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

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With Honda, BMW and Toyota all having pulled out of Formula One within the space of a year, Ferrari believes that fault for the departures lies with governing body the FIA as opposed to the parent companies of the car manufacturers or the global credit crunch.

'Formula One continues to lose major players: in the past twelve months, Honda, BMW, Bridgestone and Toyota have announced they are leaving the sport,' a Ferrari statement reads. In exchange, so to speak, we will now have Manor, Lotus (at least in name only, as this incarnation has little to do with the team that gave us Colin Chapman, Jim Clark and Ayrton Senna to name but a few,) USF1 and Campos Meta. Can we claim that it's a case of like for like, just because the numbers sitting around the table are the same?

Hardly - and we must also wait and see just how many of them will really be there on the grid for the first race of next season in Bahrain and how many will still be there at the end of 2010.'

With governing body the FIA having stressed that costs must be addressed urgently and effectively, Ferrari holds the opinion that strained relations between the groups in question is a more likely cause for the F1 splits.

'The reality is that this gradual defection from the F1 fold has more to do with a war waged against the major car manufacturers by those who managed Formula One over the past few years, than the result of any economic crisis,' Ferrari's message continues, adding that - in comparison to an Agatha Christie novel - '…the guilty party was only uncovered when all the other characters dies, one after the other. Do we want to wait for this to happen or do we want to pen a different ending to the book on Formula One?'

Source: gpupdate