If you were a Top Gear fan back in the day like the rest of us, you remember one of the earliest and arguably the best Europe specials the trio ever did. Driving through Europe searching for the best driving heaven. Clarkson in Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, May in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24, and Hammond in the Porsche 997 GT3 RS.
Unveiled by Michael Schumacher at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Ferrari F430 Scuderia was the direct successor of the 360 Challenge Stradale and was replaced by the 458 Speciale.
It sat at the top of the brand’s mid-engined supercar range, having the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera and Porsche 911 GT3 RS in its sights, and set itself apart from the regular F430 by being lighter and more powerful.
Made in a time when cars weren’t all about gigantic screens and partly or fully electrified powertrains, the F430 Scuderia was joined by the Spider 16M variant the following year, which was built to celebrate the Prancing Horse’s F1 Constructor’s World Championship win. It followed the same recipe as its fixed-roof sibling, namely more power than the regular F430 Spider and less weight, albeit with an open-top view of the sky above.