The new Ferrari 360 Modena body in white

摘要

The 360 Modena is the latest car of the mid engine eight cylinder Ferrari family. It replaces the F355, a major commercial success for Ferrari. The objectives of the new car were to improve significantly performance, such as acceleration, handling, comfort, driveability and to reduce the overall weight. It was apparent from the beginning of the program that the weight reduction target could only be achieved with an advanced step in the design of an important and heavy component of the car: the body in white. Preliminary analyses were performed comparing various materials such as aluminum, carbon fiber and steel with different design concepts. It was necessary to find the best compromise of weight reduction, investment and manufacturing costs. Due to Ferrari's low production volume, the choice of the final analysis was an aluminum space frame. From the early phase of the program, the vehicle package was designed to accommodate large straight extruded sections needed by the new material concept for the structure. This enabled designers to improve body stiffness and safety performance of the car while still achieving the weight reduction target. The overall weight of the car is reduced by 80 kg compared to the F355 in spite of a 10% cabin volume increase.