Since its new production tenure is about to end, why not take a took and the The Ferrari F430, the Italian sports car some enthusiasts have cited as the best-driving car every made. Manufactured since 2004 as a successor to the 360, the 430 debuted at the 2004 Paris Motor Show. European left-hand drive sales began in November 2004, but right-hand drive sales did not start until Spring 2005, and the North American market did not get the F430 until Summer 2005. Its replacement, the Ferrari 458 Italia was unveiled on the 28th July 2009, and is expected to go on sale in Spring 2010.

The F430's all-aluminum chassis was produced in partnership with Alcoa and is virtually identical to that of the previous model, the Ferrari 360. In the F430 it has been slightly re-worked and improved with extra stiffening beams around the floor pan. The car shares parts with the 360, including the roof, doors, front windshield, and passenger compartment-to-engine glass. Internally, both cars are referred to with the same model number (F131), although the F430 has the Evoluzione tag attached to show that it features some major changes. Internally, the car is simply known as the "Evo.”

The MSRP for a Ferrari F430 in the United States is $168,005 to $227,000.

Ferrari announced on May 12, 2009 a one-off F430 painted silver and gold to help with the Earthquake relief in Italy. It will be the last F430 made.

The F430 body was redesigned to be more curvaceous and aerodynamic. Although the drag coefficient remains the same, downforce has been greatly enhanced.  Ferrari heritage is found in the car: at the rear, the Enzo's tail lights and interior vents have been added. The car's name has been etched into the Testarossa-styled driver's side mirror. The large oval openings in the front bumper are reminiscent of Ferrari racing models from the 60s, specifically the 156 "sharknose" Formula One car and 250 TR61 Le Mans cars of Phil Hill.

The F430 features a 4.3L V8 petrol engine derived from a shared Ferrari/Maserati design. This new power plant is a significant departure for the F430 line: the engines of all previous V8 Ferraris were descendants of the Dino racing program of the 1950s. The 50-year development cycle came to an end with the entirely new 4.3L, the architecture of which is expected to replace
the Dino-derived V12 in most other Ferrari cars.

The brakes on the F430 were designed in close collaboration with Brembo. The result has been a new cast-iron alloy for the discs. The new alloy includes molybdenum which has better heat dissipation performance. Another option Ferrari is providing are Carbon fibre-reinforced Silicon Carbide (C/SiC) ceramic composite discs. Ceramics have much higher resistance to heat and brake fade than metals, the F430's brakes offer not only good performance but also a longer lifespan. Ferrari claims the brakes will not fade even after 300-360 laps at their test track.

The F430 includes the E-Diff, a computer-controlled limited slip differential which can vary the distribution of torque based on inputs such as steering angle and lateral acceleration, a world's first.

Other notable features include the first application of Ferrari's manettino steering wheel-mounted control knob. Drivers can select from five different settings which modify the vehicle's ESP system, "Skyhook" electronic suspension, transmission behavior, throttle response, and E-Diff. The feature is similar to Land Rover's "Terrain Response" system.

The Ferrari F430 was also released with exclusive Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 EMT tires, which have a striking V-shaped tread design, run-flat capability, and OneTRED technology.

In the United Styatte, the company requested an exemption from the airbag design requirements, which was eventually granted, allowing the car to continue to be sold in the U.S.

Car and Driver magazine found the car's performance worthy of the Ferrari heritage, and recorded a 3.5 sec 0–60 mph acceleration run in the F430. This makes it the third-quickest Ferrari road car ever made, following the Enzo and the 599 GTB.

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