Ferrari F430 GTC
2418
First ever F430 GTC to race in the Le Mans 24 Hours
3rd in class 2006 Le Mans 24 Hours
2006 British GT Champion
FIA GT entrant from 2006-2009
3rd in class 2009 Spa 24 Hours
The only F430 Raced by Nigel Mansell
The name Ferrari is synonymous with success at the Le Mans 24 hours throughout history. Ferrari have a long and illustrious history at the great race, including many outright and class successes. Theirs were the cars to beat in both GT and prototype classes throughout the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. From the mighty 375 MM, to the iconic 250 GTO and the fearsome 512 S & M models.
Ferrari’s dominance at the great race is not only limited to the past, but evident in present day. Until 2023, Ferrari’s last outright victory at La Sarthe was in 1965 with the 250 LM, but a return to top flight racing in the WEC saw a car of the Prancing Horse take overall honours once again, and in the centenary edition no less. In only their first season as a Hypercar entrant, Ferrari managed to take home the grand prize of a Le Mans victory whilst also managing to take home a GT win as recently as 2022. Indeed it is in the GT classes where Ferrari have specialised in recent decades. This successful chapter in Ferrari’s history started with the Ferrari 430 GTC in the 2006 Le Mans. Yes the 360 Modena had raced at Le Mans in previous years, but with little success.
With the arrival of the F430 in 2006, Ferrari was about to enter a brand-new chapter in GT racing. Where the 360 Modena is an adaptation of the Challenge model for the N-GT class, the F430 GT had the GT2 category squarely in mind from the start. On top of reliability, it would bring outright speed in a very competitive class. The car was meant for teams to race in the FIA GT Championship, Le Mans Series (ALMS, LMS, Asian LMS), and of course at Le Mans.
The F430 GTC was built by Michelotto Automobili with inputs from Ferrari Corse Clienti department. The partnership between Ferrari and Michelotto already produced successful endurance race cars like the F40 LM / CSAI-GT / GTE, the F333 SP, and the 360 N-GT. Like the 360 Modena, the F430 is built around an all aluminium chassis with a completely flat underfloor. The aerodynamics were completed by a rear wing mounted significantly higher than on the 360 N-GT. The F430 GTC engine was smaller than its road car sibling, to make efficient use of the FIA/ACO rules. With a cubic capacity of under 4.0L (instead of 4.3L for the road car), it was still able to develop 450hp, depending on air restrictors. With the experience learned on the 360 N-GT, the gearbox was a 6 speed manual sequential.
The F430 GT/GTC proved extremely successful around the world, winning both the FIA Manufacturer and Drivers championships in 2006 and 2007, ALMS Manufacturers and Driver titles in 2007, the Sebring 12 hours (2007, 2009, and 2010), Le Mans 24 hours (2008 and 2009), Spa 24 hours (2006, 2008, and 2009) and Petit Le Mans twice (2008 and 2009) to name a few! Now eligible for the following historic racing series: Endurance Racing Legends by Peter Auto (including Le Mans Classic), Masters Endurance Legends, Gulf Historic, plus also the Club Competizioni GT series at Ferrari Corse Clienti events. Not forgetting the popular Daytona and Sebring Classic events in the USA of course. The F430 GTC remains as the first purpose-developed modern GT coming from Ferrari, paving the way for the successful 458 GTC and 488 GTE models.
2006 saw the debut of the new Ferrari 430 GTC at the Le Mans 24hrs. Only one of the new Ferrari GT2 cars would be entered in the first year. Chassis 2418 was the car chosen for the titanic mission known as the Le Mans 24, and it was entered by a small privateer team called Scuderia Ecosse. Even though the solo Ferrari was dramatically out-numbered by the might of Porsche, plus competition from Panoz and Spyker, the privateer team managed to battle to an incredible podium finish in the GT2 class in the hands of Andrew Kirkaldy, Tim Mullen and Chris Niarchos.
2006 was already deemed as successful for 2418 as they had already achieved the dream of a Le Mans podium. But this was not enough for Scuderia Ecosse. That same year 2418 was raced in the British GT championship and the FIA GT championship. In FIA GT, Scuderia Ecosse would go on to finish 2nd in the team’s championship. 2418 provided the team with substantial results during the season as the car picked up two class wins in Adria and Dubai. However, 2418’s shining moment after Le Mans would come with it dominating the British GT championship. Winning 10 races in one season, no other entry came close to taking threatening Tim Mullen and Chris Niarchos’s grip on the championship trophy. In 2006, Scuderia Ecosse and chassis 2418 became the first ever privateer team to win a championship with the 430 GTC. To top off what was already an incredible year, 2418 competed in the Spa 24hrs where the car managed to come home a respectable 4th in class.
In 2007, chassis 2418 remained in the heavily contested FIA GT championship. The privateer team started the season with the hope of going one better than their previous campaign by trying to win the GT2 title, and so entered a two cars. In a one-off appearance during the Tourist Trophy at Silverstone, Niarchos was joined by none other than British national hero and F1 World Champion Nigel Mansell. Across the season the two-car team gained a total of three podiums but unfortunately, they could not beat the might of the factory-backed Ferrari team, although they did finish an impressive 3rd in the team’s championship.
2418 also took a trip back to Circuit De La Sarthe in 2007, and in a sensational start to the weekend, qualified on pole position in the GT2. However, the car would unfortunately go on to retire from the race due to gearbox trouble. On top of racing in the biggest endurance race in the world, 2418 also competed in the biggest GT race in the world, the Spa 24 hours for a second consecutive year. 2418 would sadly not beat it’s result from the previous year, crossing the line 6th in class.
After another successful season in FIA GT, Scuderia Ecosse decided to return again in 2008. This time, the team would be under a new name, CR Scuderia. CR Scuderia continued the trend of entering a two-car effort to maximise their chances for good results. With 2 wins and 5 podiums between the two cars, their season was once more a success. This would be 2418’s last season as a prominent FIA GT entrant as the team would decide to enter the car in another championship in the following years. 2418 would however add a third consecutive Spa 24hrs to its already impressive resume as the car matched its greatest finish at the big race, coming home in an impressive 4th in class.
By 2009 2418 had been upgraded to Evo specification, and it was during that season that the car would add another major race podium to its illustrious history. The team had finally managed to secure the podium that had seemed to be missing from the car’s history by coming home 3rd in class in the Spa 24 Hours. For 2010 CRS entered 2418 in the popular International GT open championship where it added to its already outstanding history. Here the car would take a total of three victories at Imola, Spa and Barcelona.
2418 was not only the first Ferrari F430 GTC to enter the Le Mans 24 Hours (not to mention finishing in 3rdplace!), but it was also one of Ferrari’s longest serving chassis throughout the 430 era. There are few 430 GTC’s with such an impressive history, but 2418’s history was not just determined by it’s results, with its driver roster also playing a large role. From Marino Franchitti to Allan Simonsen, Antonio Garcia and even Nigel Mansell.
After being retired form active duties, 2418 was restored back to its 2006 livery, although remaining in Evo spec. It was not long before it was sold to a prominent UK collector, and sometime later the current owner acquired the car. 2418 presents a fantastic opportunity to purchase one of the best GT2 cars of the 2000s, whilst being adorned by the Prancing Horse and having a spectacular history. It is rare that a car can boast such a favourable mix of elements. 2418 is highly eligible for the best events around the world, be it the Daytona and Sebring Classics, to the Masters Endurance Legends and of course Peter Auto’s massively popular Endurance Racing Legends (ERL), with its star Le Mans Classic round. In addition, with the recently announced grid split of Endurance Racing Legends, 2418 should be a race winner in the new ERL GT2 grid.
