The 360 Challenge Stradale is due to be launched at the forthcoming Geneva Show. Ferrari have now released the press pack for the tipo and the following are extracts from it:

This aim meant Ferrari technicians gave exclusive preference to Ferrari Challenge and 360 GT racing-type solutions for all.phpects of the car and every single performance parameter, the combination of which give this car its highly individual character.

The starting point was aerodynamics, where the aim was to obtain increased vertical load, which gives more speed when cornering rather than a higher top speed, and 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 reduction is one of the most significant achievements of the Stradale project: the weight was 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 it.

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

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 m 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).

Four types of intervention were adopted to improve aerodynamics on the Stradale.

• Front section: modification of the bumper, which now extends below the air intakes to increase load at the front but without disrupting airflow toward the rear.
  
• 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 concerned.
  
• Drag and modification of the sills: the new shape streamlines the rear wheels more completely and contributes significantly to improving the car's efficiency and balance. The combined result of these interventions is that compared with the 360 Modena drag has remained unchanged, so leading to a significant increase in efficiency.

The basic material used to build the Stradale is aluminium, as was already the case for the 360 Modena and Spider. Aluminium has been used for both body components and, above all, the space frame, a combination of castings, extrusions and plates. This initial approach towards drastically reducing the Stradale's weight already made it extremely competitive (compared with the 360 Modena) given that the basic material used, aluminium, has a specific weight one third of that of steel.

Starting from this base new developments were introduced specifically for the Stradale. Titanium, already used for the piston rods, was also adopted for parts of the suspension, in particular for the wheel bolts (a 50% weight reduction) and damper springs (a 27% weight reduction).

Carbon technology, derived directly from Formula 1 and used extensively on Ferrari limited-run road cars, was employed for the first time on an 8-cylinder car. For the Stradale it has been used for both structural parts (door panels, racing seat shells, filter-box covers) and for interior and exterior trim features.

A particularly advanced construction technology was adopted for the car's floorpan. This involves impregnating the resin with multi-axial carbon fibres in a vacuum in order to obtain the necessary rigidity, but which simultaneously leads to a 50% reduction in the weight of the floorpan itself.

A key factor in the search for the best weight-performance ratio for the Stradale was adopting a braking system comprising carbon-ceramic (CCM) discs developed for Formula 1 combined with aluminium brake carriers as standard equipment.

In terms of weight, the reduction achieved on the Stradale as a result of CCMs is 16% compared with conventional brake discs, but given that the weight eliminated affects unsuspended masses, its contribution to the car's performance can be assumed to be even more significant.

Below is an overview of the drastic weight reduction achieved for the Stradale (-110 kg), subdivided by the car's macro-assemblies:

Reducing a car's weight also means a reduction in its inertia. The main effect of this on the Stradale, together with the peak power increase provided by the V8 engine, is a considerable increase in performance, particularly as regards pick-up and acceleration.

The car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds and covers 400 metres from a standing start in 12.1 seconds.

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. Door panels are made entirely of carbon fibre, as is the tunnel, which has been designed to house all the car's main controls - ignition button, reverse gear button, dynamic vehicle settings (race, launch control, ASR excluder) within easy reach of the driver.

The car can be fitted with either 3-point attachment or 4-point racing attachment seat belts and an aluminium roll-bar that's 40% lighter than a conventional type, developed specifically for the Stradale.

On the mechanical front, couplings for rotating parts in the Stradale's V8 have been carefully selected and this has led to a significant improvement in performance.

Modifications to the engine can be grouped in the following areas:

1. Optimisation of the compression ratio by means of additional work on components involved in it (Heads, Pistons)
   
2. Optimisation of the engine's fluid dynamics, by means of the following interventions:
   • use of an intake manifold with inserted stacks and burnished ducts, in addition to burnishing the intake ducts and head exhaust;
   • optimisation of the section and head of the intake manifold coupling;
   • use of a specific intake timing;
   • use of a new low-load loss, airflow meter;
   • new low counter-pressure exhaust silencer.
   
3. Optimisation of mechanical performance was achieved by means of the following interventions:
   • selection of low-friction cylinder blocks;
   • new positioning of valve-springs.

The increase in precision guaranteed by the new control strategy applied specifically to this car, and also by a faster processing speed, has reduced gear-change time throughout the entire range of use, with a minimum of 150 milliseconds when using the super-performance option.

The available gear-change configurations are consistent with the car's top-level sporting profile and so only include manual gear-change operated by the driver using F1-type paddles (there is no automatic gearbox option).

The reverse gear is engaged by means of a button on the tunnel.

There are two gear-change configurations (Sport and Race): each of these configurations corresponds to an integrated car-control logic as regards damper set-up and traction control (ASR).

In “RACE” mode and with the ASR disengaged there's also a “launch control” strategy as used in Formula 1, a feature specially designed to give drivers a high-performance start in good grip conditions.

Damper settings have been reviewed and defined specifically for this model. The car's centre of gravity has been lowered by 15 mm.

The tyres are Pirelli P Zero Corsa type - this new Pirelli super-low tyre adopted specifically for the Stradale measures 225/35 at the front and 285/35 at the rear and is fitted on 19" Challenge-style wheels secured by titanium bolts.

Dimensions of the brake discs are as follows:
front: 380 mm diameter x 34 mm thickness, and a differentiated-diameter, 6-piston calliper;
rear: 350 mm diameter x 34 m thickness; and a differentiated-diameter, 4-piston calliper

The carbon-ceramic system installed on the Stradale, together with the aluminium brake carriers, makes for astounding performance and braking distance levels.

In terms of weight, the reduction achieved for the Stradale is 16% when compared with conventional brake discs.

Overall deceleration rates for the Challenge Stradale are 15% better than for the 360 Modena.

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