Technical Paper
Design, Engineering and Production of the Alcoa Aluminum Spaceframe for Ferrari's 360 Modena
1999-09-28
1999-01-3174
A cooperative effort between Italian automaker, Ferrari, and the world's largest aluminum producer, Alcoa, has produced an aluminum spaceframe, an integral element of the first all-aluminum Ferrari, the 360 Modena. The aluminum spaceframe is one of the major reasons for the new car's enhanced performance. The spaceframe structure significantly increases overall body stiffness (42% in bending, 44% in torsion) and safety while lowering the weight (28%) and part count (35%) relative to its steel predecessor. In addition, this model is 10% larger than the one it replaced. The spaceframe consists of cast, extruded and sheet components, assembled in Modena, Italy. Extruded and die-cast components are made in Soest, Germany. A Ferrari supplier fabricates the car's aluminum sheet components. Ferrari supplies sand castings, including integral parts of the spaceframe, such as the front and rear shock towers.
