Straightline

In almost a decade of covering motorshows, only once before has an unveil created such a stampede of attention. And that had more to do with the appearance of Australian pop sensation Kylie Minogue, than precious metal. This time, the uncivilized stampede was caused by two things -- the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and seven-time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher, who was joined on stage by Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo.  

The chisel-jawed German was in Frankfurt to unveil a car in which he has had considerable personal input. The Scuderia is the first product of Schumacher's new role as a brand ambassador and crack test driver. While the rest of the world's motoring press clamored for his attention, we pinched a word with Carlo Della Casa, the Team Leader for all the V8 Ferraris.

"In the early stages of development, Michael would drive the car once a month," he explained. "Then, when the project was nearly complete, it was more like once a week. He'd fly into Parma, drive the car on the road to Fiorano, where he'd do some track testing. There'd be a briefing, a drive and then a debrief, just like in Formula 1. He was very methodical and precise in his feedback." Schumacher also carried out testing at the famous Nurburgring Nordschleife test track in Germany, although Della Cassa claimed he'd never attempted to set a lap time.

Schumacher said that his fastest lap at the Fiorano test track was 1minute 25 seconds, which matches his time for the Enzo supercar. If that's true, then it reveals just how special the Scuderia really is. This car is much, much more than just a stirpped out version of the standard 430. The gearchange is down to a mere 60 milliseconds (from 150), while the mass is reduced by 100kg (220 pounds) and power is up to from 483 to 503 horsepower. Trick aerodynamics, which includes moving the exhaust to the center of the rear of the car, have also seen a reduction in drag with no loss of downforce.

Inside, you'll find Alcantara seats and trimming with aluminum where you might expect to find carpet. Della Casa promises that this car is even louder under full acceleration than the standard 430. We'll of course, reserve judgment unil we've driven it but if this car is even half as good as it sounds, it should be sensational. -- Alistair Weaver, Contributor