Ferrari jumps on V10 bandwagon (UPDATED)

Newswheel staff :: 17 November 2005 :: Filed under Mid / rear engine sportscar, Ferrari, Ferrari F430, Europe & UK, US

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F430 replacement to gain a pair of cylinders

Ferraris are built for speed, plain and simple. Right? Well, yes, but they’re also built to beat the competition. Which is probably why the replacement for the Ferrari F430 is rumoured to pack a new V10 engine. After all, if the painfully popular Lamborghini Gallardo has 10 cylinders, then so too must the entry-level Ferrari…

US mag AutoWeek reports that sources close to the Maranello outfit reckon the  successor to the F430 will run a 5.4-litre V10. If true, it speaks volumes about how Lambo’s hugely successful V10 Gallardo has tipped the balance in the never-ending feud twixt the two Italian marques: it’s not often that Ferrari feels the need to match Lamborghini. Whatever, the new engine is thought to be based on the F430’s existing 4.3-litre V8, but with a pair of extra cylinders bolted on. If the new V10 manages a similar specific output to the current V8 (approximately 114bhp per litre), the result will be a totally stupefying 615bhp. That would be an astonishing output for Ferrari’s “cheapest” model and surely enough to put a bat up the Gallardo’s nightdress.

Update:
Eurocarblog, the Italy-based English language offshot of autoblog.it has poo-pooed this story. They point out, and we agree, that with F1 moving to V8 engines, much of the motivation behind the current crop of V10 lumps is about to disappear. It also seems that an Italian webforum frequented by those in the know have called bullshit on the story.

Linkage:
AutoWeek
eurocarblog