Ferrari 458 Speciale Boasts Most Power Per Liter: 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

Ferrari wants you to understand that its hardcore version of the 458 is, well, Speciale.

The Italian supercar builder unveiled its latest creation today: a retuned version of the 458 you’ve likely come to recognize in the hands of wealthy passersby. As if the 458 needed more performance credibility in the first place, Ferrari’s engineers cooked up a scheme to make the car even more potent. The 4.5-liter engine now makes 605 hp, which is 35-pony bump.

That makes the car’s venerable engine more than an expensive noisemaker; it also boasts the most power per liter of any naturally aspirated road going engine to date.

Ferrari claims a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of just three seconds with the dash to 124 mph (200 km) of 9.1 seconds. The car also also clocked a lap time at the brand’s Fiorano Circuit of just 1:23.5. The increased horsepower certainly helps make that possible, but it’s hardly the only contributing factor. Michelin chips in specially-designed rubber, and Ferrari says the car features improved aerodynamics that will bleed into future cars.

Then there’s the “Side Slip angle Control system,” a new algorithm the company devised to compare slip against a theoretical limit to decide exactly how far the car can be pushed. Power is then sent to the wheels through an electronic differential. What’s even more impressive is how that system will allow the 458 Speciale to reach 1.33 g in a corner, which is the most of any Ferrari product to date.

Ferrari hasn’t said how many of the cars it will produce, and the price is also still a mystery; although you can expect a healthy margin to sit on top of the Italia’s $233,509. But there is at least one area where Ferrari isn’t being ambiguous: U.S. delivery will begin in Spring, 2014.