2005 Ferrari F430 Preview

I put such great emphasis on the styling of the F430 for one reason; it maintains a simple, beautiful design without

A flat underbody and carbon diffuser actually produce negative lift. The F430's taillights are similar to those on the Enzo. (Photo: Ferrari North America)

resorting to tall rear spoilers and over-sensationalized bodywork, unfortunate trademarks of exotic sports cars over the years. Like the Enzo, and many modern Ferraris, the F430 features a flat undertray and carbon fiber rear diffuser; the latter integrated into the design allowing form to follow function. Even the most seemingly simple component, such as the glass rear dome, was styled by the wind.

Compared to the F360, the F430 looks about the same in terms of body proportions, but upon closer inspection the new vehicle surprised me as it bucks the usual bigger is better trend. The 430 is 4,512 mm (177.6 in) long, which is a slight increase compared to the F360's 4,475 mm (176.18 in) length, however the all important width and height measurements have both dropped to 1,923 mm (176.2 in) and 1,214 mm (47.8 in) respectively. This goes against the supercar norm which usually sees an increase in width as the body grows in length. The wheelbase, as well as its front and rear track remain unchanged from the 360 at 2,600 mm (102.4 in), 1,669 mm (65.7 in) front and 1,616 mm (64.6 in) rear, respectively. Curb weight, including all engine liquids and gasoline is 1,450 kg (3190 lbs), more than the 1,390 kg (3,064 lb) mass of the 360.

The name of the new model, like most recent Ferraris, stands for the cylinder displacement of the engine. Unusually there is no additional geographic or historic moniker to

Despite being marginally longer than the F360, the F430 is narrower and not as tall, and still the smallest car in Ferrari's lineup. (Photo: Ferrari North America)

compliment the numeric designation, at least not yet. It appears that Ferrari may have come to a bit of a road block in deciding on an official name for the new vehicle. So far, entries have included Modena Evoluzione, Monza and Fiorano, all elegant sounding names with meaningful significance to the firm, but none has been confirmed by the factory. I'll put my money on Monza if Ferrari continues its F1 dominance and manages to clinch a 1-2 victory after 53 laps of the 5.793 km circuit. For that matter the automaker should probably call it the Schumacher, as it owes much to the world's greatest F1 driver that will no doubt clinch his 7th world championship this season and another constructors' championship for the Scuderia.