Ferrari F430

Ferrari unveils the new F430 to the public at the Paris Motor Show

Paris, 23rd September 2004 - Ferrari's presence at the Mondial de l'Automobile 2004 comes at an important moment for the company in what has been an extraordinary year in terms of sporting achievements.

The thrilling news that Ferrari has won the Constructors' World title for the sixth consecutive year and the Drivers' World title for the fifth consecutive year, courtesy of Michael Schumacher, is still ringing in our ears. Ferrari has achieved these results thanks to its enormous, ongoing commitment to R&D, allowing continuous technological transfer from Formula 1 to road cars.

The most recent example of this transfer is the F430, unveiled for the very first time to the public here in Paris. The new F430 hails the arrival of a whole new generation of Ferrari 8-cylinder berlinettas and takes the aluminium technologies first used in the 360 Modena to a new level. It also offers a series of spectacular innovations directly derived from Ferrari's Formula 1 single-seaters. Two of these innovations are world firsts for productions cars: the electronic differential (E-Diff) initially developed by Ferrari for its F1 single-seaters and designed to make the most of the engine's torque to optimise traction, and the handily placed steering wheel-mounted commutator switch (better known to the Scuderia drivers as "manettino") which directly controls the integrated systems governing vehicle dynamics.

The F430 is powered by a completely new 4308 cc engine. The new V8 delivers a massive 490 hp and a specific power of 114 hp/l. Its performance is absolutely excellent too: 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) acceleration in four seconds flat and a top speed in excess of 315 km/h (196 mph).

The F430 is the second new Ferrari to be launched in 2004 after the 612 Scaglietti, a hugely successful all-aluminium 2+2 12-cylinder.

This year has been very intense for Ferrari as a company, starting with the new management set-up. While Luca di Montezemolo retains his title of President of the Group and CEO of Ferrari, Jean Todt has been appointed General Manager of Ferrari and Amedeo Felisa Vice-General Manager. Although retaining their previous responsibilities, the managers also bring the skills and experience honed through success both on the track and in the road car production, to their new roles.

Within the context of this reorganisation, the new Brand Development & Partners division was created in June, headed by Antonello Perricone. This new division manages sponsors, develops licensing and merchandising, and broadens commercial activities focusing on the Ferrari Brand and its heritage.

The offices and production facilities renovation project at Maranello, known as Formula Uomo, also continued. As its name suggests, Formula Uomo emphasises workers' well-being and the quality of their working environment in the redevelopment process. This year saw the opening of the new Product Development Centre designed by Massimiliano Fuksas, and the new Paint Technologies Area designed by Marco Visconti. These facilities follow the opening in 2002 of the new Mechanical Machining Area (also designed by Marco Visconti) and the new GES Logistics Area (the work of Luigi Sturchio). The next part of the project to be completed will be the new Company Restaurant.

A reorganisation of the Ferrari Maserati Group's direct commercial presence on its largest markets is also taking place. With the recent opening of the Ferrari West Europe regional branch in Paris to manage the French, Benelux and Iberian Peninsula markets, and the United Kingdom subsidiary, which join the well-established North America, Germany and Switzerland branches, the Ferrari Maserati Group now directly controls the markets which account for 80% of its clients. A showroom in Russia was also opened and presence in China was consolidated through a joint venture. Needless to say, both of the latter countries boast enormous commercial potential.