CLASSIC DRIVE: Ferrari F430 (manual)

To most, the F430 is simply a (relatively) mainstream, mid-engined Ferrari. But when fitted with a manual gearbox the F430 suddenly becomes an alluring proposition to the raw petrolhead. 

Words: Wilhelm Lutjeharms

Paging through our favourite magazines or scanning the classifieds can be a great way to pass the time. Novices to this game migrate to modern cars, as finding a limited edition or special version is almost guaranteed, but for a seasoned classifieds-pager that would be too easy. Older cars with proper pedigree will instead grab their attention. However, sometimes a modern classic with specific details catches your eye. A Ferrari like the F430 we have here is a case in point. Easily overlooked by most, this might be the pick of the standard F430 bunch.

• Find a Ferrari for yourself right here.

Since Ferrari is unlikely to produce a manual transmission car again, "modern" classic Ferraris equipped with a manual ‘box and earlier models are significant to me and are models that I think will appeal to a large audience, if not now then definitely in the future. 

Of the several F430s based in South Africa, only around seven or so are equipped with the manual gearbox. This makes them rarer than the basically new 488 Pista in this country! This car has only 25 000 km on the odo and as a result is in tip-top condition.

As the setting sun glimmers across the beautiful, yet still modern, lines of the F430, I am struck by how perfectly the car has aged. Whereas the rounded design of the 360 Modena subjectively shows its age, it is as if the F430 strikes a balance between classic and modern, sans an overload of sharp edges, wings and winglets, as is often the case with some modern Ferraris. 

The clean lines seem to accentuate the beautiful wedge shape, the mid-engine layout just adding a hint of aggressiveness to its lines. We open the engine cover and marvel at the visually-arresting 4.3-litre V8 power unit, eyes immediately drawn to the red intake manifold on top and the gleaming silencer box placed high up right in the tail, making space for the airflow through the diffuser below the car.

The engine is positioned low in the bay and directly aft of the cabin’s rear window, inches from your head. The engine is a sight to behold: clean and uncluttered, with no wayward cables or pipes in sight. Very much unlike all the plumbing required nowadays to make turbocharged cars go. It focusses your attention on the power unit, always the highlight of the car, as Enzo wanted, but today also with nearly as much focus on the aerodynamics and chassis. 

Having driven a 360 Challenge Stradale and 458 Speciale, this is the first time I’ll get behind the wheel of an F430, not to even mention it being a manual as well. I’ve always thought it to be a special car, even more so equipped with this gearbox.

Behind the wheel

The cabin is fairly plain in terms of what it offers and its design. All the necessary buttons for the air-conditioning system are there as well as the plaque below the passenger’s air vent indicating Ferrari’s 28 Formula 1 world titles at the time. But thankfully there is nothing major to distract you from the driving experience. The doors, roof, seats and most of the cabin are covered with a classy combination of black and red leather.

As is the case with most Ferraris of this time and slightly earlier, most of the rubber buttons are sticky. This is a general complaint of cars from this era, but in such an expensive car as this, it is extra frustrating. While the buttons can be replaced at an eye-watering price, there are fortunately more affordable ways to fix the problem.

The seating position is spot on, the seats comfortable and supportive while the highlight of the cabin is without a doubt the bright gearlever protruding from its traditional base pedestal to the left of my leg. As a 42-year-old enthusiast, that polished, open-gate shifter speaks volumes to me, bringing back poster memories of so many Ferraris from my youth. It looks classy, it looks like fun and it looks sophisticated.

Even before I start the car I play with the lever, slotting it up and down into gears and find it hard to think that we are unlikely to ever see this piece of automotive art inside a new Ferrari again.

Looking around, there is ample space in the cabin, even some space for a small briefcase, documents or slim bags behind the seats. The yellow rev counter with its redline at 8 500 rpm is a joy in its own right.

Being a right-hand drive example, the solid metal foot pedals are marginally offset to the left, but that is of little concern as you sub-consciously position your body and legs, making this offset a non-event. Even the passenger has a metal foot rest, positioned in such a way that they can brace their feet against it during heavy braking.

Start the engine

I twist the key and press the start button to the left of the steering wheel. The engine turns over, barks and settles with a throaty sound. It is not as loud or metallic as the modern units; rather a little softer but still with enough intent to let you know there is something special under that glass engine cover.

As I pull away and slowly shift a few gears, the lightness of the car itself becomes immediately evident. Even at sedate speeds the car feels eager and I can’t help but be impressed with the perfect damping of the suspension. This road, Malanshoogte, outside Durbanville, is well known and loved by driving enthusiasts. Although some sections are smooth, other areas have bumps and scars in the road. But the F430 rides them all with aplomb. Long distance cruises won’t be a problem in this car.

As expected, the engine is eager to rev. I short shift at 4 to 5 000 rpm, revelling in the torquey mid-range, reminded that a healthy 3 500 rpm is still available to bank on when you want to. Changing gears slowly is not what this car was built for. There is little inertia in the engine, so if you don’t engage the next gear quickly, the revs falls too far down the rev range. It challenges you to blip the throttle correctly during each down change. This is obviously a sensation and a level of intimacy with the car that the F1 transmission can simply not offer.

The steering is direct with sufficient feedback through the wheel. As you sit close to the nose of the car, you also feel closer to the tarmac, the fenders over the front wheels being the only parts of the car that you see past the windscreen. Perfectly threading the car through corners is easy and you never have to be too concerned about where the outer extremities of the car are as it is so compact.

Grips levels are comfortably high while the carbon-ceramic brakes (optional at the time) offer good stopping power. While these early carbon-ceramic units received much bad press, they work perfectly here and I experience no funny sensation through the pedals.  

There is no traffic ahead of me, so I start to explore the upper echelons of the rev range. As the rev needle climbs past 6 000 rpm I start to appreciate, again, the lack of inertia this engine is blessed with and the increasing intensity of the exhaust note.

Pressing the clutch (slightly heavy, but no more than you would expect) and pushing the gearlever forward or pulling back for the next gear brings another chance to experience the power delivery. It is such a direct and fun exercise every time that you can’t help but switch once or twice too often during a run through the corners.

The engine, and thus the car, reacts the moment you press the throttle. There is no tardiness in the drivetrain. The higher the revs, the quicker the drivetrain responds, the analogue rev counter a visual manifestation of the engine’s grin-inducing talents as the needle swings past the 12 o’clock mark.

The balance of the car is what will stay with me. Although being a 17-year old supercar, it still has an intoxicating level of all-round performance. It never scares you and it is not silly fast as is most modern supercars, yet it provides satisfaction in spades. Depending on your driving skill it will take some practice getting to its grip limits, but from this drive I can sense it will be more easily achievable than with a number of modern fast cars. You might need to work harder managing the gearshift, but it will be a fun experience nonetheless. 

Collectability factor

With Ferrari having built around 15 000 Berlinettas and Spiders, these cars will never be highly collectable, but how many of them were manual? Difficult question, but we know for a fact it was less than the number fitted with the F1 gearbox. It is probably not as few as the claimed 499 16Ms manufactured or the roughly 2 000 Scuderias made, but it can be argued that, of the general coupé models, from a collectability and certainly a driver-involvement point of view the manual is the one to have. 

After our drive and when the photo shoot is wrapped up, I hand the key back to the owner and ask him his thoughts on what is only the second Ferrari he has owned. He owned a 308 GTS prior. “I’m not at all interested in a paddle-shift Ferrari. The replacement for the 308 had to be a manual transmission car. While I thoroughly enjoyed my 308, in terms of driving I get more out of the F430 thanks to the better performance and its cruising ability when you are not in a rush.”

During the January 2006 issue of the British automotive magazine EVO’s Car of the Year battle, the F430 stood proud and occupied second spot on the podium out of the 10 contenders. The reviewer wrote: “… the Ferrari felt the sharpest, the most agile, the most alive. ‘The F430 is so exhilarating because you’re working so hard. Not all the time, but if you want it to it’ll demand 100 per cent concentration from you, which I think is great for this kind of car’”. Note that the EVO car was fitted with the F1 transmission. 

That sums it up. It has all the ingredients of a mid-engined Ferrari supercar with the added spice of a manual transmission providing an additional level of delight you can immerse yourself into once behind the wheel. 

Specifications:

2006 Ferrari F430 manual

Engine: 4.3-litre V8, petrol
Power: 360 kW @ 8 500 rpm
Torque: 465 Nm @ 5 250 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual, RWD 
Weight: 1 450 kg
0-100 km/h: 4.0 seconds
Top speed: 315 km/h