Ferrari Challenge vs GT3

[Trevor K]

Hi guys, I have given up on my quest to own an Enzo and convert it to RHD. It can be done via Pininfarina but with me living at the other end of the world it's just a bit too difficult.
So, change of plans and I need some help.
This might seem a bit dim, but what is the main difference between a Ferrari 458 Challenge and a 458 GT3.
I know the GT3 is far more track biased but there does not seem to be much difference in actual spec and no one seems to be able to tell me much about them in relation to each other.
As you can probably guess by this thread, I am now going for the full immersive Ferrari experience and looking for a trackday only car. I am not planning to race at all at this stage.
I guess the obvious answer is, the Challenge and the price seems very close but I am just wondering if by not choosing the GT3 I might be missing out on something. Or as I suspect, my absolute lack of skill may be wasted with a GT3.
I certainly found that with my Ducati, it seemed that at every corner (although I didn't get passed much) the bike just seemed to be laughing at me.

 

[Blow Dog]

Trev did you want this in public area?

As for your question, is this for track only / racing?

 

[Trevor K]

Track only, I cant see myself wanting to bang this around in a racing environment.

 

[KnickeRS]

Assuming you are a novice, I would say go and buy a good 430 Challenge car and get track miles under your belt. Going straight in with a 458 will halt your pace of progress possibly and have everyone in the paddocks laughing their knackers off at you for being "All the gear, no idea". No harm in starting with something more honest and a 430 Challenge is still a bloody good piece of kit, then if the bug bites, buy the 458 in either guise and you will be far better placed to capitalise on that cars' better performance.

 

[neil-f]

Assuming you are a novice, I would say go and buy a good 430 Challenge car and get track miles under your belt. Going straight in with a 458 will halt your pace of progress possibly and have everyone in the paddocks laughing their knackers off at you for being "All the gear, no idea". No harm in starting with something more honest and a 430 Challenge is still a bloody good piece of kit, then if the bug bites, buy the 458 in either guise and you will be far better placed to capitalise on that cars' better performance.

+1

 

[AlexA]

+1

Spot on on Nick. Plus 458 a serious handful in race guise Ive been told.

 

[Trevor K]

Spot on on Nick. Plus 458 a serious handful in race guise Ive been told.

Well, I currently own a 430 that has been well tricked out performance wise and have been using on the track for some time now. I am looking for something new and as I will be ordering a California T as the road/ family fez I want something really special for track only use.
I will be ordering a purpose built trailer for this exercise, so track, means track.
I guess to try and put my question into perspective, when you look at a Ducati 1199 you can have the basic one or the 1199S (one of which I own) which for not much more money gets an incredible amount of extra kit.
What I am trying to figure out is, is this the same sort of thing with the 458? or is the GT3 too much of a race car with not much to gain unless you are actually racing.

 

[Trevor K]

I just returned from the latest round of the Asia GT series where I got to cast a very critical eye over a few 458 GT3's and glean some advice from the teams. I have answered my own question. The GT3 is restricted to a race class which in real terms of just doing open track days does not mean much but the reality is, that actually running one is expensive and complicated. Whereas the Challenge is not so much and actually gives a little back to the driver in terms of comfort (aircon) and general running costs. So, there should be a 458 Challenge in the garage hopefully by the end of October, yay.

 

[Harry]

I just returned from the latest round of the Asia GT series where I got to cast a very critical eye over a few 458 GT3's and glean some advice from the teams. I have answered my own question. The GT3 is restricted to a race class which in real terms of just doing open track days does not mean much but the reality is, that actually running one is expensive and complicated. Whereas the Challenge is not so much and actually gives a little back to the driver in terms of comfort (aircon) and general running costs. So, there should be a 458 Challenge in the garage hopefully by the end of October, yay.

good to hear