Ferrari 430 Scuderia
A taste of the dark side with Ferrari’s 430 Scuderia
Abbreviated nicknames for cars aren’t always attractive, but in the case of this silver-on-black 430 Scuderia the colloquial ‘Scud’ seems an appropriate description for Ferrari’s F430-based low-flying missile.
Convincing customers they’re but one step removed from racing stardom is something Ferrari has successfully traded on for decades. But in the 360 Challenge Stradale, 430 Scuderia and 458 Speciale it’s taken this to extremes. The 2003 360 CS is perhaps the most hardcore of these cars, the 110kg weight saving and uprated 419bhp 3.6-litre V8 indicative of an ear-bleeding intensity to its character.
By the time the 458 Speciale arrived a decade later Ferrari had expanded on the knife-edge thrills but maintained the sensibilities of the standard model. Sitting between the two the 430 Scuderia could well be the perfect balance, not to mention a bit of a bargain.
Against the tape measure these are not small cars, but tightly harnessed into the carbon-backed, Alcantara-trimmed seats the Scuderia feels as compact and chuckable as a Lotus Elise. Albeit far faster and more exotic. With settings signed off by Michael Schumacher himself, the Scuderia introduced new calibration for the ‘Racing manettino’ switch on the wheel and revised controls for the electronically controlled E-Diff and F1-Trac traction control. Short version? The Scuderia does everything in its power to make you think you’re a seven-time F1 champion too.
Some 90kg trimmer at the kerb than the F430, the Scuderia feels lighter still on the road, the light but direct steering and searing throttle response combining with whip-crack shifts from the single-clutch F1-SuperFast2 gearbox. In an age of turbocharged engines, the sound and response of the 503bhp 4.3-litre V8 is truly a standout feature, and it is equally happy to haul from low revs or howl to 8000rpm and beyond.
With Challenge Stradales starting at £200,000 and Speciales beyond £350,000 this left-hand drive Scuderia is arguably something of a bargain. Indeed, tempting as a Porsche 911 GT3 RS of equivalent vintage might be, the fact that you can have a similarly track-honed Ferrari for the same money is astonishing.
Price new: £172,500 Price now: £135,000 -160,000 (LHD) Rivals:Porsche GT3 RS; Audi R8 GT; Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera Heritage: On the fine line of thrilling, track-honed V8 Ferraris
SPEAKING TO TOM HARTLEY JR
The supercar specialist on why the Scuderia is one to catch before it flies
The Ferrari 430 Scuderia gives an amazing experience. It’s a track-developed car for the road with simple controls, fantastic sound and great usability. It’s not too expensive to maintain and retains value, even at 30-40,000 miles. You could buy a good Scuderia and have five years of fantastic motoring and it should still turn out to be a good investment. The one we have for sale (pictured above and for sale for £139,950) is LHD but the same car in RHD would be nearer £200,000, and with half the miles it would fetch another £20,000. But at the current mileage the next buyer needn’t feel concerned about racking up the miles and can use the car how it was intended.