2004 Ferrari Challenge Stradale - Engine, Price & Performance - First Look

The principle behind Ferrari's original Challenge series involved a crate of performance components and safety gear that, when bolted onto a Ferrari 348, turned it into a worthy weekend racer. When the F355 came along, the modifications got more serious, though some owners still drove them on the street. By the time Maranello launched the 360 Modena Challenge as a factory offering a few years back, it had become a somewhat serious racer--no longer street legal.

With Ferrari's introduction of the Challenge Stradale, the process has come full circle: a factory-developed, special-edition Modena that is street legal, yet retains much of the appearance and technology of the race-only version. The Stradale's weight has been reduced over that of the standard car, via a trimmed-down interior, lightweight racing bucket seats, plastic side-windows, and the race model's gorgeous BBS alloy wheels. It'll be offered only in coupe form and only with Ferrari's F1 sequential-manual gearbox. The Modena's 3.6-liter/395-horsepower all-alloy V-8 remains unchanged, though the suspension, brakes, and aero package are all upgraded in search of still higher performance.

Pricing has yet to be announced, though it likely will fall somewhere just below the race car's $188,300 sticker. Collectors will doubtless swarm, but we hope most Challenge Stradales end up in the hands of committed driving enthusiasts for whom even a 360 Modena coupe isn't quite sporty enough.