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By CHRISTOPHER GARLICK
17 December 2007
This week I was invited to attend the launch of the Ferrari
430 Scuderia at EuroMarque, the official Ferrari dealer for Queensland.
I was standing in for well known motoring journalist Ewan Kennedy, who
was unable to attend the launch due to pressures of other launches.
I am not a motoring journalist but a mere practicing barrister
at law based on the Gold Coast. Ewan is a friend and thought that
it may be appropriate I attend the launch on his behalf because of
a brief romance I once had with a 355 Spider in the mid nineties,
which apparently makes me aptly qualified!
At the launch I quickly realised that the Ferrari experience is
not dissimilar to the kind of romance that Grace Kelly and Cary
Grant would portray; grace, affluence and pure style. As the
Ferrari public relations manager, Mr. Edward Rowe, explained to
me, the process of purchasing a Ferrari starts with the courtship,
the idea of actually considering making her your own, and finally
the realisation of the commitment. From the time you first order
the 430 Scuderia to actually having sole possession will take
approximately two years.
The cost of this vehicle is $580,000 (which I am told includes
approximately 37.5 per cent Australian tax and an additional 10
per cent GST). This price will increase when one selects a few
extras such as a radio(!), lighter wheel nuts, lighter bumper
panels and door skins. You can expect to spend about another
$80,000 I am told on a few extras – well who’s counting?
Seriously, if you are playing in this field then money is not the
primary focus.
Currently there are 70 F430 Scuderia on order within Australia;
Ferrari did request that the dealers slow down with the sales –
really!
Michael Schumacher unveiled the 430 Scuderia at the 2007
Frankfurt Auto Show. He had contributed to the 430 Scuderia
developments at different stages which has further strengthened
the link between this new model and Ferrari’s Formula One
single-seaters.
This new extremely high performance two seater is brimming with
F1 derived technology and is an excellent compromise between
extreme performance and driving pleasure. The 430 Scuderia is a
high performance Berlinetta by Ferrari which has a V8 mid-engine.
This new model has some extraordinary characteristics, which make
it stand out amongst the other Ferrari models.
It is the strongest and purest road-going Ferrari in the terms
of uncompromising sportiness, being lightweight with an appearance
and sound of astounding impact.
Ferrari’s masterpiece is 100 kg lighter than the standard
F430 and increases engine output to 375 kW, 503 hp, at 8500 rpm.
The weight to power ratio is thus reduced from 2.96 kg/hp to just
2.45 kg/hp.
In addition to weight saving measures, the Scuderia sequential
manual transmission gains improved Superfast software for
60-millisecond shift times. A new traction control system combines
the F1-Trac traction and stability control with the E-Diff
electronic differential. The Ferrari 430 Scuderia does the 0-100
km/h sprint in less than 3.5 seconds, with a top speed of 319 km/h.
A truly remarkable superior luxury sports motor car and a great
privilege to attend the launch of the 430 Scuderia and a special
thank you to Mr. Greg Willims the principal dealer for EuroMarque
Brisbane for his outstanding hospitality.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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