Ferrari F430 Spider F1 2006 Pictures

Ferrari F430 Spider F1 2006

Now-a-days you don’t have to be a budding rock star or a pin-up footballer, just arrive in a Ferrari F430 Spider F1 convertible and you’ll have a ready made fan club

Normally, by bringing the traffic in central London to a complete standstill because your car is too wide to get through a traffic-claming system would have other motorists seeking out where you live and then hiring Carlos the Jackal to ensure you never did again. However, on the occasion when I struggled to get a F430 between two metal posts Mayor Ken had erected, a very strange phenomenon occurred.

I had brought a major arterial route in the capital to a halt and behind me the traffic began to stack up. Rather than wanting to castrate me with a pair of rusty hedge clippers the other motorists got out of their vehicles and guided me, painstakingly, through the narrow gap. I have no doubt if I happened to be at the wheel of a removals van or a clapped-out Ford Cortina they would have been less tolerant and well within their rights to pursue justice. But a Ferrari, irrespective of the model, has the charm and allure to quell the most incensed of motorist and turn them into a bowl of gooey, loved-up mush. And the F430 Spider isn’t any different. In fact, this particular Fezza is, in my opinion so beautiful, it’s almost offensive.

Not only is it exquisite to look at, but crammed into the back under a glass panel for the entire world to drawl over is 4.3 litres of V8 Italian glory. Push the starter button and the harmonious note leaving its four exhaust pipes is so heavenly and soulful it would surely have Simon Cowell begging for an encore. Unlike the Ferrari of yesteryear that took the strength of Sampson to keep under control, this one is as easy to drive as a Ford Focus.

The ‘Mannetino’ switchable differential allows you to determine the level of driving commitment. It has a range of five modes to suit all. For the paranoid there’s the ‘Ice’ and ‘Normal’ settings which keeps the traction control more alert than a Rottwieler on amphetamines. A further click of the red button on the steering wheel and ‘Sport’ is activated to maximise road performance. Forget about the other two positions unless your surname happens to be Schumacher or Button - however tame the F430 is, it will soon forget about its newly found manners and bite your head off.

For any car to become a true supercar it has to adhere to four unwritten rules. They are: appearance, elitism, performance and handling. The F430 is undoubtedly drop-dead gorgeous and the urge to lick it all over is overwhelming. I think we all agree then, it meets the first criteria, as it does with the second, exclusivity: Not many people have £133,000 hidden under the mattress and the odds of parking next to another F430 in the supermarket car park are pretty slim. Next, take a crayon and draw a big fat tick against the ‘performance’ and ‘handling’ box – 0- 62 mph is reached in 4.1 seconds and with a top speed of 193 mph insures it goes straight to the top of the class. Even with this much power Ferrari has managed to make it effortless to drive - either around town or on the racetrack – giving it a full score sheet.

Even if your interest in cars is limited to “that looks nice”, you should put driving an F430 on your ‘things-to-do-list-before-I-die’, the experience will be as memorable as watching your children being born or walking along the Great Wall of China. When you have driven it, you’ll then understand why I’m considering selling a kidney to own one.

Verdict

FOR: Italian passion at its most persuasive. As if your own heady euphoria wasn’t enough to go on, its spell-binding presence will have passers by in a tizzy and that’s even before they’ve driven one

AGAINST: The things you’ll do to own one

CONCLUSION: It’s an aspirational marvel that keeps economies afloat. If the prospect of owning a F430 Spider F1 car doesn’t give you the drive to get up in the morning then may we suggest you check your pulse.

Spec
ENGINE: 4,308 cc V8
POWER: 360.4 kW (490 hp) @ 8,500 rpm
TORQUE (lb/ft): 465 Nm (47.4 kgm/343 lbs/ft) @ 5,250 rpm
0-60mph (sec): 4.1sec
TOP SPEED: 193mph
MPG: / /15.4 (urban/extra-urban/combined)
RIVALS: Lamborghini Gallardo, Aston Martin Vanquish, Maserati Spyder