First look: Ferrari's race-based ace

FERRARI has given us a sneak preview of the "Challenge Stradale" it will launch at the Geneva motor show in March.

The Stradala is based on the 360 Modena and continues the legendary Italian supercar manufacturer's tradition of deriving road cars closely from race cars.

In this case, the Stradale draws its inspiration from the 360 Challenge and GT models which race in Europe and the US.

The strong links of the Stradale road car to racing are underlined by a significant weight reduction, a sport suspension set-up, aerodynamic enhancements, increased braking performance and F1-style gearbox.

The engine is the same 3586cc V8, with five valves per cylinder and titanium conrods, which already graces the 360 Modena and the 360 Spider.

The all aluminium body and chassis is also shared with the 360 Modena.

Just to make sure no-one misses the racing link, the colour of the car on the Ferrari stand in Geneva will be 'Rosso Scuderia', the same red as the flying horse's Formula One cars.