Wide contact patches are key to avoiding banged-up bodywork, and the Ferrari F430 comes standard with 19-inch wheels and Bridgestone performance tires. Goodyear Eagle F1 run-flat rubber, sized 225/35ZR19 in front and 285/35ZR19 in back, are available as an option. Bringing the F430 to a stop is a four-wheel-disc ABS with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD). Brembo cross-drilled carbon-ceramic brake discs that were previously available only on the 360 Challenge Stradale and the Enzo supercar are available at an extra cost. Air intakes in the bumper and just forward of the front and rear wheel wells are designed to help keep the brakes cool, while the engine breathes through scoops mounted high on flanks aft of quarter windows, in a design reminiscent of the 1965 Ferrari 250 LM. Generally, however, the F430’s styling is influenced by the recently introduced 612 Scaglietti and the limited-production Enzo, echoed most prominently in the F430’s vertically-stacked xenon headlights (612) and taillights that bulge outward from the rear deck (Enzo). Inside, a no-nonsense driving environment trimmed in a choice between aluminum or carbon fiber emphasizes the Ferrari F430’s performance intent. The gauge cluster is dominated by a large red- or yellow-faced tachometer, with secondary meters arrayed around the tach, smaller in size but black-faced for easy legibility. Ferrari has installed new leather-upholstered seats in the F430, and better-bolstered race-inspired chairs are available as an option. Ferrari offers neither side-impact nor side-curtain airbags on the F430, but air conditioning and a stereo system are standard equipment.
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