2009 Ferrari 458 Italia
For all those Ferrari devotees that immediately closed their eyes and began making revving engine and shifting gear sounds after drooling on the keyboards in their cubicles over the new 458 Italia earlier this morning, we have good news. The glorious sound of Ferrari’s latest mid-mounted 4.5-liter V8 engine running up and down the ratios of its seven-speed dual clutch gearbox.
The F430′s successor has been designed by Pininfarina and sports an all-new 4.5-liter V8 unit with direct-injection that cranks out 570HP at 9,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 540Nm or 398.2 lb-ft at 6,000 rpm, over 80 per cent of which is available from 3250 rpm.
At 127HP per liter, the new V8 engine has the highest output per liter in the company’s production-model history. As with the California, the 458 Italia is equipped with the firm’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that sends power to the rear-wheels. Acceleration from standstill to 100km/h (62mph) comes in under 3.4 seconds while the supercar can achieve a maximum speed in excess of 325km/h (202mph).
Not that your typical Ferrari buyer will pay any attention to economy and CO2 figures, but Ferrari claims that 458 Italia consumes 13.7 l/100 km (17.2mpg US) on the EU combined cycle with 320 g/km of CO2.
Based on a new aluminum chassis, the Ferrari 458 Italia has a dry weight of 1380 kg or 3,048 lbs with a power-to-weight ratio of 2.42 kg/HP and a 42-58 percent front-rear weight distribution.
Maranello’s new supercar features the latest generation of the E-Diff, F1-Trac and ABS systems which are now all controlled by the same ECU with Ferrari supporting that the 458 Italia produces 32 percent more longitudinal acceleration out of corners compared to previous models.
As for stopping-power, the 459′s brakes feature what the company describes as a “prefill function” whereby the pistons in the callipers move the pads into contact with the discs on lift off to minimise delay in the brakes being applied. This results in a reduced 100-0 km/h (62-0mph) braking distance of 32.5 meters.
Turn up the Volume and watch the video
