Sports Car Forum - MotorWorld.net - Quattroruote 5/2005 F430 performance figures (!!!)

Et Voilà my translation (sorry in advance for the errors :oops: )

With a 0-100 km/h burned in 3.6 seconds, the new baby from Maranello is the quicker production model tested in Vairano test track. But it isn’t only this. Safety, driving ad emotions are to the top

<<The more difficult problem has been to make to collaborate in harmonic way all the systems presents in the car. To begin from E-Gear, an absolute innovation in production models. The fact is that we wanted a F430 F1 faster in track but also absolutely sure and easy to guide every day in the traffic>>. Begin in this way the engineer Matteo Lanzavecchia, while delivery us the car for the test.
He has worked to the Alfa Romeo and the Aston Martin, and now he is the head of the development of the V8 F cars.
<<From here is born the idea of “manettino”, the idea of grouping in a unique command all the 5 set-ups, able to cover all the possible conditions of use>>. An idea, we add, very happy, because it would have been to much binding and to the limit dangerous to totally leave the coordination of all systems in the hand of driver.
The systems controlled by the manettino are essentially five: the engine (for which there are three operation ways), the gear (with two settings), the suspensions (three levels, function of velocity), the E-Diff (with five levels) and the Cst, the stability control (with three settings). The five available set-ups for the “F430 F1” born just arranging all these possibilities.
At Vairano track (watch it :arrow: http://www.edidomus.it/guidasicura/pista/circuito.html :) ) is possible to simulate all the conditions of driving, and we start with the more difficult test for a supercar, the no-grip test (they drive the car between wet asphalt and wet marble). If you use the correct set-up, the car can be driven without problems also from the worst driver. Using the “ice” option, the engine does not exceed 3000 giri/min, the change gear is soft and the Cst and E-Gear gives the maximum grip. In “rain” the engine is freer, but the Cst prevent every excess, cutting power if it necessary.
The behavior changes, a lot, if you use the set-up “sport”. The suspensions pass to the intermediate calibration while the Cst and E-Diff change level. In this set-up the safety is still guaranteed. This is the selection advised from the Italian technicians for the use on dry road.
The successive position, “race”, involves an ulterior (sensitive) increment of the performances. The change gear becomes truly furious, fastest, while the safety is not held under tight control of the electronics. The Cst takes part when the angle of yaw becomes excessive.
Finally there is an other possibility, that one to exclude the Cst leaving the Ferrari completely in the hands of the pilot. To this point we feel to emphasize the word “pilot”, in place of “driver”. In fact it needs a good pilot in order to carry to the limit, and beyond, the F430 F1 with this setting. You become a part of the car. The eyes watch only the track and the rev counter, than in a moment it arrives to the red zone, with the other senses concentrates to you on the behaviour of the car, to preview and avoid inopportune losses of adhesion. You must dose the accelerator with cure, because the power of V8, accomplice the E-Diff that transfer also the 50-60 %of the torque from one wheel to the other, discharge on asphalt with extreme brutality. The braking, then, deserves a speech to part. The plant with carbon-ceramic disks (pliers with six pistons) allows to the F430 F1 spectacular decelerations (until 1.18 g), and only after repeated track turns you succeed to fully use.
This also because the stability, when braking, is unexceptionable, merit still of the E-Diff that, in this conditions, is closed completely so as to avoid every possible over steering, in order then to reopen themselves and to facilitate the insertion in curve when the pilot begins to leave again the brake and to rotate the steering wheel.
Now we abandon the track and we replace the manettino on Sport: the F430 F1 become a “Gran Turismo”. On the road this Ferrari not reserves little satisfactions: there isn’t need to run too much in order to appreciate it. The pleasure of the guide is absolute also when it is travelled with not much gas, listening the sound of the V8, that changes tonality when, between the 3500 and the 4500 giri/min it actives the second line of exhaust, playing with the paddles selecting the gears…
The limits of held of the F430 F1 are so elevate that you cannot not even far approach on open road. So the safety sensation is total, while the steering gives always the precise feeling of what it’s happening under the wheels.
The seats, beautiful and constructed with every care, withhold and support the bust very well but they also are comfortable, also after several hours of guide.
Finally, the drive controls are correct placed, where you aspects to find them. Without to under rate the possibility of being able to guide and to change gear without to detach the hands from the wheel.

I hope that you understand something :oops: :)