Wow. Ferrari continues to raise the bar on exotic luxury performance vehicles. The Ferrari F430 will be replaced by the Ferrari 458, and by the looks of it and the specs that have been released, it more than fits the bill to be its successor.
The 458 Italia is the closest you will get to driving a Ferrari Formula 1 race car without being a Michael Schumacher clone. The Italia was actually designed with Schumacher’s input on F1 design and racing specifications. It sports a 570 horsepower V8 engine that will take you from 0-60mph in less than 3.4 seconds and reaches a top speed over 202mph. Sticking with Ferrari’s F1 success, the 458 Italia sports a steering wheel and dashboard that is strikingly similar in design to current F1 racers on the track right now. All the major controls for the 458 Italia have now been moved to the steering wheel for absolute control of the vehicle at all times. The two-seater berlinetta also has a completely new aerodynamic shape that is unlike any Ferrari we have seen before. The nose and front grill allow air to flow to the coolant radiators and the new flat underbody, and also features small aeroplastic winglets which generates downforce as speed increases while reducing drag. Every aspect of the cars exterior is centered on increasing speed, reducing drag, and hugging the road or the racetrack.
The Ferrari 458 Italia was officially unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show on September 19, 2009. The price for this beauty is yet to be announced but I know the Ferrari 458 Italia is on my WANT IT list this year.
Via: Autoblog, Ferrari, Wired
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