Saw this article on Jalopnik today and thought others here might want to read it: How Will History Remember The Ferrari F430?
I think the biggest advantage the 430 has over the 360 other then more power etc is the elimination of the TIMING BELT first of the new generation without timing belt this is obviously a very nice feature.
Yes. History will remember the 430 just like history remembers all Ferrari´s. It is a great car. All Ferrari's are great cars, even the 348 355 will rise in price, 348 will follow, the gap between 360 and 430 will narrow and we will all end up driving a mass made mini van made by Ferrari.
To my eyes, the F430 will me remembered because of this : - the 1st Ferrari to get the Manettino - no more timing belts - the 1st series production Ferrari to allow a 0-60 under 4 seconds Last but not least : the last manual mid-engine Ferrari
No one mentioned racing history. 430s excelled. Better results than either 360s or 458s. I actually like the looks better now than when new and I have seen the one my garage every day for nearly 10 years. But that's just me. Dave
Maybe this is a normal end cycle that eventually happens on all exotic or sports car maker to survive. It already happened with Porsche. Specially now, new names are creeping up like McLaren. Then in decades, McLaren will go through the end cycle and will mass produce to survive or to meet share holders interest. Don't get me wrong the supercars will still continue with Ferrari and Lambo. It's just eventually it won't be an exclusive sport car brand anymore if they start releasing family friendly vehicles. I'm not a pro. Simply a humble observation.
My personal opinion is the F430 will be remembered for the e-diff. Generally the F430 will be remembered as part of the era where Ferrari was really pushing the state of the art with incorporating new technology into cars to make them go faster and still be drivable. While others were into pure horsepower numbers or sticking with tried and true formulas, the e-diff and to a lesser extent the manettino showed how Ferrari was really bringing race technology out to consumers first. Much like the introduction of the F1 transmission in the later F355.
Ugh. More Jalopnik Ferrari tripe. Note how they don't write how history will remember the Audi known as Gallardo... It'll remember it favorably as the last Ferrari mid-engine you can get in a stick that is a wonderful car.
As the most highly acclaimed Ferrari till the advent of the 458, For most of Ferrari folks excluding racers the best of the best...
Jalap il is pure crap so I'm not even going to bother looking at their junk anymore. Lambo already built an SUV in the 80s.
As the last incarnation of the new car, the 360. Same car with more weight and power and the last mid V8 with a manual shift.
It's a makeover car, a 360 with a killer boob job, we all love boobs so you can't go wrong 😍 100% + on the cam belt dump and a 100 bhp+ is very nice but it's the 360 that rules the shape. Still a very nice car. I don't think I'll ever have one unless it's a scud or challenge the step to 458 is so easy.
Its' interesting because I view the 328 as a better looking car than the 308. But for me at least there it ends. I think the 348 looks better than the 355 and the 360 is better looking than the 430. I need to see the 488 in person but I think it might succeed the 458 in looks to my eye. Personally I wouldn't spend the extra $$$ for a 430. But that's just me. I think the 360 looks more like a 458 and 488 than the 430 does.
I just had an opportunity to see a 360 next to a 430 next to a 458 - all spiders. 360 looks completely dated. 430 looks like the modern, aggressive Ferrari it should be. I actually think the 360 and 430 aren't even comparable in exterior, interior or performance. In fact, dealer said when customers come in and see the 430, the wives sometimes mistake it for the new model while in most instances, the 360 is always recognized as a prior model. Sorry. 430 will be remembered as the first real tech leap for ferrari which can still hold its own. And who can mistake those rear Enzo lights. Awesome. Nuff said.
I like the mechanical refinements and performance increase of the 430 compared to the 360, but for me personally, I feel like the 360 is overall a more cohesive design, which isn't surprising because it was a clean sheet design as opposed to the 430 which was largely a restyling effort. I do think it looks more modern, but I feel like some of the design elements appear stuck on.
As a regular Jalopnik reader, I don't see it that way at all. I could even see others say that Jalopnik holds Ferrari in too high of esteem. Regardless, I don't mind reading opinions that are critical of Ferrari, or anything else I'm a fan of. Different strokes, etc.