5th Jan 2023
What To Pay For A Ferrari F430
by Collecting Cars
In the same way that the 328 was essentially an upgrade to the 308, and the F355 a development of the 348; the Ferrari F430 had much in common with the 360. However, the most significant change was the swap to the 483bhp 4.3-litre V8 from the F136 family of engines, which the marque co-developed with Maserati.
The styling was heavily revised from the 360, incorporating the air inlet shapes of the 1960s 156 F1 racer ‘sharknose’ into the front end, the raised profile tail lights from the Ferrari Enzo, and with the model name stamped into the driver’s wing mirror in homage to the F40’s stamped rear wing strut.
As standard, the F430 was equipped with an electronically controlled limited-slip differential to vary the torque between the two rear wheels. The new chain-driven V8 engine also meant that cam belt replacements every few years were a thing of the past. It was the first Ferrari to be fitted with the ‘manettino’ steering wheel control to enable selection of different drive modes to switch between preset configurations of the stability control, suspension, and throttle settings.
Thanks to relatively robust mechanicals, impressive outright performance, and rewarding handling, the F430 remains a popular choice for both first-time Ferrari buyers as well as seasoned collectors. In the UK, you can currently expect to pay from around £60,000 for a higher-mileage F1 coupe to well over £100,000 for a low-mileage ‘full’ manual gearbox car. In Europe, a similar range of cars are likely to fetch from €80,000 through to more than €130,000. The track-focused 430 Scuderia attracts a premium in the region of 70% over an F1 coupe, while the limited-edition Spider 16M sells for considerably more.
Gearbox
The majority of F430s were ordered from the factory with the F1 paddle-shift automated manual transmission built by Graziano in Italy. However, it could also be specified with an open-gate manual shifter linked to the same gearbox setup.
Today, the ‘three pedal’ manual transmission is sought-after by collectors, and it is significantly rarer than a manual gearbox F355 model. As such, it typically commands a premium of around 30%+ compared to the F1 paddle-shift specification for a like-for-like car.
In early 2022, a 16,000-mile F430 F1 Spider sold with a winning bid of £78,500, while in November 2022 a similar mileage car equipped with the open-gate transmission was sold for £115,000. A similar difference was seen between a ‘three pedal’ manual coupe with 25,000 miles sold for £102,000 in April 2022, and a 26,000-mile F1 coupe sold for £74,500 a few months later.
Colours
For a first-time Ferrari buyer, it is often said that Rosso Corsa over Crema upholstery is the most popular choice, because it is seen as a ‘safe’ specification – and this colour combination does tend to attract strong bids.
However, it is typically rarer colours that will attract more interest from Ferrari collectors, who seek more unusual and possibly unique specifications. In Europe, the Giallo Modena factory colour of this F430 F1 Spider certainly helped it to achieve the winning bid of €108,000, while the Blu Nart over Cuoio F1 coupe also boasted very low mileage and sold for €112,000.
Factory Options
The F430 was available from the factory with numerous optional extras, largely covering various aesthetic upgrades to the interior and exterior. Among the most popular were ‘Scuderia’ shields for the front wings, the carbon-fibre Driver Zone and lower zone, front and rear parking sensors, and the integrated navigation and Bluetooth system.
At launch, the F430 was available with powerful carbon-ceramic brake discs as a factory option, which incurred a cost of around $17,000 or equivalent – and cars equipped with them do typically attract a small premium. However, from around 2008, carbon-ceramic brake discs were standard. A visual inspection should be all that’s needed to check whether it has steel or ceramic discs, but a Ferrari dealer will also be able to confirm the original factory specification.
Other sought-after options include the full carbon-fibre engine cover, Challenge Stradale style alloy wheels, the ‘Daytona’ style seat trim, and extended leather (headlining and rear wall). While high mileage for its age, this 2007 F1 coupe featured the carbon-fibre interior options, as well as ‘Daytona’ extended leather and electrically adjustable heated seats.
430 Scuderia and Spider 16M
Replacing the Challenge Stradale, the 430 Scuderia was launched to a wave of five-star reviews. CAR Magazine called it “quite simply the best road-legal, track-friendly supercar on sale today”. The Scuderia took the 4.3-litre V8 up to 503bhp, and with the transmission upgraded to ‘F1-SuperFast 2’ software for the paddle shift system.
An extensive lightweighting programme was carried out over the standard F430, giving the Scuderia lightweight bumpers, a Lexan rear engine cover, titanium coil springs, reduced sound-deadening, and carbon-fibre door casings, wing mirrors, and racing seats. All the changes meant it tipped the scales at 85kg less than the F430 coupe.
A typical premium for the 430 Scuderia over a standard F430 coupe is around 70%. In the EU, our team sold a Grigio Silverstone 430 Scuderia with 53,200 kms – relatively high for the model – with a winning bid of €148,000. A UK right-hand-drive car with 25,000 miles and in rare Bianco Avus sold for £146,000, while a Giallo Modena car with just 14,600 miles from new and offered at No Reserve sold for £180,000.
While the 430 Scuderia was not a limited production model, officially just 499 examples of the Scuderia Spider 16M were built. Celebrating the marque’s 16th victory in the F1 World Constructors’ Championship, it featured exactly the same powertrain as the Scuderia coupe, but given its rarity it commands a substantial premium. Our EU team previously sold a 17,000 km Scuderia Spider 16M with a winning bid of €313,000
While this represents the peak of prices in the model range, overall the F430 represents a very usable supercar from Ferrari’s back catalogue, with purchase costs on par with a new Porsche 911. If you’re in the market for a Ferrari F430 or even the rarer 430 Scuderia and Spider 16M models, then subscribe to Collecting Cars’ alerts to stay updated with all the latest Coming Soon and Live auctions.
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