Naturally Aspirated Ferrari V8's - The end of an Era.

For a commoner, the word 'Ferrari' instantly evokes a red snazzy looking car or the prancing horse logo which has become synonymous with the brand name that Ferrari is. To the slightly more technically sound petrolhead, it reminds them of a roaring exhaust note or the aerodynamically designed body with every curve and vent having some functionality. For the most hardcore Ferrari fans however, it is the Naturally Aspirated(NA) mid-mounted V8 engine which brings the biggest grin to their face. The mid-mounted V8 configuration became the most popular and the most heavily sold configuration in the marque's history. Ferrari's constant efforts to imbibe F1 technology into road going cars coupled with a sharp handling chassis, comparatively lightweight bodies, lightning quick transmissions and the naturally aspirated, rev-happy V8's powering the rear wheels made the monsters from Maranello extremely desirable machines to drive and own. The world is constantly asking for greener and cleaner products from the automobile industry, hence, auto manufacturers are looking at more efficient, light weight yet powerful engines which eventually reach a point of diminishing returns, hence, this leads to the two dreaded words for hardcore NA Tifosi's - Forced Induction. While Ferrari have attempted to produce turbocharged cars earlier, including the halo'd F40, the turbocharged variants never found a strong fan following as compared to their naturally aspirated counterparts. Finally, much to the disappointment of Ferrari fanatics, it was announced recently that the 458's successor will be powered by a turbocharged unit, borrowing technology from the turbocharged Ferrari F1 cars. The NA V8s which have left millions of fans drooling over their eargasmic exhaust notes and engineering, started from the Ferrari 308 in the mid 70's, continued through the stunning 348 and 355 right up to the new age 360, F430 and the most recent 458, which shall soon be a part of an unforgettable part of automotive history. We at Automobili Ardent, would love to pay an homage to the glorious era of Naturally Aspirated Ferrari engines. How would we do it? By looking at the two most recent models sporting this configuration. The Ferrari F430 and the 458 Italia. The F430, while being based on its predecessor, the 360, had a striking exterior designed by Pininfarina and borrowed design cues from various Ferrari legends. The quad rear lights were inspired by the Enzo, while the F430 moniker was etched on the side mirrors just like on the Testarossa while its body vents remind us of the 60's Ferrari race cars. However, there was one major change compared to the 360, the engine. A newly designed 4.3L power plant powered the F430 to a blisteringly quick 0-100 in 4.4seconds. In its six year life cycle, the F430 was made into a number of variants like the F430 Spider, the wild 430 Scuderia and Scuderia Spider 16M and the track only F430 Challenge. Overall, it proved to be a very popular and successful Ferrari. The 458, unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, was an entirely new design concept, designed by Pininfarina again. A sharp and aggressive design language unlike its predecessors is what sets it apart. The 458 is powered by a 4.5L NA V8 redlining at an ear shattering 9000 RPM. New technology included a bigger engine and a dual clutch transmission which helped the 458 Italia knock off over a second as compared to the F430's 0-100, doing it in a terrifyingly fast 3.3 seconds. It is produced as a hardtop Spider while its 430 Scuderia equivalent is called the 458 Speciale. The roaring 4.5L V8 in the 458 Speciale will be the last hurrah for the millions of Ferrari NA Tifosi's out there who have revered, respected and worshipped the engineering marvels made by the magicians at Maranello. As all good things must come to an end, so has the era of Naturally Aspirated V8's in Ferrari's. As the turbocharging era kicks off at Ferrari, with the California T and the soon to be launched 458 successor, we wish Ferrari the best and hope they continue to dazzle, surprise and shock us with even better machines. It is said that history repeats itself, wouldn't it be great to see this part of history repeat itself sooner rather than later? We've got these two final torch bearers of the NA V8 Ferrari configuration to pose, roar and play along with us. Stay tuned for more such automotive action from India and around the globe. Thanks for the continued support, love and admiration.