Category: Exotic Sports 
Price Range: £118,500 to £172,500
Excitingly focused mini-Enzo looks, fabulously energetic engine, ultra-sharp but easy-to-drive handling, an F1 shift which works as it should, huge stopping power with optional carbon-ceramic brakes, every drive is a special occasion. Servicing is cheaper than for 360, too.
Thirsty on fuel, low nose easy to scrape, infuriating switching-off bleep, you can't open the glovebox with the ignition off
All the thrills of a 360 Modena but with tougher looks and the oversteer reined in. The smallest Ferrari is more desirable than ever.
Launches of new Ferraris have had more than an average share of teething problems with the cars, but all examples of the F430 that we saw behaved impeccably including the example we drove on the road and the Fiorano test track. The most infamous reliability issue with the 360 Modena has been the clutch in the F1-shift cars, which has often had a short and eventful life, but the F430 has a smaller-diameter, twin-plate unit which generates less heat and is under less stress. The new engine uses cam chains instead of belts, too.
The F430 is beautifully put together, with just enough tiny inconsistencies to confirm its hand-built pedigree. All the opening panels shut firmly and crisply, and there's an air of quality and durability. The structure feels extremely strong and stiff, too - torsional stiffness is 20 percent greater than in the 360. Any quibbles are aesthetic ones: for example, the optional contrasting stitching for the dashboard's leather emphasises the number of separate pieces and looks untidy.
