Tuesday, September 11, 2007

2007 Frankfurt Auto Show: Ferrari F430 Scuderia

Frankfurt Auto Show: Ferrari F430 ScuderiatFrankfurt Auto Show: Ferrari F430 ScuderiatFrankfurt Auto Show: Ferrari F430 ScuderiatFrankfurt Auto Show: Ferrari F430 ScuderiatFrankfurt Auto Show: Ferrari F430 ScuderiatFrankfurt Auto Show: Ferrari F430 ScuderiatFrankfurt Auto Show: Ferrari F430 ScuderiatFrankfurt Auto Show: Ferrari F430 Scuderiat
In addition to showcasing its entire current range and its specialist client services, Ferrari is also unveiling a new model at the Frankfurt Motor Show this year. The Ferrari stand also perfectly brings together the two very different sides of the Prancing Horse’s soul: GT cars and the track. A new arrival – Once again the Frankfurt Show has been selected as the venue for the unveiling of a new Ferrari model. The 430 Scuderia is a special series model based on the F430 and developed specifically with the Prancing Horse’s sportiest and most passionate clients in mind. The new extremely high performance two-seater berlinetta is brimming with Formula 1-derived technology and joins the F430 and F430 Spider to complete Ferrari’s 8-cylinder model range.

The 430 Scuderia was officially unveiled by Michael Schumacher who contributed to its development at different stages, further strengthening the link between this new model and Ferrari’s Formula 1 single-seaters.

2) The entire range and the Formula 1 single-seater – All of the other Ferraris currently in production are also on the stand alongside the new 430 Scuderia: the F430 and the F430 Spider, Ferrari’s bestselling models which account for approximately 75% of sales, the 599 GTB Fiorano a year on from its launch, and the 612 Scaglietti, Ferrari’s flagship GT featuring updated cabin trim and accessories, including a magnificent Bose infotelematic system. The F2007 is also on show alongside the 430 Scuderia. The world of Formula 1 is also immortalised in “Boxenstopp”, a stunning image of a Scuderia Ferrari pit-stop in full swing created by internationally renowned artist-photographer Andreas Gursky.

3) Classic colours debut – The Frankfurt Show has also been chosen as the launch pad for several classic Ferrari colours and heritage-inspired interior trims: the F430 Spider on display features an ivory livery with chocolate brown Frau leather cabin trim, while the 599 GTB Fiorano sports a dark grey paintwork popular in the 1960s combined with a leather interior trim. The entire range of 10 historic colours together with the 16 contemporary shades is available for all models.

4) Financial performance – 2007 is proving to be a particularly impressive year for Ferrari from a financial perspective. Revenues increased by 14% in the first half of the year, with a forecast that the operating result will reach 15% by the end of the year. Ferrari’s output will also exceed the 6,000-car mark for the first time in 2007. North America, Germany, Italy and the UK continue to be the company’s largest markets together with France, Switzerland and Japan. These fantastic results are a testament to the exceptionally high standard of craftsmanship at Maranello, a standard also recognised when Ferrari was named Best Place To Work in Europe 2007.

5) Exciting new services for our clients – With demand for luxury products continuing to boom in existing and emerging markets, it is relatively easy for luxury brands to sell exclusive products which are often very expensive. What really counts at times like this is the exclusive relationship that the brand has established with its loyal clients and enthusiasts. Ferrari has always had a very close and personal relationship with its clients. This relationship has been further enhanced by the wide range of services which have been introduced over recent years, some of which are being showcased at Frankfurt 2007: the Ferrari Classiche division which safeguards the future of historic and vintage Ferraris; the Corse Clienti (Client Racing) division which organises track activities and our single series championships; the Carrozzeria Scaglietti Personalisation Programme, now supported by a sophisticated Car Configurator; Financial Services which offers clients a range of personalised financing options for everything from GTs to F1s, and, of course, a whole plethora of new advantages
to the 430 Scuderia clients; the Ferrari Owners’ Clubs plus the Ferrari Owners’ Site with its own array of exclusive services. The aforementioned are just a selection of the many activities and services being offered by the Prancing Horse to its clients.

6) Personalisation. 100% success rate – Launched in 1997, the Carrozzeria Scaglietti Personalisation Programme offers clients the opportunity to tailor their car to meet their specific personal tastes and requirements – to turn their Ferrari into a truly unique and creative piece of engineering. There are four distinct personalisation areas: Racing and Track, Exteriors and Colours, Interiors and Materials, Equipment and Travel. However, in addition to these, clients are also welcome to make specific non-catalogue requests: since Sergio Scaglietti first began working with Ferrari, the Prancing Horse cars have been tailor-made for their owners. Today, in fact, practically 100% of all road-going Ferraris include personalisation features requested by their owners.

FERRARI 430 SCUDERIA – MAIN SPECIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

Lightweight, simple and striking with a distinctive engine and exhaust sound: every last detail of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia exudes uncompromising sportiness as a direct result of its close links to the world of racing, which is reflected in the car’s name: “Scuderia”. Seven-times World Champion Michael Schumacher was also involved in the car’s development, with the result that the most advanced single-seater technology is now available to Ferrari’s sportiest and most passionate clients.

With a dry weight of 2775 lb (1250 kg) and 510 hp delivered at 8500 rpm by its naturally aspirated 4308 cm3 V8 engine, the 430 Scuderia boasts an extraordinarily low weight-power ratio of just 2.45 kg/hp, which allows it to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.6 seconds. It can also complete a lap at Fiorano in a time comparable to that of the Enzo, the Ferrari that has come to epitomise Maranello’s philosophy of transferring F1 content to its road cars.

Thanks to its sophisticated aerodynamics, F1-SuperFast2 gearbox and E-Diff coupled with the sophisticated F1-Trac traction control system, this sporty new mid-rear engined berlinetta combines ultra-nimble handling with blisteringly fast acceleration. The result? Absolutely superlative driving pleasure both on the road and on the track.

ENGINE AND ENGINE SOUND
The 430 Scuderia’s engine is an evolution of the F430’s 90° V8 which features a number of modifications to boost its specific power output from 114 hp/litre to 118 hp/litre.

The inlet ducts and exhaust system have been optimised, most notably through the adoption of the exhaust geometries derived from the F430 Challenge and the use of carbon-fibre on the intake manifold and for the filter housing to aid weight reduction.

Thanks to Ferrari’s Formula 1 experience, the 430 Scuderia’s ignition system boasts special coils and, for the first time on a market-targeted car, a dedicated CPU capable of monitoring the ionising currents generated inside the combustion chamber between the spark plug electrodes. This means that every single sparking detonation is detected for every cylinder and sparking is faster and more accurate across the board.

The 430 Scuderia’s compression ratio has also been increased to 11.88:1, thanks in part to a new piston design.

Particular attention was paid to achieving just the right sound from the engine and exhaust as this has always been one of the real trademarks of every Prancing Horse car. Cutting-edge calculation tools were employed to optimise the 430 Scuderia’s intake and exhaust systems and sound damping, with the result that the exhaust and engine sound inside the cabin is clear, powerful and particularly thrilling in full acceleration.

F1-SUPERFAST2 GEARBOX
The F1-SuperFast2 is an evolution of the F1 gearbox used on all of Ferrari’s models and reduces gear-shifting times to just 60 ms, the fastest time of any of the models in the Prancing Horse range, the lowest overall of any automated-manual gearbox. Significantly, Ferrari calculates the gear changing time according to the acceleration gap, not just the time it takes to engage the gear. The various stages are implemented in parallel (non-sequentially). In the case of the F1-SuperFast2, genuinely innovative integrated engine and gearbox management programmes allow the combined disengaging/engaging of the gears to take place partly in parallel with letting the clutch in and out.

E-DIFF2: E-DIFF WITH F1-TRAC
The E-Diff2 (which is integrated with the gearbox) is one of the primary components which clearly demonstrate the 430 Scuderia’s links to the track. In use for many years now in Formula 1, it is integrated with the car’s stability control system.

The 430 Scuderia is the first high performance road car after the F430 to sport an electronic differential. 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 and brings considerable advantages in terms of performance, direction stability, active safety and handling feedback.

The F1-Trac traction control system, which is also derived from Ferrari’s F1 experience, ensures that even more drivers will be able to extract the maximum performance from the car, thanks to the exceptional cornering, safety and stability it offers. Introduced for the first time on a road car with the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, it is faster and more precise than a traditional traction control system and optimises traction by modulating power delivery to help maintain the desired vehicle trajectory. The system estimates the maximum available grip thanks to continual monitoring of the relative speed of the wheels.

The integrated E-Diff and F1-Trac systems offers 40% more acceleration out of corners than a traditional traction and stability control system.

RACING MANETTINO
The manettino has already featured in several of Ferrari’s road cars but the 430 Scuderia features the special Racing version which puts the emphasis firmly on track-specific sporty driving and provides the driver with even more choice in terms of the car set-up. With this in mind, the ICE setting available with the F430 has been removed and a new CT- (Traction Control Off) setting has been introduced. This deactivates the car’s traction control, but unlike the CST position, retains the safety of the car’s stability control system to ensure a level of safety is maintained.

Another novelty with the 430 Scuderia is a button on the centre console which allows the suspension to be controlled separately from the predefined manettino strategy. This allows the driver to maintain maximum performance even on irregular road surfaces.

Michael Schumacher made a particularly valuable contribution to this area of the car’s development. In fact, he and the car development team worked together to ensure that the 430 Scuderia delivers both exceptional performance and fantastic driving pleasure which is within reach of non-professional drivers.

BRAKES
The 430 Scuderia boasts a specific braking system featuring CCM (carbon ceramic material) discs with specific dimensions to cope with the car’s increased performance.

The front discs are now 18 mm larger than those on the F430 and are designed to dissipate the extra heat created by the higher performance and are even more hard-wearing for greater efficiency. These components, together with 6-pot callipers, guarantee blistering performance at all times and, equally importantly, consistently efficient braking during prolonged track use.

AERODYNAMICS
The 430 Scuderia’s external styling has been honed to improve its aerodynamic efficiency by increasing overall downforce whilst still retaining the same drag values as the F430.

The aerodynamic efficiency of the newly-styled rear diffuser has been enhanced by the addition of a revised profile for spoiler at the rear of the engine cover and by the large venturis that run from the front wheel houses to the rear bumpers, achieving the patented “Base Bleed” effect developed by Ferrari as part of the FXX project. The Base Bleed effect has the double advantage of reducing the pressure in the rear wheel arch, thereby increasing downforce and lowering drag by blowing the car’s “wake”.

Furthermore, the new lower sill profiles ensure a more uniform distribution of air over the lower parts to ensure uniform distribution of the vertical load between the front and the rear of the car.

STYLING AND PERSONALISATION
The 430 Scuderia’s ultra-sporty character and blistering performance have led to the redesign of many of its exterior and interior styling features. This was done to give the F430-inspired model its own strong personality and to further enhance the aerodynamics of what is a very extreme car. The modifications made to the exterior focus on increasing downforce. In-depth research went into reducing the car’s weight and has led to extensive use of carbon-fibre, including some of the bodywork components.

The cabin has been inspired by racing and, once again, the emphasis has been on weight reduction and using technical materials where possible.

The new “Super Racing” seat boasts an all-carbon-fibre structure and is available in several different sizes as well as being manually adjustable, including a recline adjustment for the seat back. The Carrozzeria Scaglietti Personalisation programme has also been enhanced to meet the 430 Scuderia’s specific requirements as well. The Racing and Track area, in particular, now offers carbonfibre kits for the 430 Scuderia to enhance the message that this is a lean, track-focused driver’s car.

The headlamp assembly, engine cover, front spoiler, side sill kick panels and diffuser are all available in this high tech material. There is also now a choice of wheel rim colours and a specially designed carbon-fibre helmet is available to order.

FERRARI IN GERMANY

Ferrari Deutschland, which is based in Wiesbaden, has been managing our German market since 1989. With a total of 23 dealerships and 4 assistance points, Germany competes with Italy as Ferrari’s second largest market, accounting for around 12% of the Prancing Horse’s total sales.

Ferrari’s German clients have always retained very close links to the Prancing Horse and we ensure these links remain strong by offering a very high standard of service. At the start of 2007, for instance, we founded Ferrari Financial Services Deutschland, which is controlled by the Maranello-based Ferrari Financial Services SpA. The German company operates within Germany where, within a few short months, the services it offers have been taken up for 40% of the cars sold, as well as in Austria, France, Belgium and Switzerland.

Germany is Ferrari’s third largest market after the United States and the UK in terms of the percentage of clients registered with the Ferrari Owners’ Site (11%) while the Ferrari Club Deutschland has approximately 500 members spread throughout the country.

Performance

• Acceleration
0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in less than 3.6 s
0-124 mph (0-200 km/h) in less than 11.6 s
0-1000 m in 20.9 s
• Maximum Speed
198 mph (320 km/h)

Source: Ferrari