Continuing the tradition established by the Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale and the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, this generation’s 458 will receive it’s own track-ready variant: the Monte Carlo.
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Before gasoline-electric hybrids became a staple of the automotive world, enthusiasts referred to a ‘hybrid’ as a vehicle sporting an engine from a different car, shoehorned to fit in order to give a smaller chassis more power.
Italian exotic brand Maserati is planning to expand its lineup by 2015, including a mid-engined sports car to compete with the Ferrari 458 and Porsche 911 that brand boss Harold Wester recently dropped new hints about.
The Ferrari 458 is being recalled again, but not for catching on fire this time.
A small group of Ferrari 458 models, as well as convertible California models have been issued a recall notice by the Italian exotic automaker due to an issue with the engine crankshaft. In total, 206 cars did not receive a properly finished crankshaft, which could result in excessive vibration and eventually damage to the engine.
Owners are being contacted and will be asked to visit their Ferrari dealer in order for the necessary recall work to be done.
[Source: AutoCar]
If nothing else, driving a Ferrari 458 Spyder commands attention, but tuner Novitec Rosso insists that’s not enough. It just announced a new tuning package that makes the car lighter, faster and more aerodynamic to allow a 200 mph top speed.
A horrible accident involving a Ferrari 458 Italia Spyder occurred in Beijing, leaving the driver dead and his two passengers seriously injured — both female.
While that may not be groundbreaking news in and of itself, the Chinese government is moving quickly to censor any internet searches involving the word “Ferrari” as a result of the accident.
It’s believed that the man behind the wheel of the 458 was the illegitimate son of Jia Qinglin, member of the Politburo Standing Committee (one of China’s leading Communist Parties). Details of the crash are quickly being deleted from the Internet in addition to the censorship of the keyword search.
Regardless of who was behind the wheel, the wreck is devastating and we hope the passengers make a speedy recovery.
GALLERY: Ferrari 458 Italia Accident
[Source: Jalopnik]
Ferrari confirmed the debut of their 458 Grand Am would happen at this year’s Daytona 24 Hours, set to begin on January 26th at Florida’s Daytona International Speedway. Derived from the GT3 variant of the 458, the Grand Am race car was developed in collaboration with Michelotto and aimed at the American series.
For the Daytona 24 Hours race, Ferrari has their version of a dream team as a crew. Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip will be alongside Travis Pastrana, and endurance race veterans Rui Aguas and Robert Kauffman. Hopefully Ferrari will have better luck than all those other “dream sports teams” like the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Heat. They’re clearly itching for a victory.
GALLERY: Ferrari 458 Grand Am
Underground Racing’s Ferrari 458 Italia has been twin-turbocharged and packs 700-whp. Lamborghini‘s Aventador LP700-4 delivers 700-hp from the factory, so obviously it makes perfect sense to pit the two Italian exotics against one another in one awesome video.
Though the “racing” in the video isn’t exactly perfect in terms of judging which vehicle is truly better or faster, it’s worth watching to hear the sonorous note of two if Italy’s finest exotics.
The 458 features Underground Racing’s Stage 1 bolt-on turbo kit taking the factory 562-hp to a 700-whp on 93-octane pump gas. If you’re not aware of just how big a difference there is between 700-hp and 700 horsepower at the wheels, this video should clear things up pretty fast.
Underground Racing has promised a rematch of the two in the near future, just as soon as it preps a twin-turbo setup for the Aventador’s V12.
Check out the video after the jump:
Ferrari recently held a private unveiling for the new 458 Spider in Maranello and Teamspeed member GrayTT was on hand to capture the action. And in true Ferrari form, the Italian automaker brought out three 458 Spiders, one in red, one in yellow and one in black. All three Spiders feature Ferrari’s fully retractable hard top which is a world’s first in a sports car with this type of layout.
The 458 Spider is powered by Ferrari’s 4.5L V8 power plant with 562-hp and its top will take only 14 seconds to open or close. One thing’s for sure, this is arguably Ferrari’s sleekest and sexiest convertible and we could easily see ourselves in one… or two, or all three.
Check out the video after the break and look for more photos from the official reveal with AutoGuide’s Frankfurt Auto Show coverage beginning September 13th.
GALLERY: Ferrari 458 Spider Unveiling
[Source: TeamSpeed]
Watch the video after the jump:
Twin turbo experts in everything from Dodge Vipers to Lamborghini Gallardos, Heffner Performance has introduced a “bolt-on” twin-turbo system for the Ferrari 458, boasting that it’ll increase the factory horsepower rating by 257 ponies, bringing it up to an astonishing 820-hp. Perhaps more shocking is that Heffner claims the setup can do all this on just 5-psi of boost… and on pump gas.
Heffner describes the twin-turbocharged 458 Italia as taking the soul of the legendary F40 and combining it with the technology of a modern F-1 car. And true to all Heffner Performance products, the twin-turbo upgrade looks cleanly integrated in the factory engine bay, as if it belonged there when the car rolled off the lot. Don’t we wish.
GALLERY: Heffner Performance Twin Turbo Ferrari 458 Italia
[Source: Heffner Performance]
Ah, what’s better than one Ferrari 458 Italia? How about a Novitec Rosso-modified Ferrari 458 Italia? How about two that look identical? Novitec Rosso decided the best way to a man’s heart wasn’t to grab their attention with just one hot, bright red and sexy 458, but with two outfitted with the same modifications. And even better, Novitec knew that photos just doesn’t cut it these days, especially when we’re talking about twins here, so they gave us a video of the bombshells…together of course.
Novitec Rosso’s 458 Italia tuning package bumps horsepower up by 39-hp by outfitting the 4.5L V8 with a new carbon fiber air box and Inconel exhaust system (which also weighs 46-lbs less than the factory unit) that is comprised of new manifolds, sport catalysts and rear muffler with control flap. Combined the bolt-ons with a newly remapped ECU and you’ve got a 458 Italia breathing as fiery as ever.
In addition to the performance gains, Novitec went through thorough wind-tunnel testing for their aerodynamic kit. The carbon fiber pieces are attached to existing body panels, with a subtle front lip, side flaps and wings, a rear spoiler and a carbon fiber rear diffuser. For wheels, Novitec chose their NF3 pieces to outfit the twins with a matching red and black paint scheme. Staggered with a set of 21×9-inch in the front while the rear receives a much wider and larger 22×12, Novitec pairs the wheels up with high-performance Pirelli rubber.
And of course, Novitec lowers the 458 Italia a solid 1.4-inches while incorporating a 1.6-inch front-end lift at the push of a button.
Check out a video of Novitec’s 458′s twins after the break.
The great American Le Mans Series begins this weekend at the wonderful 12 Hours of Sebring. And with all first races of the season, great anticipation brews for new race car debuts and at the top of everybody’s list is Risi Competizione’s Ferrari 458 GTC. Luckily for us, Risi Competizione brought along a photographer out on their test days and has finally reveals some photos of the car in race form to the world.
Risi Competizione is a Houston-based race team that has specialized in fielding Ferraris for many years in the ALMS series. They have taken plenty of class victories back with them with their 430 GT2, so it’ll be plenty interesting to see how successful they can get their 458 to become, and more importantly, how qiuckly.
Risi Competizione’s Founder and Team Principal, Giuseppe Risi, had a few things to say about their new car:
“This new car offers a great opportunity for us to show what, I believe, we do best at Risi Competizione,” he says, “which is to technologically develop our cars to race and win GT events at the highest level of competition. I am confident that our total race car preparation will be better than our competitors, and that will allow us to concentrate our efforts on the areas of development and evolution that new race cars inevitably present.”
Risi continues: “We will be concentrating on just one car this season, and will be making a run for the GT Championship. We are under no illusions that the 12 Hours of Sebring – traditionally a happy hunting ground for us – will be a severe test as the F458 is short on testing time and the track is punishing. It’s going to be a true test for the car and for us, although racing is a challenge in itself at any level. I’m completely confident, however, that our guys are up to it.”
We’ll be keeping our eyes glued to this weekend’s Sebring coverage. One of the best races of the year!
[Source: JonSibal.com]
GALLERY: Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 GTC
Perhaps it has something to do with being engaged to Russell Brand, or maybe it has to do with whip cream and kissing girls. Whatever it is, the results are in, and British men have spoken – they want Katy Perry to ride shotgun with them.
The pop singer, best known for her dessert-themed bras and colorful hair styles, has been voted the ultimate dream female passenger in a poll of British men by MPH, the Prestige and Performance Motor Show. And they voted for the car they’d like to take in a spin as well – the Lamborghini Gallardo.
Women got in on the voting in this survey too. They picked Twilight star Robert Pattinson as their number-one choice. And the car that really revs their engines is the Ferrari 458.
[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]