Ferrari 360 Modena Challenge Stradale

[Rubber Chicken]

Cliff Notes:

New Challenge version of the 360 Modena does 0-60 in 4.1 Seconds, by lightening the body by 243 lbs and increasing power by 25 ponies to total 425 hp @ 8500 rpm

Aerodynamics have been tweaked. The Cd remains the same, yet they've managed to add 88 lbs of downforce at 120 mph.

Top speed is up 6 mph to total 186 mph.

And because its a Challange variant, I believe it does NOT come with A/C. Too bad.

Though I do prefer the Challenge Wheels over the stock 360 Wheels.

http://www.rsportscars.com/foto/05/challenge03_04_800.jpg

New Ferrari Challenge Stradale

There's a choice of two Challenge Stradale versions: a more extreme version one with racing seats and sliding windows, and another, fitted with lighter, wrap-around, leather seats and wind-down windows.

The new Ferrari Challenge Stradale lines up alongside the 360 Modena and 360 Spider with the precise aim of giving drivers the performance and feel of a true racing car for road use. This aim meant Ferrari technicians gave exclusive preference to Ferrari Challenge and 360 GT racing-type solutions for all aspects of the car and every single performance parameter, the combination of which gives this car its highly individual character. The starting point was aerodynamics, where the aim was to obtain increased vertical load, or downforce (which gives more speed when cornering rather than a higher top speed), and followed by then all the vehicle-specific features (transmission, set-up and braking, in particular the introduction of carbon-ceramic brakes as standard). And finally, that determining factor for all racing cars - achieving the lowest possible weight.

In fact the car's drastic weight loss reduction is one of the most significant achievements of the Challenge Stradale project: the weight was reduced lowered by incorporating racing solutions for every single one of the car's components, in addition to the benefit of using only aluminium to build the chassis, just like the other 360 models. it.

Exterior and Aerodynamics

The Challenge Stradale builds on aerodynamic concepts employed on the 360 Modena by taking advantage of the racing suspension set-up (stiffer more rigid and lower) and adopting specific solutions that have led to a gain of 50% in vertical load compared with the 360 Modena.

The results are extremely significant: at 200 km/h the load increase is about 40 kg for a gain corresponding to the effect of a wing with 15 cm chord length and 1.8 meter span. Despite such a significant increase in vertical load, after all the modifications and adjustments to set-up, the car has a Cd equal to that of the 360 Modena (Cd= 0.335).

Aerodynamic study of the car's underside and rear section: with the result of an increase in height at the rear and introduction of longitudinal fins to balance the load. The decision was also taken to modify the rear nolder to achieve greater efficiency by adopting a shape more appropriate to the function.

Racing Interiors

Only the essential remains Essentiality - in the most specific meaning of the term - is the dominant characteristic of the Challenge Stradale's interior, right from the elimination of unnecessary features like carpeting and mats, to a racing-style interpretation for every single feature.

The rev counter located right in the centre of the instruments becomes the driver's main point of reference, emphasised by the yellow graphics and red indicator that ensure optimum contrast and legibility. The entire panel is enclosed within a carbon-fibre element that also houses secondary instruments and other telltales.

The new steering wheel, with a squashed crown in the upper section fitted with a sight just like on the racing version, has F1 gear-change paddles, the right one having been lengthened to facilitate changing up when pulling out of corners.
The car is fitted with carbon fibre-structure racing seats upholstered with a high-grip textile.

Engine

The Challenge Stradale is equipped with the existing previous 360 Modena 90° V8 engine mounted centrally behind the cabin in a longitudinal configuration as a single block together with the gearbox and differential. Peak power output of the V8 engine has been raised to 425 bhp at 8,500 rpm to give an exceptional power rating that exceeds 118.5 bhp/litre, which makes it the most powerful normally-aspirated V8 ever built by Ferrari. The extremely high peak torque remains unchanged at 373 Nm (275 lbft) at 4,750 rpm.

[This message has been edited by Rubber Chicken (edited 05 March 2003).]

 

[cojones]

Ferrari Challenge Stradale - from www.owners.ferrari.com

Creating the Challenge Stradale: interview with project leader engineer Patrizio Moruzzi

The Challenge Stradale was designed with a single goal in mind: to improve the performance of the two Ferrari 8-cylinders currently in production (the 360 Modena and the 360 Spider, already hugely successful) by pushing the racing attributes of a road car with well-defined characteristics to new extremes. The transfer of specific solutions developed for the latest generation of Ferrari racing cars, the 360 Challenge and the 360 GT, is very evident, as indeed is the avant-garde technology adopted from the Enzo Ferrari (the layout of the exhaust, for example) and Formula 1 (the electro-hydraulic gearbox and the use of carbon for the first time on an 8-cylinder sports car).

We talked to Engineer Patrizio Moruzzi, Project leader for the 8-cylinder sports car team, about the revolutionary technical aspects of this latest edition to the Ferrari family. Originally from Bologna, Moruzzi has been in charge of the “131 Challenge Strada” project for the last few months. The head of a core team of 12 people, the mechanical engineer concentrated on telling us about the important synergies which saw what is basically a thoroughbred racing car type tested for road use, by focusing on four key areas: aerodynamics, car weight reduction, engine/gearbox, and chassis components.

“The aerodynamic concept of the Challenge Stradale stemmed from the target we set ourselves during the early stages when we were still defining the brief,” explained Moruzzi. “We wanted to increase the vertical load (note: downforce) by 50% to obtain better handling on bends compared to the 360 Modena. The tests on the first model in the wind tunnel lead us to revise four specific and quite definitive areas: the front bumper which we extended towards the rear, the sills which were streamlined to increase downforce, the addition of a small nolder at the rear which has the same effect as a spoiler, and the inclusion of a double-bottomed exhaust and longitudinal fins to channel the airflow towards the rear for improved stability.”

The Challenge Stradale’s good looks, although impressive, seem to have come about by chance as Moruzzi explains: “Obviously some of the specific final touches allowed us to bring what is very much a racer much closer to the classic Ferrari GT, but that didn’t change our main ambition which was to improve performance so that we would be able to offer our clients a sportier alternative to the already successful 360 Modena”.

The version unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show 2003 has a F1-style paddle shift and offers two gear-change modes controlled by new generation software to cut gear change times even further: “Sport”, fast but smooth, and “Race”, even quicker and more aggressive. With the latter, by disengaging the ASR traction control, it is possible to engage launch control, a system adapted from Formula 1 and already used on the 12-cylinder 575M Maranello.

Many cutting-edge ideas were applied to the 3.6 litre 90° V8 engine and the longitudinal configuration of the gearbox, especially in terms of the design of the intake and exhaust systems. Moruzzi added that “The 110 kg drop in weight to 1180 kg (note: 2596 lb for a street-legal car; base coupe weight ~2900 lb.) was, however, mostly (94 kg) due to the work done on the chassis, by applying two rules: the elimination of all components unnecessary for a “racing style” coupé and the use of lightweight materials to maintain or even improve the performance of the car.”

In the suspension, the springs are 20% more stiffer than those of the 360 Modena too. Titanium, a material previously used only for engine piston rods, was also adopted for parts of the suspension, including the wheel bolts and damper springs. Another important innovation was the brakes made of CCM (Carbon Composite Material), making them 16% lighter and capable of guaranteeing much shorter braking distances.

If you wish to reproduce part or all of this article, you must acknowledge the source: www.owners.ferrari.com

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if Ferrari can do all this for a limited-volume variant of an already-limited-production (albeit "entry-level") exotic, why can't Honda do the same for the NSX-R ??

 

[gheba_nsx]

No buyers interest could be the answer...

 

[Edwardo]

Great car! Thanks for the link.

I would prefer leather seats, AC, power windows, and the radio to the 243 pounds you lose when you eliminate those luxories. I would not want to pay 180k for a car that I was not comforatable in.

I guess my cup of tea for a limited edition Ferrari would be the 360 Modena with the same weight as a stock Modena but with bigger brakes and 500 horsepower!

Either way, this new Modena is great looking. I am sure whoever buys it will have a blast in it.