Matt Farah Drives the Only Manual Ferrari 430 Scuderia in the World
A manual transmission conversion now has us wondering: is this the best Ferrari of all time?
Let’s face it, there’s a dying breed when it comes to modern supercars. Everywhere you look, supercars now come turbocharged or supercharged producing over 500 horsepower, some even equipped with hybrid power like the Acura NSX, for example. To show how much times have changed, there isn’t a supercar you can buy with a conventional manual gearbox anymore. Though not considered to be a “supercar” by today’s standards, you can still opt for a manual in the current 991.2 GT3. Thank you, Porsche.
Unlike Porsche, Ferrari stopped fitting their road cars with three pedals and a gear stick nearly a decade ago. The last manual transmission equipped Ferrari was a special order California that left Maranello back in 2010. Since then, all Ferraris come only with their lightning quick 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Shifting is much quicker and more efficient than using both arms and legs, but that doesn’t exactly translate into a more enjoyable driving experience. The F430 was the last mid-engined Ferrari to be equipped with a manual with the more racy 430 Scuderia only available with the F1 gearbox. That is until Matt Farah discovered the only manual-swapped 430 Scuderia in the world.
Making a car that doesn’t exist is easier said than done.
European Auto Group, a small shop in San Antonio, TX, is the home base of the world’s only Scuderia with three pedals and a shift lever. According to owner Art Bartosik, converting a regular F430 to a manual is pretty straight forward with the use of OEM parts. With a Scuderia, it’s a bit more tricky due to the complexities of the ECU, which needs to be modified. It’s not exactly a simple plug and play situation when moving pins around is required.
Before taking a spin in the Scuderia, Bartosik mentioned that all driving aids weren’t operational for the time being, meaning that Matt was in for one hell of a raw driving experience. Even the ABS wasn’t working. Not even a minute into the video, Farah had already fallen in love with the Ferrari that technically doesn’t exist. Wasting no time at all, Ferrari quick rows through the gears simply to hear the wonderful sound of the 4.3-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine that puts down 505 horsepower to the rear wheels.
3 pedals + shift lever = happiness
Farah was having so much fun in fact, that he found himself over-shifting, constantly shifting up and down just to hear the engine scream. We don’t blame him because we’d do exactly the same thing. Compared to the 488 Pista which puts down a smidge over 700 horsepower, the Scuderia doesn’t hold a candle when it comes down to performance, but it just doesn’t matter here. Judging by how big the smile is on Farah’s face, sometimes the key to happiness it’s huge amounts of horsepower. It’s a manual-swapped 430 Scuderia. 1 of 1.
What do you think of this unicorn Scuderia? Let us know on the forum!
Photos by: Merrick Harding
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