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76 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 24 APRIL 2 019
ow ’s t he t i me t o bu y a
430 while prices are soft
and there are plenty to
c ho o s e f r om .” S o s ay s
James Caborn, sales executive at
Kent High Performance Cars.
The dealership majors on Ferrari
and the day before we spoke, James
had sold a 15,000-mile 2006 F430
Spide r F 1 for £7 7, 0 0 0, or £ 30 0 0 of f
the screen price. It was a proper car,
too, finished in Rosso Corsa with
Nero Black leather, and fitted out
with the interior carbon pack.
On the same day, the cheapest
approved used F430 in the official
dealer network was also a coupé F1;
another 2006-reg but with 24,000
m i le s , f i n i she d i n Ne r o Bl a c k a nd
advertised for £79,900, including the
e xc e l le nt , of f ic i a l u s e d c a r w a r r a nt y.
But whatever you spend on a 430
(from around £60,000 for tired cars
all the way to £280,000 for a late, left-
h a nd- d r i v e 16M F 1 w it h f u l l e x t e r ior
c a rb on pa c k a nd 80 0 0 m i le s) y ou’r e
getting a wonderful, usable Ferrari.
It w a s l au nc he d i n t he U K i n 2 0 0 5
in both coupé and convertible forms,powered by a rear mid-mounted
4.3-litre V8 producing 483bhp. This
was an all-new engine with, crucially,
chain rather than belt-driven
camshafts, laying to rest buyers’
concerns regarding the expensive
belt-change intervals associated
with earlier models. (On that point,
the 430’s forerunner, the 360, does
at least have a removable panel for
access to the offending area.)
Drive passes to the rear wheels
through a clever electronic
d i f fe r e nt i a l c a l le d t he E- d i f f t h at
channels torque to the wheel with
the greatest grip. You can play tunes
on it v i a a r ot a r y c ont r ol le r c a l le d t he
manettino mounted on the steering
wheel. Depending how courageous
you’re feeling you can cycle through
five grip levels. Verging on crazy?
You can turn it off completely. Thes a me c ont r ol le r a l low s y ou t o a dju s t
damper settings, shift speeds and
throttle response. Gearboxes are a
choice between a six-speed manual or
Ferrari’s F1 automated manual with
paddle shifts. Only around 10% of
430 s w e r e s old w it h t he m a nu a l ’ b ox.
From 2007 a stripped-down,
503bhp version of the coupé called
the Scuderia was offered followed, in
2009, by a convertible version called
the 16M Spider. Also, from late 2007,
previously optional carbon ceramic
disc brakes became standard. Great if
you like track days; not so if you don’t
and the discs need replacing...
T h at e x p e n si v e n i gg le a side , t he
430 was a thoroughly well-sorted
car from day one, so don’t fret about
buying an early one over a later
model. Problems? Exhaust manifolds
can crack – although there’s a fix
and in any case, many were replaced- it’s heavy on suspension and the
rubberised finish on the interior can
c ome of f on y ou r h a nd s.
A f u l l m a i n de a le r or s p e c i a l i s t
service history, the toolkit and
the right tyres are a must. If it’s a
convertible, check the hood is free
of tears, and folds and sits properly.
All good? Then do what the man
says: buy now while prices are soft.
That’s not a description of the performance, of course. As John Evans finds out,
hardcore 430s are still great value – but it might not always be this way...
THE FERRARI THAT’S GOING SOFT
HOW TO BUY A
FERRARI
F4 3 0
Nice touch
‘F430’ is picked out in
the car’s wing mirrors