10 Reasons Why The Ferrari Challenge Stradale Belongs In Your Garage

In 2003, Ferrari introduced the first of its wholly modern road-and-track specials, the 360 Modena-derived Challenge Stradale. A marked departure and much more advanced than previous models, the car was, simply, bred to be as fast as possible. With sex appeal, sound appeal, and huge speed, the Challenge Stradale belongs in your garage. Here’s why:

1. Ferrari reckoned that the car would be perfect if it was designed for 80% road use and 20% circuit use. By my math, that means it’s a track car usable 100% of the time you’re not at the track.

2. It was faster than Ferrari thought it’d be: development targets were to save 2.5 seconds per lap over the 360 around Fiorano, but the finished car was more than a second faster still.

3. This was partly because Ferrari put its star athlete on an extensive diet, saving about 250 lbs over the standard car. Luxury items could be added after the fact, but the headline

4. That meant: no leather, no radio, special bumpers, and a host of other changes. Words like “Alcantara”, “carbon ceramic”, and “Lexan” were added to the owner’s manual.

5. You could have any color, as long as you asked: Giallo Ginevra, Bianco Avus, Blu Bugatti, Rosso Scuderia—there’s even a green, er, Pino Verde Challenge Stradale.

6. Its V8 engine revs to 8,700 rpm and returns 420 horsepower at 8,500 rpm, will top 190 mph, and hits 60 mph in ~4.0 seconds, so Ferrari added powerful Brembo carbon ceramic brakes that never fade.

7. Fact: the Challenge Stradale is more rare than the F40. (1,288 vs 1,315)

8. It’s only going to go up in value. Believe it or not, prices for an average Challenge Stradale are currently holding steady, at a time when it seems like every collectable model is skyrocketing in value.

9. The road car is based on the 360 Modena Challenge one-make race cars, non-road legal models built by Ferrari. One thing both must share is a valved exhaust system so that their screaming V8 engines can whisper past lawmakers.

10. …and that is what it sounds like.