that channel the airflow smoothly towards the engine intakes. The cars'muscular stance has been further enhanced by stylistic and functional elements including the Enzo-inspired tail-lights which protrude from the bodywork, and the generous nolder incorporated into the engine cover.

Interior

The interior is exceptionally innovative as well as sporty.

The instruments are housed in a new binnacle, and this design - together with the layout of the dashboard - underlines the care that has gone into grouping all the major controls within easy reach of the driver.

In the driver's direct line of sight are the rev counter, which features new graphics with a choice of either a red or yellow background and a new metal surround, the digital readout of the gear ratio selected (F1 version) and a multi-function display.

The same uncompromising approach to driver control was the inspiration behind mounting the starter button and manettino on the steering wheel.

The cockpit is noticeably bigger and the already excellent passenger comfort is improved still further by a slimmer central tunnel which houses the gear lever turret on the manual version or the F1 console on the paddle-shift version.

The seats have been redesigned for greater lateral containment too. Electric seats are available on request as is a racing version featuring a four-point safety harness (depending on market).

Each Ferrari to emerge from the factory at Maranello is absolutely unique, not just because it is hand-built, but also because a virtually endless combination of personalisation options is offered to each new owner.

A choice of 16 different bodywork and 12 different leather trim colours are available for the F430 models. These can be matched with no less than eight different carpet colours.

The rev counter is available in either red or yellow and the inserts on the dash can be personalised in carbon-fibre or aluminium. Four different hood colours are available for the Spider: black, navy, beige or bordeaux. Ferrari's personalisation options are completed by the exclusive and extensive "Carrozzeria Scaglietti" Personalisation Programme.

 

Manettino and vehicle set-up

Just like in Formula 1, the F430 driver can change various areas of the set-up of his car using a single selector set on the steering wheel. The manettino, as it is called by Scuderia Ferrari drivers, is a commutator switch that has been adopted directly from racing and allows the driver maximum efficiency and speed in controlling the car's various functions.

This switch quickly and simply controls the electronics governing suspension setting and the CST stability and traction control, E-Diff and the change speed of the F1 transmission, as well as the integration between each of these individual functions. The settings available to the driver have been concentrated in five different strategies. These, in ascending order according the level of performance, are: ICE: performance is significantly restricted (maximum intervention by the stability and traction control) for maximum stability - indispensable for driving in very slippery conditions (snow or ice). LOW GRIP: this position ensures stability both on dry and wet surfaces. It is therefore recommended for surfaces with poor grip (rain), gritty roads or particu-larly broken or undulating blacktop. In this configuration, unlike ICE, the driver can still use the F1 paddle shift.

SPORT: is the standard setting that strikes the best balance between stability and performance. Ideal for the open road, this position provides an optimum compromise for maximum performance in safety. Compared to the previous settings, SPORT adopts a more sporting configuration for the adaptive suspension to maximise performance,handling and stability at high speeds.

RACE: this setting must be used only on the race track.Gear changing is even faster to minimise gear shift times.

CST intervention is reduced to a minimum (the engine management only cuts the engine when absolutely necessary).

CST: activates or deactivates the stability and traction control. With the manettino set to off, the driver has full control over the car's reactions. The only driver aids that remain active are those that cannot be overridden such as ABS and EBD (electronic brake distribution).

Racing heritage

Thanks to that ongoing development, Ferrari's F1 gearbox for the F430 is state of the art, introducing a number of important modifications: thanks to inputs from the engineers on the Gestione Sportiva racing side, the F1 gearbox management incorporates a new control strategy which further perfects gearchange speed and smoothness under hard use. Changing gear takes just 150 milliseconds, as measured by the ‘hole' in acceleration during the change (intended as the overall time from declutching, changing gear to releasing the clutch). As well as increasing the speed of changes during hard driving, the new software improves smoothness in the fully automatic mode (actuated by a button on the central tunnel), making the F430 a true all-rounder. At the opposite extreme, the F430's Launch Control (not available in North America) gives maximum performance away from a standing start with suitable road conditions (for example, on the track). The shift paddles are fixed to the steering column in tried and tested Ferrari tradition (right-hand paddle to change UP and the left to change DOWN) but reverse is now selected by a button on the central tunnel for greater ease of use and the selection time is down by 50 percent compared to the 360 Modena.

E-Diff Electronic Differential

One of the technical features that sets the F430 apart is the or electronic differential.

This solution has been used for years in F1 single-seaters and has been continuously developed and refined, effectively transferring massive torque levels to the track under extremely high cornering g-forces. The E-Diff is now standard equipment on the F430 - the first time that a production car has been equipped with such a sophisticated system for high-performance roadholding. On the track, the E-Diff guarantees maximum grip out of bends, eliminating wheel spin.

On the road it is a formidable technological refinement that improves roadholding. This system is available both on the F1-paddle shift version as well as on the manual gearbox model and consists of three main subsystems:

- a high-pressure hydraulic system,shared with the F1 gearbox (if present);

- a control system consisting of valve, sensors and electronic control unit;

- a mechanical unit housed in the left side of the gearbox.

Torque is continuously distributed between the wheels via two sets of friction discs (one for each driveshaft) controlled by a hydraulic actuator. The amount of torque actually transmitted to the driven wheels depends on driving conditions (accelerator pedal angle, steering angle, yaw acceleration, individual wheel rotation speed) and brings considerable advantages in terms of performance, direction stability, active safety and handling feedback. Again, F1 racing was a vital testbench that enabled Ferrari's engineers to develop a highly sophisticated system that perfectly matches the requirements of a road car designed to reach over 315 km/h and generate considerable cornering forces.

The electronic differential actively helps reduce Fiorano lap times by 3 seconds compared to the 360 Modena. For the driver, the E-Diff increases handling balance and grip (which noticeably improves acceleration), improves roadholding on the limit and also guarantees even better steering feel.