There are two ways to make a car go faster. Increase power and reduce weight. Ferrari have done both with the Scuderia. Already committed to reducing the weight of their cars to boost eco-friendly numbers over the next few years, the engineers have removed a significant 100kg from the F430 and upped power from 490 to 510bhp. After a recent rash of overweight, over-priced supercars, the 1,250kg Scuderia comes like a breath of fresh air.

Weight has been saved wherever possible in both traditional and state-of-the-art ways. The hollow anti-roll bars, lighter steering rack and Perspex rear window are standard competition car practice, while exotic lightweight material like titanium and carbon-fiber are the more expensive high-tech solutions.

The use of titanium for the suspension springs came as no surprise, but our eyebrows were raised when the engineer told us that the wheel nuts were made from this light but strong aerospace metal as well. The bumpers, rear underbody diffuser, engine bulkhead, seat shells, air intake manifolds and even the wing mirrors are made from carbon-fiber.

The Scuderia accelerates from rest to 100km/h in less than 3.6s. Its lap time of 1 min 25.0 sec at Ferrari's Fiorano test track is exactly the same as for the 651bhp, V12-powered Enzo Ferrari.

Peak power is fine on the track, but on the road it is torque that delivers driveability. While its lower mass helps, enhanced torque means that the Scuderia has better low and medium speed pulling power too.

The engine improvements come through a revised intake system that ingests as much as 30 percent more air, a higher compression ratio and revised fuelling and ignition curves. The new numbers are 510bhp at a screaming 8,500rpm with 470Nm of torque at 5,250rpm.

Further into our cross-country drive, the road surface changes again, throwing dips, crests and the occasional off-camber into the mix. Here, it quickly becomes clear that for all its street legal racecar overtones, the Scuderia is no one-trick pony.