The 458 Speciale joins the Ferrari range alongside the 458 Italia and 458 Spider and, like all special-series Ferraris, is aimed at a specific kind of owner, in this case those looking for an even more focused sports car that offers extreme driving emotions – or in other words rich people who love to go to the track every now and then.
The 458 Speciale’s mid-rear-mounted 4497cc GDI engine is the most powerful naturally aspirated Ferrari 8-cylinder ever developed, punching out 596bhp at 9000 rpm and maximum torque of 540Nm at 6000 rpm. That seems pretty legit for a powerful Ferrari, but then it also comes loaded with all kinds of new age technology. F1 technology transfer to the 458 Speciale was of fundamental importance to its development, including the production processes. The engine is produced in the factory’s in-house foundry using the same machinery and processes as employed by the Formula 1 team for complex components with the extreme structural and dimensional characteristics needed for a naturally-aspirated engine capable of hitting 9000 rpm. SO you can imagine that this is one serious performance car.
One of the car’s main characteristics is new Ferrari-patented mobile aerodynamic solutions at the front and the rear of the car which ensure that different aerodynamic configurations can be adopted in cornering, where maximum down-force is essential, and on straights where, instead, drag must be reduced to a minimum. Because of this the car sits very low and looks beautiful with is muscular body design that looks as if the car is moving even when it is at a standstill. A lot of thought has gone into the car’s development and the engineers have come out with a near perfect racing machine.
To control this new improved performance, Ferrari have also redesigned the brakes for better stopping power and the wheels and tyres have also been adjusted to keep the car under better control. Everything is very advanced including the suspension and the gear shift technology. Like I said – this is one serious machine that can be used on the road for pleasure and on the track for an intense racing experience.