British tuner Oakley, better known for their unique Porsches, will unveil a production version of their special Ferrari 458 Italia during this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas. The car will be featured in HRE booth, which is relevant becasue it actually has HRE lightweight, high-strength custom forged alloys wheels, specially made for the 458.



Oakley’s 458 also sports a distinctive aero kit with a front spoiler (ugly) a rear spoiler (magnificent) which both add a considerable amount of downforce at high speed, while the airflow is improved with the central radiator vent, radiator exhausts next to the headlights, stylized side sills, and new rear and underbody diffuser.

All that aerodynamic tweaks are much needed becasue of what they’ve done to the engine. They’ve remapped ECU, a larger carbon-fiber air intake box, larger ram air feeds and larger diameter white silicon pipes with Oakley Design logos connecting the air boxes to the intake.



The result of that is ten percent more power, from 562hp to 618hp and five percent more torque from 540 Nm to 567 Nm, and the result of that is 0.4-second improvement in 0 to 60 acceleration and top speed of 330 km/h.

Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge, as I’m sure you know, is the official racing version of the supercar made for its one-make racing series. It will replace the current F430 Challenge next season, but until then it’s got plenty of free time. So every once in a while Ferrari engineers take one out on the track to tweak it a little bit, make it a bit better. Here’s a footage of one of those occasions the Challenge been out flexing muscle around Monza race track. Enjoy the noise!

Chasing the new 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia. Check out the Video.

Ferrari has named the price for its latest masterpiece. As we predicted the mid-engined, V8-powered 458 Italia will start from £169,545 before adding any options. However, that does include the £950 'showroom tax' applied to the most polluting cars when they are sold.



Just short of £170,000 might seem like a steep hike in comparison to the F430 it replaces, but that's £6,000 less than the 430 Scuderia - a car the 458 trounces when it comes to outright performance and cutting edge technology.

That really is just a starting price though when you consider the myriad options available to buyers. 'Change-up' LEDs on the steering wheel will set you back £2,794, electric seats are £2,120 and an alcantara boot lining is £1,445 to mention but a few.

Elsewhere in the range, the convertible California starts at £143,325, the 599 GTB Fiorano kicks off at £207,075 and the 2+2 612 Scaglietti will set you back £217,230 before you've ticked any boxes on the options list.

Source: autoexpress.co.uk

Bridgestone announced today that it will supply its new Potenza S001 ultra high-performance sport tires to Ferrari for its new 458 Italia supercar.



“Bridgestone is privileged to have been selected by Ferrari as an official tyre supplier partner for the exciting new 458 Italia” said Mr Didier Schneider, Vice President Original Equipment, Bridgestone Europe. “Both Ferrari and Bridgestone compete to the highest of standards in Formula One, the pinnacle of single-seater racing where performance and safety are the ultimate goals. We are proud of this relationship, working both on the race track and on road car projects together.”

Bridgestone has developed ires for Ferrari since the 348 back in 1990. Many of Ferrari’s flagship models have been fitted with Bridgestone tires, including the 612 Scaglietti, the Enzo Ferrari and the Superamerica.

Refresher: Power comes from a mid-rear mounted 4.5L V8 producing 570-hp at 9,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 398 lb-ft at 6,000 rpm. Mated to a dual-clutch 7-speed F1 gearbox, 0 to 62 mph comes in just 3.4 seconds with a top speed of over 202 mph.

Source: egmcartech.com

2009 has been an incredible year for the Ferrari marque, largely thanks to the overwhelmingly positive response to the unveiling of the 458 Italia supercar at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.



Just in case there was any doubt in people's minds as to how popular the Ferrari's F430 successor is, Top Gear magazine recently named it its Supercar of the Year and, more importantly, the 458 Italia also bagged the British publication's Car of the Year accolade – and this, in the same year that the McLaren MP4-12C and Mercedes SLS AMG showed up.

That's quite some achievement, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that the new Ferrari is as close to perfection as a motor can possibly be. Despite the 458 Italia being Ferrari’s new entry-level model, it’s got everything the F430 has and much, much more. Much of this can be attributed to the Italian marque recruiting a couple of big names to give input into its creation.



Legendary Italian styling house Pininfarina continued its longstanding relationship with Ferrari (Testarossa, 612 Scaglietti, 360 Spider) by styling the new car. And if that wasn’t enough for you, Michael Schumacher, arguably the greatest F1 driver ever, was involved with the 458 Italia project from its inception. His notable contributions include test-driving the 458 and influencing the implementation of an F1-esque steering wheel – which has many of the components you’d expect on the dashboard, all there right in front of you.



So what kind of performance levels are we talking about here? Well, you’re looking at an insanely fast top speed of 202mph and a 0-62mph that falls below 3.4 seconds, all courtesy of a 4.5-litre V8 (the inspiration behind the car’s name) that punches out an almighty 570bhp at 9,000rpm.

Sales are expected to begin in Europe in 2010, with prices for the new entry-level Prancing Horse starting at around £150,000.



Source: orange.co.uk

MARANELLO, ITALY - December 3, 2009: The Ferrari 458 Italia has scooped two prestigious awards from BBC Top Gear Magazine, one of the world’s most influential automotive magazines. Not only did the British magazine nominate the 458 Italia “Supercar of the Year”, but also, for the very first time for Ferrari, the coveted title of “Car of the Year”. This brings Ferrari’s tally of consecutive Top Gear Magazine Awards to the astonishing figure of eight in seven years.

The Ferrari 458 Italia was revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September to immediate critical acclaim. Following an extensive international media test drive programme in Maranello, the home of the fabled Prancing Horse, the car has been the subject of enthusiastic reviews, with its handling, roadholding, ride comfort and performance all being subject to the kind of superlatives rarely seen from the world’s leading journalists.

In electing the Ferrari 458 Italia as their “Supercar of the Year”, BBC Top Gear Magazine underlined how it has established “the new benchmark in getting from A to B as rapidly as possible.” They also described the 570-hp V8-engined berlinetta as “a game-changing car.”

When nominating the car for the overall top award as “Car of the Year”, BBC Top Gear Magazine described how it became “our winner because the scope of its abilities is absolutely breathtaking”, concluding that the Ferrari 458 Italia “isn’t just a worthy winner, it’s off the scale!”

Source: theautochannel.com

The new Ferrari 458 Italia has supermodel looks, but what’s it like to drive?



The Ferrari 458 Italia is the car tuned by seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher.

The German, regarded by some as the greatest driver of all time, spent roughly 40 hours behind the wheel of the new Ferrari 458 Italia, feeding his unique insights to the engineers based on his considerable experience in car set-up.

That’s no guarantee of success for the latest supercar to wear the legendary Prancing Horse badge, but it’s not a bad start.

Neither is the first impression you get when you see the 458 in the flesh. It looks sensational – more stealth fighter than road car. It’s a cleaner design than the F430.

The big air intakes that dominated the flanks of the F430 have been replaced by more discreet vents on the car’s window sills and under the rear wings.

The vertical daytime running lights add another dash of theatre, while the cluster of three exhaust pipes at the rear looks like a jet’s afterburner.

Step inside and the Ferrari 458 Italia is equally impressive. Other manufacturers like to talk about a driver-oriented, cockpit-feel, but this car delivers. In fact, the passenger is almost cut out of the picture altogether.



There is no conventional centre stack. Instead, there are two screens either side of the giant tacho in the instrument panel. The one on the left has the read-out for the vehicle set-up and (too small) digital speedo, while the one on the right has the sat-nav and audio (there’s no CD player, instead you get a red Ferrari iPod and docking station).

The only buttons within easy reach of the passenger are the air-con controls and the three buttons on the centre console – the launch control, reverse gear selector and auto transmission setting.

In contrast, almost every system in the car is at the fingertips of the driver. There are no indicator stalks, the blinkers are activated by buttons on the steering wheel, as are the headlights and windscreen wipers. It seems a little odd at first, but works well. The driver can also select a softer suspension setting via another button on the wheel, while the trademark “Manettino” switch allows you to choose from five different set-ups.

The rest of the cabin is traditional leather-lined luxury, including supportive racing seats, with great side and thigh support.

Start the Ferrari 458 Italia up, blip the throttle and the intoxicating sound of a thoroughbred V8 fills the cabin.

The Italia’s 425kW V8 sounds surprisingly tame and refined when you’re driving sedately around town. But as with most sports cars these days, the Ferrari has an exhaust bypass flap that opens up as the revs rise. The harder you push the 458, the better it sounds, all the way to an ear-splitting 9000rpm.



But the noise is only a small part of the fun. The acceleration is mind-boggling. Ferrari says the 458 reaches 100km/h in 3.4secs and 200km/h in 10.4secs. After a day driving the car on the track and the open road, we found no reason to doubt those figures.

Some of the credit for the blistering acceleration goes to the Ferrari’s seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. The maker decided not to develop a manual transmission for the 458 because it says the dual-clutch delivers noticeably better performance while using less fuel.

The shifts in the Ferrari 458 Italia are razor-sharp and intuitive, with the car downshifting automatically each time you hit the awesome ceramic brakes. Each downshift is accompanied by a wonderful-sounding blip of the throttle, whether you change gears by the paddleshifts or let the 458 do it for you. The car also gargles and spits when you come off the throttle.

A flick of the Manettino really transforms the car from luxury grand tourer to race-car. The Manettino adjusts the car’s suspension, throttle sensitivity, gear shift patterns, brake feel and suspension settings. It also adjusts the sensitivity of the various driver aids, including the traction control, stability control and electronic diff, which distributes torque between the rear wheels to increase drive out of corners.

The suspension and steering are the final pieces in the jigsaw and neither disappoints. As always, we’ll reserve judgment on the ride until we get the car on local roads, but it was impressively well-controlled and comfortable on patchy road surfaces. The strangely named “bumpy road” setting also works well. It’s only available on the sportier settings and it’s designed to improve the tyres contact with the road on rough surfaces.

The setting softens the dampers so the car is less prone to skip about over corrugations.

The Ferrari 458 Italia’s grip was phenomenal, even when driven enthusiastically on wet roads, while body roll was hardly noticeable through corners. The car’s exceptional handling encourages you to push harder at each corner, while the steering is incredibly sharp and direct, adding to the overall feeling of supreme surefootedness.

It may be hideously expensive and unashamedly politically incorrect, but the Ferrari 458 Italia is one truly impressive machine.

Source: smh.com.au

Two 458 Italia challenging each other on the Mugello circuit and in the Tuscan hills. Watch the official 458 Italia video directed by Alexander Paul.

It's here! The next Ferrari that every publication will be evaluating and pitting against every other supercar has arrived and its name is the 458 Italia. Called upon to replace the still very competent F430, the 458 carries on the traditional mid-engine V8 setup.

As expected, Maranello's latest creation is a hum-dinger of a sexy beast. And it's fast too. The new direct-injection 4.5L V8 (45 in 458 stands for 4.5L) generates a jaw-dropping 562 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque. The red line begins at 9,000 rpm. Keep in mind that the 599 GTB's 6.0L V12 puts out 611 hp and 448 lb-ft of torque with 50% more cylinders and an extra 33% of displacement.



Factor in 700 fewer pounds (320 kg) that the Fiorano and you have the fastest “normal” Ferrari ever! That's right folks! The Enzo trumps it by only 0.1 seconds in the sprint to 100 km/h. To clarify, I indicated normal in quotations as more than 399 (or 400 apparently) of them will be assembled.

So the 458 reaches 100 km/h in only 3.4 seconds... Top speed? 202 mph (323 km/h)! We now know that the Italia is quick but did you know that this will be the first time that a production V8 Ferrari reaches and surpasses the 200 mph barrier? And people thought that the waiting list to get a 430 was long...

Helping Ferrari's new mid-ship V8 stallion achieve these fabulous numbers is the same seven-speed dual clutch gearbox that does duty in the recent California. As with its predecessor, the 458 is assembled on an aluminum structure that is instrumental in keeping weight down. As they say, the proof is in the pudding as the car tips the scales at only 3,042 pounds (1,323 kg.

The low kerb weight works in conjunction with reduced internal friction within the new V8 not to mention considerable aerodynamic drag improvements. This all translates into an appreciable fuel consumption average of 17.1 mpg (US) or 13.8 L/100 km. Remember that this is a high-powered supercar...On the styling front, Ferrari pooled all its latest greatest creations and used essence of Enzo, 430 and 599 to create this ultra-aggressive looking car that will surely leave no one indifferent. The most notable aspect of the new 458 are its headlights which are very narrow and tall.

The new specific output champion (127 hp per litre) complete with hard core aerodynamics and massive braking power (62 (100 km/h) to 0 in just 107 feet (32.6 metres)) will without a doubt be a highly sought after collectable the moment it becomes available.

Lastly, there have been talks about creating a hybrid version of the 458 but nothing is yet official. As far as prices are concerned, if you have to ask...

Source: hybridcarworld.blogspot.com

Ferrari calls it "a massive leap forward" from its previous mid-engine cars. The 2010 458 Italia replaces the F430 and its 483-horsepower, 4.3-liter V-8 with what Ferrari describes as an all-new engine, a 4.5-liter V-8 making 562 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque, yet with lower fuel consumption. The car's weight is part of this equation: The 458 Italia's dry weight is just 3042 pounds (expect at least 3250 curb), with 42/58-weight distribution.

Suspension is control-arm front, multi-link rear, and the 458 features a new traction system using the anti-lock brakes.

In the grand tradition of automakers with Formula One teams (or in the case of Ferrari, an F1 team that builds road cars), seven-time champion Michael Schumacher provided input for the 458 Italia project. One feature that came out of Schumi's involvement is an F1-like steering wheel and dashboard.


Ferrari promises better handling, aerodynamics, and design. You can judge from these photos on that last account. Clearly, this latest mid-engine berlinetta is an evolution of the 2004-09 F430, itself derived from the F360 before it. Ferrari estimates a 0 to 60 mph time under 3.4 seconds, which means it may match or even beat the great American "poor man's Ferrari," the Corvette ZR1. Ferrari says it'll top out at over 202 mph.