Aldous Voice

The central brake light fitted into the engine cover of a 360 or F430 is generally a reliable piece of kit.  However failures can occur and it should come as no surprise that Ferrari charge an eyewatering £126 for something that would have cost a few pounds to manufacture.  Cost conscious owners will be pleased to learn that Superformance sell a pattern light for a (slightly) more palatable £50 (it should also be noted that this part should also fit a 599 and an Enzo).  Here are the two units side by side.

The important dimensions are very close but there are differences between the two parts.  The OEM light has individual bulbs inside reflector bowels whereas the pattern part has a strip of LEDs behind the red lens.  This results in a slimmer unit.  The wiring is also different – the OEM light has an onboard connector and a short loom, the pattern part just two wires attached.

In order to make it work I recover the protective plastic sheath for the earth and the connector for the positive.  A fresh M6 ring terminal is also required.

The terminal can be crimped in place and with a little solder, heat shrink and loom tape the replacement unit is nearly ready to fit.

The pattern part doesn’t come with a heat shield, which is also a separate part to the OEM light (add another £30) and to be honest I don’t think it needs protection due to the smaller size.  However, I prefer to add a little aluminium tape to reflect any heat away.

Before fitting, the stand-off spacers will need to be recovered from the old part.  I also prefer to reuse the original nylock nuts since the pattern part is only supplied with plain nuts.

The unit fits well into the gap and looks right at home.

Light output is also good:

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• Bodywork

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