Ferrari F430 Scuderia

The F430 Scuderia not only bears the name of the company's Formula 1 outfit, it also reflects many details found only in the company's single-seater racing cars. Michales Schumacher was actively involved in the development of the Scuderia, so it was fitting the car was first unveiled to the public by the seven-time F1 champion at the IAA Motor Show in Frankfurt last September.

The F430 Scuderia was built to compete with the likes of Porsche's GT RS models and Lamborghini's Gallardo Superleggera, both stripped out to save weight, with more horsepower and a bigger race track bias while remaining street legal.

With a curb weight of 2,756 lbs, the Scuderia is certainly light, weighing about the same as a Mazda 3 sedan, with over three times as much power. This also happens to be about 220 lbs lighter than the regular F430 thanks to the use of lighter materials, including carbon fiber, carbon fiber Super Racing seats, and the removal of sound insulation and carpets. The engine, in the meantime, has been tuned to produce 510 horsepower at 8,500 rpm, a 27 hp improvement. The Scuderia's power to weight ratio drops to 5.4lbs / horsepower, versus the F430's 6.1 lbs. Top speed is rated at 198mph while 62 mph arrives in less than 3.6 seconds from a standstill. Ferrari says the 430 Scuderia laps its Fiorano test track in the same time as the company's own 650hp Enzo supercar. Just like on that flagship, the brakes are carbon ceramic.

Aerodynamics on the Scuderia were also improved compared to the standard car, and changes include a re-sculpted leading edge of the front bumper, a new central lower flap, more angular front air intakes in the bumper and wider-meshed grilles up front. The rear gains downforce thanks to a more aggressive lip spoiler and a new rear diffuser. Ride height is also lower by 0.7 inches on the Scuderia. These changes are good for 165 lbs of downforce at 93 mph and over 660 lbs at top speed.

The Scuderia also sports the exclusive car maker's F1 Superfast electronic transmission with the latest programming that reduces shift times to just 60 milliseconds, according to Ferrari. The Scuderia represents the first use of a combined E-Diff electronic differential with F1-Trac stability control, settings for which are controlled by the steering wheel-mounted manettino dial.

Buyers can further personalize their 430 Sucderia through Ferrari's Carrozzeria Scaglietti program, that focuses in this case on the Racing and Track areas.