Ferrari F430 Spider Review

Ferrari F430 Spider

Incidentally, reverse gear is selected via another button on the tunnel-mounted panel but the F430 isn’t keen on going backwards and registers its disapproval at not going fast forward by seemingly restricting power making it hard work. Rearward visibility is quite good considering the car and parking sensors help out with the parts you can’t see.

As well as the start button, the steering wheel also houses a dial, known by Scuderia Ferrari drivers as the Manettino. It controls the electronics for the suspension settings, the CST (Control, Stability and Traction), the speed of the transmission and the E-Diff or Electronic Differential. A version of E-Diff has been used in F1 cars for a number of years and has developed into the system found, for the first time in a road car, in the F430. It transfers torque to the wheels when cornering hard and thus improves road-holding, away from the race-track.

The Manettino has five settings; ‘Ice’ is for low-grip situations where increased CST input is needed. In this situation, the system prohibits the use of paddle-changes. ‘Normal’ is exactly that with damping set to comfort mode. ‘Sport’ is for maximum performance on the road and offers a good compromise between stability and oomph. The suspension becomes firmer and the CST allows a bit of leeway before intervening. Then there’s ‘Race’ for track use, a facility which unfortunately, I didn’t have access to. In this case the CST input is kept to a minimum and the gear-shifts are faster than the normal 150 milliseconds.

Finally, the ‘CST ' selection is used in conjunction with the Launch Control (LC) button unless you live in the USA, where it is not available. Again, only for use on a track, the dial is held in the CST position for three seconds and the LC button is pressed. You then put your foot on the brake and rev the engine to 5,000rpm before releasing the brake. Madness! With the CST off, the only aids left are ABS with EBD and a firm grip on the steering wheel.

Before testing took place, I was advised to find a bridge to park under, for no other reason than to get the full benefit of the noise from the 4.3, V8 engine, which delivers 483bhp at 8,500rpm and 465Nm of torque at 5,250rpm. If those figures don’t speak volumes about performance and pulling-power, then try a top speed of over 193mph (where legal) and a 0-62mph time of 4.1 seconds. I could go into the minute detail about 90 degree angles, the clever system of pumps but it would take more space than I have. Suffice to say, it’s a Ferrari.