As incredible as Ferrari's road cars are, there really is very little shared between them and the Formula 1 car Michael Schumacher steers. In Frankfurt this year Ferrari launched a race version of its incredible F430, available to buy and race in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli from 2006.

Externally, the new racecar is not significantly different to the road car, with a major exception being the 19-inch alloys with quick-release centre locks, wrapped in slick Pirelli P-Zero tyres specially developed for the car. At the rear, the panel below the lights is black and features a larger vent for extraction of hot air from the engine bay. Below that the exhausts have been moved up to where the registration plate sits on the road car and the tow hook sticks out permanently.

Despite the restrained looks, the Challenge is as you'd expect significantly changed from the F430 production car under its aluminium body panels. Ferrari claims that the power output of the high-revving V8 engine is unchanged at 490bhp, but we find that difficult to believe given that the racer features a special exhaust and intake plenum. Regardless of engine changes, the racecar should be significantly quicker than the F430 thanks to weight reduction to just 1,225kg, thanks to a stripped out interior, lightweight windscreen and carbon fibre intake plenum cover.

Further weight, and unnecessary complication has been ditched in terms of the manettino switch on the steering wheel. The sophisticated E-diff is replaced by a mechanical version. Similarly, the race drivers get no stability or traction control, though ASR and ABS remain. The F1 paddle-shift gearbox is set in race mode as standard, offering gearchanges in 150ms. Other standard features for the racecar include Ferrari's carbon ceramic brakes and integrated pneumatic jacks to speed up pit stops.

Shane O' Donoghue - 26 Sep 2005