Ferrari unveils F430GT race car
The latest in a long line of client orientated Ferrari racing cars has arrived this month in the form of the 4.0-litre V8 aluminium chassis F430GT. This exciting new machine, developed as usual by Ferrari in conjunction with fabled Italian tuner Michelotti, is set to take the racetrack fight to the Porsche runners in the international FIA GT2 categories around the globe, turning the tables on the German brand which has dominated proceedings in recent years.
The new F430GT is based on the hugely-successful road-going F430 berlinetta. However the swage of cutting-edge driver aids have been swept away along with the road version's opulent interior. Thus the aluminium chassis, which incorporates the use of carbon fibre, nomex and kevlar materials, combine to see the new racer weight in at just 1,100kg. Major wind-tunnel work was carried out in the development of the F430 Coupé and this work has been taken a stage further in the development of the F430GT. Likewise the close focus on chassis rigidity that has seen the new F430 Coupé being much stiffer than the outgoing 360 Modena, has been translated to the F430GT and will be one of its major steps forward from the 360GTC, the final evolution of the 360-based racing lineage.
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The 3.998-litre 90-degree V8-engine in the F430GT is based around the F430 Coupé and Spider's 4.3-litre unit (the difference in capacity is required to conform to FIA GT2 regulations). With its lightweight aluminium block and cylinder heads, flat-plane crankshaft, extremely compact dimensions thanks partly to integrating the engine bearings into the sump, and major use of F1 derived technology, especially in the cylinder heads, this is an all-new engine that shares no components at all with the outgoing 360 Modena's powerplant.
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