The Ferrari 430 Scuderia is already one of the hottest-performing supercars on the market, but some people just don't know how to leave well enough alone. Some of those people work at Ferrari, who've worked tirelessly on the 458 Italia to supplant the 430's already legendary performance. And some of those people work for Novitec Rosso, who've come back yet again with another mod job for the Italian stallion.
Called the Edizione 747, the custom Scuderia may not be as big as a jumbo jet, but it packs nearly as much thrust. Strapping a pair of superchargers to that high-revving 4.3-liter V8, along with a few more tweaks here and there, brings output up from an impressive 510 horses to a bonkers 747 horsepower. Intercoolers and revised aerodynamic cooling keep the engine running cool. Twenty-inch NF3 rims wear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup rubber mounted to sport springs that drop the ride height by a further 30 milimeters, available with an adjustable front end that can lift 40 mm to clear curbs and speed bumps at the touch of a button. Novitec's also decked out this particular example with a two-tone yellow and matte black paint scheme, and given the interior a few mods to complete the package.
Novitec says the 747 is capable of reaching 218 MPH, about 20 more than stock, and hitting 62 MPH in 3.4 seconds – only a touch quicker than stock, which just goes to show there's a limit to what even steamroller rear tires can handle. Novitec will only be making three examples, which just may be enough to keep a few moneyed speed freaks busy until the new 458 Italia comes around, and then it starts all over again.
The focus under the Prancing Horse this year at the Geneva Motor Show was clearly on the flagship 599, with its new HGTE package and 599XX track car, but Maranello also brought out the new Scuderia Spider 16M. The limited edition roadster was originally unveiled back in November at the Mugello race track in northern Italy to celebrate Ferrari's 16th Formula One constructors' title that was earned last year, but this was the first look we've had of it up close. Essentially a cross between the 430 Scuderia and the F430 Spider, the 16M is, according to Ferrari, the fastest convertible ever offered by the brand. With less than 500 examples being made, this may be the closest you ever get to seeing one.
If you didn't waste enough time already with Ferrari's online configurator don't worry, that's not the only roadster the Prancing Horse people have unveiled recently. And since most of us won't get within spitting distance of any of the 499 examples of the Scuderia Spider 16M which will be rumbling out the gates of Maranello, Ferrari has given us this dizzying turntable simulator of the Spider's interior.
Unfortunately, like the studio shots, Ferrari's fastest roadster yet is bathed in rather unappetizing florescent light. But with all that carbon fiber, Alcantara and exclusivity, that's not enough to make us want one any less. Follow the jump to check out the 3D view, unless you suffer from vertigo, in which case we'd recommend you take your meds and sit down...
Ferrari is either getting strategic or careless. The company usually keeps details about its upcoming models hush-hush until the vehicle is ready to make its debut, but lately Maranello seems to have more leaks than a pasta strainer. The latest is a screen-cap that seems to confirm the speculated 430 Scuderia Spider. Based on the fixed-roof 430 Scuderia, the roadster version has been speculatively rendered and anticipated to debut at the company's upcoming mega-event at Mugello, the same place where they took the wraps off the FXX Evoluzione last year. The additional weight of an open-top version of the lightweight supercar is expected to be offset by the implementation of the company's new seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The image above, which seems to confirm the model's imminence, comes from a video of the new Ferrari California that was just unveiled in Maranello and Los Angeles ahead of its debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. In the background of the video behind a Ferrari spokesman is a studio photograph of the rumored 430 Scuderia drop-top. We'll just have to wait until November 5 when the Ferrari Challenge heads to Mugello to know for sure.
Lies. Damn lies and speculation. Rumor would be another way to put it, as word of a potential convertible version of the 430 Scuderia spreads across cyberspace. Tentatively referred to as the 430 Scuderia Spider, the roadster would naturally be based on the lightweight, Enzo-rivaling 430 Scuderia supercar, but with the roof chopped off. Various reports have given conflicting information about what kind of roof mechanism would be fitted to the Spideria, including a retractable hard-top similar to that found on the new California, a manual cloth roof to keep weight down, or the same automatic fabric top from the conventional F430 Spider. Or maybe no roof at all, who knows. The wide range of speculation leads us to chalk this up to pure rumor. The removal of structural rigidity and the addition of weight would seem antithetical to the Scuderia's entire raison d'etre. However the prevailing reports suggest that the Spider will also get the California's new seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, be produced in a limited series of 300 and be unveiled on November 5 at the Ferrari Challenge weekend in Mugello... the same event where Ferrari unveiled the FXX Evoluzione last year. Jon Sibal, the skilled supercar illustrator we've come to know and trust, has presented a few renderings of what the 430 Scuderia Spider could look like, which in our eye looks right on the money.
Not that the deal would need to be sweetened, but buying the latest Ferrari supercar comes with perks. For a group of European customers who came to Maranello to take possession of their new 430 Scuderias, that included a hands-on advanced driving course to show them what their new rides could do. And who better to demonstrate the capabilities of the fastest car ever to lap Fiorano than the driver who helped develop it? Follow the jump and you'll find a video of Michael Schumacher glad-handing the millionaires and their new rides around Ferrari's private on-site test track, posting hot laps and drifting around the wet handling course. Prepare to be jealous.
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