Here are the first pictures of the replacement for the Ferrari F430, which will go on sale next year badged as an F450.
Although this car uses a F430 body, underneath are the mechanicals for the F450. The car has a wider track and a different wheelbase to the 430, evident from the extended wheelarches and the way the front wheels don’t fit the wheelarch properly.
At the rear there’s a mix of 430 and 430 Scuderia panels. The 430’s quad tailpipes have been replaced by the Scuderia’s higher-mounted twin pipes, but there is also a single centrally mounted pipe – this is probably the real tailpipe. The filler cap has also moved from the left to the right.
There are also new intakes on either side of the rear screen to provide the new engine with air. This is thought to be a development of the 430’s V8, enlarged to 4.5-litres and potentially with up to 500bhp.
The transmission will be a version of the California’s seven-speed double clutch unit, but expect it to be retuned to suit the mid-engined car’s harder, sportier feel.
The gappy, poorly fitting 430 panels are providing a temporary covering for the new car’s aluminium frame. Developed by aluminium specialists Alcoa, which builds the 430’s frame, it will help to cut the 450’s weight, which will in turn increase the car’s performance and economy.
The 450 could also use a version of Ferrari’s kinetic energy recovery system developed for F1 use. The firm wants to introduce the technology to one of its road cars within two years.
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