The Ferrari 458 Italia is a pretty quick car, right. In a straight out drag race there’s not many cars that can beat it. Surely a miserly four-door Tesla Model S can’t do it?
Well, off the line, yes, it can. And by some margin. This is thanks to the Tesla’s near-instant torque and all-wheel drive grip.
And the Tesla’s not just happy hosing Ferraris off the line either. See below for more.
[Thanks to John for the tip]
Ben Barry from Car magazine has the enviable task of comparing the Porsche 911 GT3 against the Ferrari 458 Speciale. Both cars have so much personality, so much power, so much appeal. Wouldn’t a day behind the wheel of these two cars, on empty open roads, be a great day out!
As a self-confessed 911 GT3 fan it’s hard to see me ever picking anything else in my automotive dreams. But, you know, a 458 Speciale ain’t so bad!
The Ferrari 458 has always been one of the best examples of car design, where aggression and elegance are given equal footing. And this convertible version of the incredibly capable 458 Speciale helps to further prove that theory.
You can’t really look this 458 Speciale A and say it is a beautiful car in the same way you can with pretty much any Aston Martin built in the last 15 years or so. The 458 just looks angry, fast and screams “don’t mess with me!” It’s not until you take a closer look at the details that the purity and elegance of the 458 begin to shine.
For example, look at this Speciale A in profile view and admire the way the bodywork creases and folds where the door begins to meet the rear wheel arch. Or in front three-quater view, look at the lower corner and the detailing of the aero package. And, of course, on this open air model, those evocative rollover hoops make this one of the few car designs where you’d be happy to take the convertible over the hardtop. The McLaren 12C Spider is another.
So what of this 458 Speciale A, then, and what is that A for? A is for aperta, Italian for open. Based on its tintop sibling the Speciale A carries over the same fearsome 445kW/540Nm normally aspirated V8, which makes this the most powerful spider Ferrari has ever made. The aluminium roof opens in 14 seconds and the overall weight gain has been kept to a respectable 50kg compared with the regular Speciale.
The 458 Speciale A will be limited to 499 models and I dare say neither you nor I will be one of the lucky owners. More’s the pity.
Before Evo magazine discovered what they thought needed improving in the McLaren MP4-12C first they had to test it against its competitors. The most obvious rival is the Ferrari 458 Italia. For extra laughs Evo added the Noble M600 as well.
Roger Green took on the track testing duties at the Bedford Autodrome West Circuit. Above you’ll see what he thought of the 12C. After the break you’ll see his views on the Fez and the Noble. Also included is a drag race with all three cars, plus a Porsche 911 Turbo S.
True to their word Car magazine has posted their video results of the McLaren MP4-12C supercar group test. Former Mr Stig, Ben Collins, took to Rockingham Motor Speedway in a veritable orgasm of supercars to see if the McLaren could walk the walk, after talking so much talk.
Up against the MP4-12C were:
After the break you can see the full 10 minute clip, which includes brief comments from Collins after driving each car. Make sure you watch right to the end and then tell us what you think of the closing graphic. Also available below is in-car footage from each lap.
[Thanks to Wayne for the reminder]
The the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli kicked off at Monza on the weekend, which meant it was the race debut for the new 458 Challenge. What better way to bring you closer to the action than by taking you onboard the new racer for a full lap of the famous Italian circuit. Stefano Gai, 2010 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli winner, is at the wheel.
It was back in July that we first heard about the new Ferrari 458 Challenge, Maranello’s ready-to-race supercar based on the 458 Italia. Since then we’ve seen a couple of test videos showing the car in action, first at Fiorano, then at Monza.
The key numbers for the 458 Challenge are 419kW at 9000rpm, 540Nm at 6000rpm with a top speed of 310km/h. It’s also the first of Ferrari’s track-only creations to feature an E-Diff to help keep things in check. Joining this electronic wizardry is the F1-Trac system which features two settings calibrated using data sourced from Ferrari’s F1 and GT racing programs.
There’s more pics and Ferrari’s official press release waiting for you after the break.
This burning Ferrari 458 Italia phenomenon is getting out of control. After the break you can see video of the sizzling 458 shown above, which was filmed in China.Apparently there have been four fire incidents involving the 458 Italia in the last two weeks.
Reported in the UK newspaper The Telegraph a Ferrari spokesman from Britain has said, “We are taking all the reports very seriously and are looking into them, but we are treating them all as separate incidents.”
With waiting lists approaching three years you’d be a bit pissed off if you already had one of these otherwise fantastic cars only to see it end up in a smouldering, useless mess.
[Source: Telegraph]
German publication auto motor und sport have posted up video footage of the Ferrari 458 Challenge undergoing allegedly secret testing at the company’s Fiorano test track. It’s all pretty straightforward really, so watch the clip below and marvel at the clinical efficiency the 458 Challenge displays.
This molten mess you see was once a gorgeous Ferrari 458 Italia. If you thought last week’s bbq case was a sorry sight, well, this disaster has taken things to a whole new level.
According to the post on the Wrecked Exotics website this 458 was another French roast. Allegedly the car was having an ace time flying up a mountain pass right up until the point the car’s engine caught fire. The end result, as you can see, was remarkable.
[Source: Wrecked Exotics via TopGear.com]
The gentleman you see above got a bit of a fright when he saw the rear arch of his Ferrari 458 Italia in flames while driving through the streets of Paris. No danger of the captain going down with the ship here, though. Monsiuer Italia legged it leaving his poor 458 to a firey end.
All was not lost, however, a good samaritan saw the trouble ahead and soon stepped in with his trusty fire extinguisher to minimise the damage.
[Source: AutoGespot | Thanks to Chris for the tip]
The Ferrari 458 Challenge, the latest Maranello road car to racecar transformation, has just been revealed at the Annual Dealer Meeting. Of course, the Challenge version is heavily based on the already mighty 458 Italia, which has been drawing praise the world over since its launch.
To make the 458 that little bit better on the track Ferrari’s engineers have played with the gear ratios to offer more low down torque, even though the road car’s standard engine and 425kW remains. The E-diff from the standard car also makes its way onto the Challenge meaning it is the first Ferrari wearing this badge to be fitted with such technology. Similarly, the most recent traction control technology from Ferrari, F1-Trac, has also been fitted to a Challenge for the first time.
A weight loss program has been employed through the use of thinner body panels. Other lightweight materials such as carbon fibre and lexan have been used as well. The Challenge sits 30mm lower than the Italia and runs on 19″ alloys with Pirelli slicks.
Apparently prospective 458 Challenge owners are “professional and gentlemen drivers alike” and they’ll be pleased to know they will be able to race their new toys in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli series from 2011. They also have a new target time of 1:16.5 at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track; two seconds faster than the F430 Challenge.