"Low grip" is next, for rainy and/or broken roads, probably pretty useful for the driver of merely good skills who still wants

The driver can select one of five settings for the electronics and driveline, via the "manettino" switch on the steering wheel. (Photo: Gerry Frechette, Canadian Auto Press)

to have some fun in those conditions. "Sport" is the standard setting, which primarily tells the adaptive suspension and differential to maximize handling and stability. For most skilled drivers, on public roads, this is the setting to be in. From there, though, it gets crazy, because there are two more radical settings. "Race" is supposed to be used only on a track, Ferrari's official warning, as it cuts out almost all intervention and tailors the F430's reflexes to permit fun such as power slides, catching it only as a last resort if the driver exceeds the car's ultimate limits. And then there is the setting that we can't type, because it is simply called CST ("control for stability and traction") with an ominous slash through it, kind of a warning sign. This means everything but ABS and EBD is turned off, and the driver had

The driver-machine interface was one that pleasantly surprised me on several levels. (Photo: Gerry Frechette, Canadian Auto Press)

better be very good or very brave to explore the limits on this setting. I've left the, perhaps, most contentious aspect of driving the F430 to the end. The one I drove, just like, I am told, about 75 percent of the F430s ordered, was equipped with the F1 gearbox that features electro-hydraulic clutch (read, no clutch pedal) and paddle shifters on the steering wheel (read, no gear shift between the seats). Ferrari's technical people at the event were quick to emphatically point out that this is not a mere automatic transmission like the one found in that pedestrian German sports car; it is a full manual box that requires you to shift it.