CHALLENGE MET; Surviving several laps around the famed Fiorano test track in the Ferrari F430 Challenge.(F430 Challenge new car by Ferrari)

Byline: MIKE FLOYD

On the twisty, pothole-strewn road of life, there are unforgettable moments, like getting behind the wheel of a first car (Plymouth Satellite), or walking down the matrimonial aisle.

And driving a Ferrari. At Fiorano.

You'd think sitting on the AutoWeek staff for five years would have afforded me chances galore to pilot a Prancing Horse. Not so: The closest I've come to a Ferrari is at the many auto shows where I've toiled away posting news and photos to autoweek.com. To slide behind the removable wheel of a rocket ship like the F430 Challenge and press the engine-start button is a Scuderia Red-tinged fantasy.

So when asked to go to Italy to drive the race-ready Ferrari at the famed Fiorano circuit, first came shock, then awe.

The F430 Challenge is the latest vehicle developed by Ferrari to run in its Grand-Am-sanctioned Challenge racing series. Some 140 have been produced, at $228,850 each.

While the F430 Challenge has the same 4.3-liter, 490-hp V8 as the base F430, numerous racing-intent modifications are made. Changes include carbon-ceramic brakes (a Ferrari Challenge car first), 19-inch Pirelli slicks mounted on center locking rims, a Lexan windscreen, six-point racing harness and FIA-compliant roll cage, gearbox tuning that reduces fifth and sixth gear final-drive ratios and quickens overall shifts, a carbon fiber intake manifold; and a reworked exhaust that lightens the pipes and moves them to a rear-center position. The weight-saving efforts shave roughly 225 pounds off the 3196-pound street car.