Ferrari 360 Modena, Spider & Challenge

Ferrari 360 Stradale

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The Ferrari 360 is a mid-engine

two-seater sports car produced Manufacturer Ferrari
from late 1999 until 2005. The
Parent company Fiat Group
360 replaced the Ferrari F355
and was itself replaced by the Production 1999–2005
fairly similar Ferrari F430. For Predecessor Ferrari F355
the 360, Ferrari partnered with
Alcoa to produce an entirely new Successor Ferrari F430
all-aluminum space-frame Class Sports car
chassis that was 40% stiffer than
2-seat Coupe
the 355, yet 28% lighter despite a Body style(s)
10% increase in overall 2-seat Spider
dimensions. Along with the new Layout Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
frame was a new Pininfarina
body styling that broke ranks Engine(s) 3.6 L V8
with the last decade's sharp 6-speed manual
angles and flip-up headlights, Transmission(s)
6-speed 'F1' electrohydraulic shift
replacing them with a rounded
appearance that harkened to the
1960s. The new V8 engine, common to all versions, was only slightly larger and more
powerful than the 355's at 3.6 litres and 300 kW (400 bhp) of power, but the lighter frame
and added stiffness improved performance; the 0 to 100 km/h acceleration performance
improved from 4.6 to 4.4 seconds, and in the Challenge versions it was as low as 4.0 s.
An engine replacement resulted in the current V8 road model, the F430 (internally
referred to as the evoluzione or evo) which came out in 2004.

Seven versions of the basic 360 were produced, three road models, three race versions &
a one-off wedding present to Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo:

• Ferrari 360 Modena, a fixed roof two-door luxury sports coupe, available with a
6-speed manual or F1 electrohydraulic shift
• Ferrari 360 Spider, a convertible variant of the Modena
 • Ferrari Challenge Stradale, an F1 electrohydraulic shift 360 Challenge inspired
variant of a 360 Modena.

Ferrari 360 factory race cars include:

• Ferrari 360 Challenge, a 360 F1 electrohydraulic shift stripped out circuit racing
variant of the 360 Modena .
• Ferrari 360 GT, a GT racing variant of the 360 challenge race cars, more
extreme than a Challenge.
• Ferrari 360 GT-C, based on the 360 GT with 360 CS parts to compete in the N-
GT class.

The Ferrari 360 Barchetta is a one-off wedding present from Ferrari to Ferrari's
president.

Road models
The first model of the 360 to ship was the 360 Modena, named after the town of
Modena, the birthplace of Enzo Ferrari. Its six-speed gearbox is available as a manual, or
F1 electrohydraulic shift. The car went into production in 1999 and remained in
production until 2005 when it was replaced by the F430. The Modena was followed by
the 360 Spider, Ferrari's 20th road-going convertible. Other than weight, the Spider's
specifications match those of the Modena almost exactly.

The 360 Challenge Stradale (or 360 CS) was a later addition to the road line. It was
essentially a lightened version of the Modena, dropping 110 kilograms. Changes included
larger 19" BBS wheels, the use of carbon fiber for the frames of the seats and mirrors,
titanium springs which were also 20% stiffer, and Carbon fibre-reinforced Silicon
Carbide (C/SiC) ceramic composite brake disks. A variety of option allowed for further
weight reductions, including replacing the leather interior with fabric, removal of the
power windows and mirrors, and leaving off the stereo. Lexan side windows were
available in Europe only. It was officially introduced in March of 2003 at the Geneva
International Motor Show and went into production shortly thereafter. The 360 CS can be
compared to Porsche's GT3 RS model in design approach and many magazines have
placed them head to head in road tests. Jeremy Clarkson compared the two and chose the
360 CS to be his favourite.

Specifications

Engine
All models featured the same layout:

• No. of cylinders: 90° V8 F131

• Bore & stroke: 85 by 79 mm (3.34 by 3.11 in)
• Total displacement: 3586 cm³ (218.8 in³)
• Redline: 8500 rpm

For Modena and Spider:

• Maximum power: 300 kW (400 bhp) @ 8500 rpm

• Maximum torque: 373 N·m (275 lbf·ft) @ 4750 rpm

For Challenge Stradale:

• Maximum power: 317 kW (425 bhp) @ 8500 rpm

• Maximum torque: 373 N·m (275 lbf·ft) @ 4750 rpm

Modena

Interior of the Modena with the Rossa Corsa paint and tan leather. This example is
equipped with the F1 gearbox, controlled by the "paddles" on the steering column

Profile of Ferrari 360 Modena.

Performance

• 0-62 mph: 4.5 s[1]

 • Top speed : 300 km/h (186 mph)[1]
• downforce: 180 kgf (1.77 kN) @ 300 km/h (without rear wing)
• lift/drag: -0.73:1
• EPA Fuel Economy: 10 mpg U.S. city/16 mpg U.S. highway (24 L/100 km and
14 L/100 km)[2]

Spider

The 360 Spider is Ferrari's twentieth roadgoing convertible. The model was regarded a
classic even when launched in 2000. Designer Pininfarinas lines are by many regarded as
timelessly beautiful and yet sportingly aggressive.

The engineers worked hard from the start of the 360 project to lay the foundation for a
Spider with exceptional torsional and flexional rigidity. They had to strengthen the sills,
stiffen the front of the floorpan and redesign the windscreen frame. The rear bulkhead
had to be stiffened to cut out engine noise from the cabin. The convertible's necessary
dynamic rigidity is provided by additional side reinforcements and a cross brace in front
of the engine. Passenger safety is ensured by a strengthened windscreen frame and roll
bars.

The 360 Spider displays a curvilinear waistline. The fairings imply the start of a roof, and
stable roll bars are embedded in these elevations. Due to use of light aluminium
constructions throughout, the Spider weighs in with only 60 kg (130 lbs) more than the
coupé.

With its hood up, the Ferrari 360 Spider looks extremely aggressive. Lowering the hood
totally transforms the look. Seen from the side, the 360 Spider resembles a sports racer, a
sensation underlined by the length of the rear engine bay, the twin roll bars, the rear
fairings and the steep windscreen.

As with the Modena version, its 3.6 litre V8 with 400 bhp (300 kW) is on display under a
glass hood. The engine - confined in space by the convertible's top's storage area -
acquires additional air supply through especially large side grills. The intake manifolds,
with the classical Ferrari covers, cuddle up to each other between the air supply conduits
in the Spider engine compartment, as opposed to lying apart as with the Mondena.

Despite the car's mid-mounted V8 engine Ferrari's engineers found a way of creating a
hood that automatically folds away inside the engine bay, thus ensuring purity of line.
The top canopy of crease free material comes in black, blue, grey and beige. The
striptease from a closed top to an open-air convertible is a two-stage folding-action that
has been dubbed "a stunning 20 second mechanical symphony". After a short to and fro,
the entire top disappears into a closed storage area between the seating and the
engine.The interior of the Spider is identical to the coupé.

Dimensions
 • Overall: length 4477 mm (176.3 in)
• Overall: width 1922 mm (75.7 in)
• Height: 1235 mm (48.6 in)
• Wheelbase: 2600 mm (102.3 in)
• Front track: 1669 mm (65.7 in)
• Rear track: 1617 mm (63.6 in)
• Weight: 1350 kg (2976 lb)
• Curb weight: 1450 kg (3197 lb)
• Weight distribution: 42/58% front/rear
• Fuel capacity: 95 L (25.1 US gal)

Challenge Stradale

The Challenge Stradale is a more track day focused car than the Modena, it was inspired
by the challenge racing series and can be thought of as a Challenge car for the road.
Ferrari engineers designed the car from the outset with 20% track day use in mind and
80% road use. With only a small 25 bhp (19 kW) improvement in engine power from the
Modena but with substantially improved power to weight ratio, the Challenge Stradale
accelerates from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in just 4.1 seconds.

In total, the CS is up to 110 kg (243 lbs) lighter than the standard Modena if all the
lightweight options are specified such as deleted radio, lexan side windows and fabric
cloth (instead of the leather option). As much as 94 kilos (207 lbs) was taken off on the
bodywork by stripping the interior carpets, lighter weight bumpers, carbon mirrors and
the optional Modena carbon seats becoming standard. The engine and transmission
weight was slimmed down 11kg (24 lbs) through the use of a smaller, lighter weight
sports (yet still stainless steel) exhaust back box and valved exit pipes.

There are a lot of subtle (and some not so subtle) styling differences between the
Challenge Stradale and the standard Modena.

These include;

Visual Differences

• 19" BBS Challenge Styled Alloys with Titanium wheel bolts

• Large Diameter Carbon Ceramic Brakes
• Carbon-fibre side mirrors
• Updated front and rear bumpers
• Pair of rear bumper diffusers
• Sharper side skirts
• Plexi-glass rear window
• Lower ride height on Titanium springs
• Lighter weight challenge grille (black metal mesh) made from Aluminium
• Challenge Stradale badging on rear grille
• Optional Tri-colour Racing Stripe
The car also had the optional carbon racing seats (available in 3 sizes, small, medium and
large) which are noticeable from the outside to complement the interior detailing

Interior Differences

• New instrument dials with a yellow rev counter and carbon fibre surround
• Carbon Fibre door panels
• Carbon Centre Console
• Fabric Dashboard with deleted stereo and glovebox
• New Steering wheel with optional coloured racing ring

Dimensions

• Overall length: 4477 mm (176.3 in)

• Overall width: 1922 mm (75.7 in)
• Height: 1199 mm (47.2 in)
• Wheelbase: 2600 mm (102.4 in)
• Front track: 1669 mm (65.7 in)
• Rear track: 1617 mm (63.7 in)
• Curb weight: 1180 kg (2601 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 95 L (25.1 US gal)

Performance

• 0–100 km/h (62 mph): 4.1 s[3]

• Top Speed : 300 km/h (186 mph)[3]
• downforce: about 270 kgf (2.6 kN) @ 300 km/h (without rear wing)
• lift/drag: about -1.1:1

Race models
Challenge

The Challenge was a track only car. It was a non-road legal variant of the Modena that
shed 120 kg of weight by use of carbon fibre and stripping out of all of the road car's
luxuries such as leather interior coverings, electric windows and mirrors. The car boasted
a fully stripped out racing interior with full integrated welded in roll cage and fire
extinguisher. Lightweight BBS 18" alloys, challenge rear grille and plexi-glass rear
engine cover cosmetically distinguished the car from the standard 360. The Modena's
advanced electronic suspension system with integrated ASR was dropped in favour of
conventional racing Boge dampers. These changes lowered the car by an inch over the
Modena while removing the electronic safety net of the road going car.

The engine performance was left the same as the Modena (at 400 bhp) with the focus on
handling, weight reduction and weight balance improvements. The Challenge was only
available in F1 automatic variant, no manual cars were produced. The biggest differences
in driving were attributed to the weight reduction and massive handling improvements
through the use of uprated stiffer springs and uprated aluminium suspension flamblocks
(bushes).

Criticism
Handling

Handling was described by some journalists as tricky on the limit, similar to its
predecessor (the 355)[citation needed] while conflictingly others such as the well known Tiff
Needell (from Channel Five's Fifth Gear) loved the handling. In Needell's review of the
car he praised how well the car handled at the limit and how progressive the car behaved
after driving the Ferrari on the track.[citation needed]

Much later on in the new format series of BBC's Top Gear TV program, the 360 was
lambasted on various occasions, mostly for its propensity to spin when at the limit of
traction. James May quipped jokingly, "Actually, this is why it's called the F360 [sic],
this model. You drive along, come to a corner, and you go 'Fff...' as you do a 360!".[citation
needed]