Indeed, I've spent countless hours on tracks in BMWs, Porsches, Mercedes', GT-Rs and many others, and nowhere does a car's true colours shine brighter (or dimmer) than on a closed, high-speed circuit. The Ferrari 458 Italia is a bright car which only gets better and thoroughly brilliant on a race track.
The Italia replaces the 430 which was lauded as being a finer car than the previous 360, which was a far cry from the 355 and so on and so forth. While I may not be able to vouch for the older 'Raris, I can now say that regardless how good the other cars may have been, the 458 is better.
Now, more about the car. Actually, you're probably well aware that this gorgeous-to-behold piece of Italian art sports a mid-mounted, 570-hp, 4.5L V8. And yes, this output is all motor, no juice. In fact, the 458's 127 hp-per-litre represents one of the highest output ratings per litre of any normally aspirated car in the world.
Power is nothing without control, so would say Pirelli who happen to supply rubber for this fantastic car. The 458 is all about control. I've never experienced a transmission that so positively strong-armed an engine like the F1, 7-speed, dual-clutch gearbox in this car does. Even at WOT, the box swaps cogs with mind-boggling smoothness, speed and efficiency. Never is power cut or lost unlike the vicious E-Gear found in the Lambo. Beyond that, regardless of the position of the manettino, the E-Diff maintains and distributes the perfect amount of torque to the rear wheels.
All this electronic wizardry makes the driver feel as though they are Michael Schumacher – really. This super supercar is so trackable that only the most novice idiot could make a mistake; that is, if all the safety nets remain on.
The rush of power from the V8 is instantaneous, despite max torque showing up at 6,000 rpm. I found that much of the car's 398 pounds of torque do come on as low as 4,000 rpm, and therefore up- or downshifting madly is not necessary. It is, however, a highly desirable action. All 570 hp are on tap at 9,000 rpm and tugging on the paddles anywhere in the 6,000 to 9,000 rpm range is met with intoxicating bursts of speed.
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| Actually, you're probably well aware that this gorgeous-to-behold piece of Italian art sports a mid-mounted, 570-hp, 4.5L V8. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
The Italia replaces the 430 which was lauded as being a finer car than the previous 360, which was a far cry from the 355 and so on and so forth. While I may not be able to vouch for the older 'Raris, I can now say that regardless how good the other cars may have been, the 458 is better.
Now, more about the car. Actually, you're probably well aware that this gorgeous-to-behold piece of Italian art sports a mid-mounted, 570-hp, 4.5L V8. And yes, this output is all motor, no juice. In fact, the 458's 127 hp-per-litre represents one of the highest output ratings per litre of any normally aspirated car in the world.
Power is nothing without control, so would say Pirelli who happen to supply rubber for this fantastic car. The 458 is all about control. I've never experienced a transmission that so positively strong-armed an engine like the F1, 7-speed, dual-clutch gearbox in this car does. Even at WOT, the box swaps cogs with mind-boggling smoothness, speed and efficiency. Never is power cut or lost unlike the vicious E-Gear found in the Lambo. Beyond that, regardless of the position of the manettino, the E-Diff maintains and distributes the perfect amount of torque to the rear wheels.
All this electronic wizardry makes the driver feel as though they are Michael Schumacher – really. This super supercar is so trackable that only the most novice idiot could make a mistake; that is, if all the safety nets remain on.
The rush of power from the V8 is instantaneous, despite max torque showing up at 6,000 rpm. I found that much of the car's 398 pounds of torque do come on as low as 4,000 rpm, and therefore up- or downshifting madly is not necessary. It is, however, a highly desirable action. All 570 hp are on tap at 9,000 rpm and tugging on the paddles anywhere in the 6,000 to 9,000 rpm range is met with intoxicating bursts of speed.
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| All this electronic wizardry makes the driver feel as though they are Michael Schumacher – really. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |