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S. Muralidhar

THE Beautiful Beast is here and with more than its share of publicity too. No, we are not talking about the Walt Disney classic, but about that blazing red Ferrari 360 Modena that Fiat, Italy, has gifted to Sachin Tendulkar.

We did not get to see the Michael Schumacher-Sachin Tendulkar — the Formula1-great-meets-the-cricketing-icon — ad. But Fiat has ensured delivery of the Ferrari car that was promised at the time the two heroes met at Silverstone last year.

However, at the time of importing the car in to the country, Fiat did not bargain for the controversy that erupted as to whether Sachin should be exempted from paying the Customs duty and other levies that get slapped on an imported vehicle.

Everybody loves Sachin, even the taxman. So, though the exemption would have come through (with enough precedents to justify it), the large amount involved and the massive publicity that it has received has kept the issue in abeyance till now.

Fiat has gracefully even offered to foot the import duty bill, since it was its idea in the first place. Whether Sachin deserves an exemption, given that he can easily afford to pay the duty, is a different issue altogether.

The controversy is still raging and the latest news is that Sachin's (considerably heavy) wallet could get lightened a bit further with other charges such as a mandatory homologation certificate. Anyway, with so much still on about the Beautifu Beast, what of the dream car itself?

First off, pricing. Depending on the trim-level and the customisation that Sachin might have opted for, and including the Customs duty, other levies, insurance and road tax, the Ferrari 360 Modena would cost a cool Rs 1.75 crore and change.

Ferrar is offering a number of new colours for its cars. But red is what the company and its cars have always been associated with, as that was Italy's colours for Grand Prix cars, as laid down by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile early in the 19th century.

Right from its inception, the founder Enzo Ferrari and the company have always drawn inspiration from racing, with many of Ferrari's models borrowing technology and design elements from Formula1.

The 360 Modena is a two-door, two-passenger luxury sports car and is available in four trims, ranging from the Berlinetta to the Spider (convertible). The 163rd Ferrari to be designed by the renowned Italian design house, Pininfarina, the 360 Modena is one of the most coveted models.

The car combines a successful mix of design elements and styling solutions inspired by some of the classic Ferraris, such as the 268 SP, the 250 LM and Dino.

The car is mid-engined, as the passenger compartment is set almost centrally between the two axles. The distinctive rear-end treatment leaves the engine in full view beneath the rear glass screen. The 360 Modena's proportions have allowed its designers to come up with an especially roomy cockpit.

Externally, the car is nearly six-and-half feet wide and 15-feet long. The interior trim is a tasteful mix of the traditional and technological. High quality leather upholstery is combined with distinctly sporty aluminium trim.

The 360 Modena chassis was designed by Ferrari and built in collaboration with aluminum major, Alcoa. Highly sophisticated variable-section aluminium extrusions are welded together via 12 cast-aluminium nodes providing an extra 40 per cent in structural rigidity and a 28 per cent weight reduction compared to the previous F355 despite a 10 per cent increase in overall dimensions.

The 360 Modena exceeds all the passive safety requirements imposed by world regulations while providing excellent handling traits.

The 360 Modena's all-aluminium double wishbone suspension layout was tuned for optimum handling, stability and driving pleasure. Sophisticated suspension geometry controls pitch, roll and yaw and is backed up by electronic damping. Stability is further enhanced by a Bosch integrated anti-lock braking system along with electronic brake force distribution (braking effort correction) and torque return control, that prevents wheel lock-up when decelerating.

The car is fitted with extra-large 330-mm vented and cross-drilled brake discs to enhance resistance to fade without forced cooling.

The beast inside the car, a five-valve per cylinder V8 engine, is centrally mounted with the dry-sump lubrication system and oil tank placed, F1 fashion, on the spacer between the engine and the longitudinal gearbox. The power output is 400 bhp at 8,500 rpm (equivalent to 112 bhp/litre) — the most any naturally-aspirated Ferrari V8 engine has ever delivered.

The power unit features a variable geometry intake manifold, variable valve timing, titanium con-rods, forged aluminium pistons, dual engine management and drive-by-wire throttle. The 360 Modena comes with a choice of manual or (F1-style) six-speed gearbox.

With the electro-hydraulic F1 transmission, the gearbox management, which reportedly despatches gear-shifts in just 150 milliseconds, is integrated with that of the engine and traction control to provide maximum stability under even the hardest driving.

The use of two large separate air intakes (integrated in to the front bumper) for the radiators helps channel the flow of air beneath the car's underside to the two rear diffusers to give aerodynamic ground effect.

Down-force increases as speed rises and at a top speed of 180 miles per hour there is an impressive 396 lbs pressing down on the car, evenly distributed between the two axles.

Standard specs on the 360 Modena include alloy wheels, AM/FM radio with 120 watts output and auto speed sensitive volume and in-dash CD player, radio data system, Connolly leather seating and steering wheel, automatic climate control, driver and passenger airbags, keyless entry and power folding exterior rearview mirrors.

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