Official: stunning new Ferrari 458 Italia - 0-62mph in 3.4, 202mph
July 28 2009
Some of you may have thought the Ferrari California...too soft. Over-egged on the luxury, underdone on the hardcore. Has Ferrari lost the plot? Absolutely, emphatically and utterly no. This is the new Ferrari 458 Italia - and it moves the supercar game on so far it's like it comes from a different planet.
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Ferrari is making huge claims about this car: "In the course of the Prancing Horse's history, certain cars have marked a genuine departure from the current range. This is very much the case with the Ferrari 458 Italia, which is a massive leap forward from the company's previous mid-rear engined sports cars."
Those are the opening lines of the press release accompanying the official announcement of the new Ferrari. Bold talk - but as soon as you start delving into the specification details of the 458 Italia you instantly realise the Maranello manufacturer is not kidding around. Starting with the brand new 4.5-litre V8.
9,000 screaming rpm
This produces 570hp at an incredible 9,000rpm. That's 80hp more at 500rpm higher than the 490hp 4.3-litre V8 in the F430, the 458 Italia's predecessor. It also works out at 127hp per litre, practically unheard of for a road-going, naturally aspirated engine, and a figure most turbocharged performance cars would be proud of.
Torque is also up - to 398lb ft at 6,000rpm. Over 80% of this maximum figure is available from just 3,250rpm. With the adoption of direct injection and F1 technology to reduce internal friction, the new engine emits "just" 320g/km CO2 while returning 20.6mpg - remarkably efficiency for a true supercar.
Faster than a speeding rocket
But who cares about efficiency? What you really need to know is that the 458 Italia scorches earth all the way from zero to 62mph in just 3.4 seconds. That's considerably quicker than the official time for any rival Lamborghini Gallardo variant - including the LP560-4.
Helping the rear-wheel drive Ferrari get off the line is a 42-58 front-rear weight bias. Helping it to reach its 202mph top speed are some extremely clever, F1-derived aerodynamics. Despite the lack of obvious wings and spoilers, the 458 Italia generates 140kg of downforce at 124mph.
Pininfarina design and F1 aerodynamics
The bodywork, designed by Ferrari's famous styling collaborators Pininfarina, features a single front grill and narrow side openings that ram the engine with air - an effect that contributes 5hp to the total - while a flat underbody tray helps reduce drag. But that's not even the really clever bit.
Look closely at the nose and you'll spot what Ferrari describes as "small aeroelastic winglets". These aid downforce, but also deform as speed rises, reducing the size of the radiator inlets and further lowering drag. Mobile aero technology like this has actually been banned from F1.
A beautiful Ferrari
Beyond the power and the aerodynamics we're looking at the first genuinely good looking Ferrari in - what? - decades. The styling has an organic, almost reptilian quality to it that marries beauty to technological innovation far more successfully than other recent Ferrari innovation showcases such as the Enzo and FXX.
But beyond that we're assured the 458 Italia places a "strong emphasis on creating an almost symbiotic relationship between driver and car". Multiple F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher has been involved in the car's development since the very start. The 458 Italia is going to be completely awesome to drive.
Schumacher and chassis design
This is evident in everything from the lightweight aluminium chassis to the incorporation of the very latest F1 electronics. Ferrari's famed E-Diff and F1-Trac agility and stability systems are now controlled by the same ECU, allowing them to help the driver through greater integration, with much faster processing of grip levels.
This means more sideways cornering fun in partnership with greater levels of safety - making the new Ferrari easier to handle on the limit. The ECU also controls the ABS, and as a result the 458 Italia stops from 62mph in just 32.5 metres. The Highway Code distance for this speed is 73 metres.
The most involving Ferrari ever?
The new Ferrari has an even more direct steering ratio, and in combination with the dual wishbone front and multilink rear suspension, means the sharpest possible handling. Aerospace alloys, new bonding techniques - everything you can imagine has been put to use making the 458 Italia the most involving Ferrari ever.
Furthering this cause, Ferrari also makes reference to an entirely new interior concept, which sees the major controls all moved to the steering wheel - again as you would find in an F1 car. Sadly, we haven't yet seen any pictures of this, but expect top quality craftsmanship and a really special ambience.
No manual gearbox option
The one downer we can see from a purist perspective is the gearbox. Current information suggests there are no plans for a manual 458 Italia. Instead a revised version of the seven-speed dual-clutch paddleshift auto from the California is fitted. Ferrari customers love changing gear like an F1 driver...
The new Ferrari 458 Italia will be revealed in public for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Expect more details and more images between now and then - while MSN Cars will be on hand to bring you all the news direct from the show floor.
