Ferrari 458
The Ferrari 458 Italia is an Italian mid-engine sports car produced by Ferrari. The 458 is the successor of the F430, and was first officially unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. It was succeeded by the 488 GTB in 2015.
Specifications
In Ferrari's first official announcement of the car, the 458 was described as the successor to the F430 but arising from an entirely new design, incorporating technologies developed from the company's experience in Formula One.The body computer system was developed by Magneti Marelli.
Engine
The 458 is powered by a engine of the "Ferrari/Maserati" F136 V8 family, generating a power output of at 9,000 rpm and of torque at 6,000 rpm with 80 percent of torque available at 3,250 rpm. The engine features direct fuel injection, a first for Ferrari mid-engine setups in its road cars.Transmission
The only transmission available on the 458 is a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox by Getrag, in a different state of tune shared with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. There is no traditional manual option, making this the first mainstream model to not be offered with a manual transmission.| Gear | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Final Drive |
| Ratio | 3.08 | 2.18 | 1.63 | 1.29 | 1.03 | 0.84 | 0.69 | 5.14 |
Handling
The car's suspension has double wishbones at the front and a multi-link setup at the rear, coupled with E-Diff and F1-Trac traction control systems, designed to improve the car's cornering and longitudinal acceleration by 32% when compared with its predecessors. The steering ratio is 11.5:1.The brakes include a prefill function whereby the pistons in the calipers move the pads into contact with the discs on lift off to minimize delay in the brakes being applied. This, combined with the ABS and standard Carbon Ceramic brakes, have caused a reduction in stopping distance from to. Tests have shown the car will stop from in or in with run flat tires, from and from with run flat tires.
The adaptive magnetorheological dampers were co-developed with BWI Group.
Performance
Ferrari's official acceleration is 3.4 seconds. The top speed is over. It has fuel consumption in combined cycle of while producing 307 g/km of CO2.Design
In keeping with Ferrari tradition, the body was designed by Pininfarina under the leadership of Donato Coco, the Ferrari design director during 2009.The interior design of the Ferrari 458 Italia was done by Bertrand Rapatel, a French automobile designer.
The car's exterior styling and features were designed for aerodynamic efficiency, producing downforce of at. In particular, the front grille features deformable winglets that lower at high speeds, in order to offer reduced drag. The car's interior was designed using input from former Ferrari Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher; in a layout common to racing cars, the new steering wheel incorporates many controls normally located on the dashboard or on stalks, such as turning signals or high beams.
According to British car magazine Autocar, the 458 Italia's design has drawn inspiration from the Enzo Ferrari and its Millechili concept car. It has been designed to be Ferrari's sportiest V8-engined car, to distinguish itself from the entry level California.
Variants
458 Spider (2011–2015)
The 458 Spider was introduced at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. This convertible variant of the 458 Italia features an aluminium retractable hardtop which, according to Ferrari, weighs less than a soft roof such as the one found on the Ferrari F430 Spider, and requires 14 seconds for operation. The engine cover has been redesigned to accommodate the retractable roof system. It has the same acceleration time as the coupé but has a lower top speed of.458 Speciale (2013–2015)
The 458 Speciale was unveiled in 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show as the high performance variant of the 458 Italia. Distinctions of the Speciale over the standard 458 Italia are the forged wheels, vented bonnet, finned side sills, a taller rear spoiler and redesigned bumpers, which include active aerodynamics designed by Ferrari Styling Centre in cooperation with Pininfarina; front and rear movable flaps balance downforce and cut drag at speed.The engine was revised, with power increased to at 9,000 rpm and of torque at 6,000 rpm. Electronic systems were updated too and side slip angle control was introduced to improve car control on the limit. SSC performs instant-to-instant analysis of the car's side-slip, comparing it with the target value and then optimising both torque management and torque distribution between the two wheels.
The Speciale accelerates from 0 to in 3.0 seconds, 0– in 9.1 seconds. Ferrari declared a Fiorano test track lap time of 1:23.5, only 0.5 seconds slower than the F12 berlinetta. Lateral acceleration now reaches 1.33 g. Only 1,309 were made.
458 Speciale A (2014–2015)
The 458 Speciale A is the convertible variant of the 458 Speciale which was unveiled at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. The 'A' stands for 'Aperta', which is Italian for 'open' – and the model was limited to only 499 examples. Just like the Speciale coupé, the Aperta has a 4.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine which generates a power output of and of torque. Acceleration from takes 3.0 seconds, and the Spider is capable of a top speed of. It was the most powerful street-legal, naturally aspirated Ferrari automobile the company had ever launched in a convertible variant, until it was surpassed by the naturally aspirated V12 of the LaFerrari Aperta in 2017.Special edition
458 Italia China Edition (2012)
The 2012 458 Italia China Edition is a limited version of the 458 Italia for the Chinese market, built to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Ferrari in China since the first Ferrari, a 348 TS, was ordered in Beijing. It is distinguished by its Marco Polo Red body colour, golden dragon graphic on the front bonnet, gold and black livery stripes symbolising a racing track, gold painted wheels, gold aeroelastic winglets, gold embroidery on the car's head rests, engine start button inscribed with the simplified Chinese characters for 'start' and a '20th Anniversary Special Edition' plaque on the dash.The vehicle was unveiled at the Italia Center of Shanghai World Expo Park.
One-offs
SP12 EC (2012)
The Ferrari SP12 EC is a one-off sports car built by Ferrari for English musician Eric Clapton under Ferrari's Special Projects programme, and based on the 458 Italia. It was revealed in May 2012 and shown at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed.The bespoke SP12 EC's bodywork is inspired by that of the Ferrari 512 BB, and was designed by Ferrari Styling Centre in collaboration with Pininfarina. It uses the mechanicals of the 458 Italia, including its 4.5-litre V8 engine and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, although many of the car's technical details are considered confidential. The car reportedly cost £3,000,000.
Pininfarina Sergio (2013)
The Pininfarina Sergio concept car, named in memory of long standing chairman Sergio Pininfarina, is a modern interpretation of the 2-seater barchetta built upon the 458 Spider's mechanicals. In keeping with the traditional open barchetta body style, it has no windshield; two matching helmets are provided for the driver and passenger.The car was first shown in March 2013 at the Geneva Motor Show. According to Pininfarina, the Sergio was developed like a production car, and therefore it could be produced in limited numbers.
Ferrari built six units of the Ferrari Sergio in collaboration with Pininfarina in 2015 and sold it to handpicked customers. The production version incorporates a targa top body style due to complexities and high production costs arising in producing the original design of the car. They use the engine of the 458 Speciale and each unit reportedly cost US$3,000,000.
The yellow and matte black car shown at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show was delivered new to its first owner in Switzerland. Its VIN is ZFF75VHB000205529 and it was offered at RM Sotheby's Monaco auction in May 2018. The car had from new and an estimate of €2,500,000 - €3,000,000. The car sold for an unknown amount.
A silver and matte black car was offered for sale at Gooding and Co's 2019 Pebble Beach auction with 78 miles from new and an estimate of $2,500,000 - $3,000,000. The car's VIN is ZFF75VFA5E0205934 and it was delivered new to a European racing driver. It didn't sell then.
458 MM Speciale (2016)
The 458 Speciale MM is a one-off sports car based on a Ferrari 458 Speciale and built for a British customer. The design pays homage to the Ferrari 288 GTO and incorporates handcrafted aluminium and carbon fibre components.Racing
458 Challenge
The 458 Challenge is a race car designed to participate in the Ferrari Challenge. It was presented at the Ferrari Annual Dealer Meeting on 14 July 2010 for the 2011 Ferrari Challenge season. The 458 Challenge Evo was introduced for the 2014 season and was replaced by the 488 Challenge for the 2017 season. Hence both variants of the 458 Challenge were used as the prime Challenge car for three seasons, the 458 Challenge for 2011 to 2013 and the 458 Challenge Evo for 2014 to 2016.According to Ferrari the standard 458 Challenge can lap the Fiorano test track in 1:16.5, which is two seconds faster than its F430 Challenge predecessor and only 0.2 seconds slower than the Ferrari FXX. Given the Evo upgrade, the 458 Challenge Evo is faster around the Fiorano test track than the Ferrari FXX.
Weight of the 458 Challenge was reduced from the standard 458 through the use of thinner body panels, carbon fibre replacement panels, and polycarbonate windows and windshield. Other differences over the regular road legal 458 include a racing cockpit with a Sabelt racing seat and six-point seat-belt harness, detachable steering wheel using a Lifeline quick-detach, plumbed-in Lifeline fire extinguisher system, air-jack mounting on the rear to lift the car up, racing fuel filler cap, center-lock wheels, a racing exhaust as well as tow hooks on the front and rear. The 2014 Evo upgrade was mainly focused on improving the aerodynamics of the 458 Challenge, with the most obvious change being the inclusion of a large rear wing. Ferrari sold an Evo upgrade kit, so that pre-2014 458 Challenge cars could be upgraded by Ferrari dealers and race teams to Evo spec.
Total production of the 458 Challenge and 458 Challenge Evo combined is just under 150 cars. Of this total, production of the Evo version is estimated at 30%, meaning that just over 100 458 Challenges and a little under 50 458 Challenge Evos were produced. It is estimated that between five and ten cars were destroyed through accidents each season, meaning that somewhere between 25 and 50 458 Challenge cars have been lost with the remaining cars possibly numbering less than 100.