PARIS — Serving as the successor to the 360 Modena, the new Ferrari F430 made its official premiere in Paris and goes on sale in Europe after the new year. It isn’t expected to reach U.S. showrooms until late 2005. The sticker price should start at about $160,000.

Like most modern Ferraris, the F430 features a Pininfarina-styled body and a handcrafted two-seat cockpit. It is constructed largely of aluminum and other lightweight materials and incorporates technical innovations originally developed for and by Ferrari’s Formula One team.

Among the advanced gadgetry derived from the Italian automaker’s racing cars are an electronic differential, carbon-ceramic brakes and a steering-wheel-mounted switch to manage the integrated electronic systems that govern the vehicle’s dynamics.

Perhaps the most significant element of the new F430 is its dual-overhead-cam 4.3-liter V-8 that makes 490 horsepower and 343 pounds-feet of torque and is mated to a Formula One-style gearbox. The thoroughbred engine can propel the car from 0 to 60 mph in about four seconds flat. Ferrari estimates a top speed of 195 mph.

Not yet. The F1 shifter is still an option.

In the press release, Ferrari claimed that the F430 is more than 70% new, features more technology derived directly from its championship-winning F1 racing cars than in any other mass produced car. With the amount of money spent every year on Schumacher and co., it’s only natural that some of the equipment that helps the red and white team lap international courses faster than the rest be applied to production vehicles. For starters, Ferrari will once again be offering its F1-style gearbox, complete with paddle shifters; however the six-speeder has been tuned to shift gears faster than ever before. Currently, Ferrari has no intention on offering a regular manual transmission but we’re sure that enthusiast will demand some sort of standard gearbox. The sublime Brembo-sourced cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc brakes which recently appeared on the 575 Maranello, and on the F360 Challenge Stradale will be an option. Also added to the list are adjustable dampers and a new invention called the E-Diff, an electronically controlled differential which Ferrari claims is a first for a production car.

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