Video: Ferrari 458 Challenge wrung out at Fiorano

Wed

11

Aug

Video: Ferrari 458 Challenge wrung out at Fiorano

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Videos, Ferrari, Racing

Ferrari 458 Italia caught testing – Click above to watch video after the jump

A video camera can do strange things to reality. While we’ve always heard that training a lens on a person can add 10 pounds to their figure, it’s also true that focusing on a moving car can subtract 20 mph. Watching a car scoot around a track on screen and seeing the same action in real life, or even worse, from the cockpit, are two entirely different things. At some point during the migration from the real world to digital representation, things just seem to slow down, which is exactly why this video of the Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge after the jump is so impressive. The beast looks down right fast on film, so we can only imagine the kind of tear in the space-time continuum it could develop here in the real world.

Ferrari has pulled something special with its newest track bully. While the car still breathes through the same 570-horsepower 4.5-liter V8 as its more civil sibling, the company shaved a considerable amount of weight and fitted it with the same globe-crushing brakes as the 599XX. The changes have been enough to give the 458 Italia Challenge the guts to lap the Fiorano circuit in a blistering 1:16.5. That’s a mere two-tenths of a second off of the lap time of the marginally more loco FXX.

That puddle on the floor? Yeah, that’s from our mouths watering. We’ll get someone on that.

[Source: Axis of Oversteer]

Continue reading Video: Ferrari 458 Challenge wrung out at Fiorano

Video: Ferrari 458 Challenge wrung out at Fiorano originally appeared on Ferrari News on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted in 458 italia, 458Italia, Ferrari, Ferrari 458 Italia, Ferrari458Italia, fiorano | No Comments »

Mon

2

Aug

Video: Top Gear and the Ferrari 458 Italia. What are you waiting for?

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Ferrari

Top Gear reviews the Ferrari 458 Italia – Click above to watch video after the jump

Jeremy Clarkson has got his hands on a Ferrari 458 Italia, and his particular take on the coupe involves a comparison to the venerable 308, a drag race with James May’s personal F430, Clarkson opening his heart to flappy paddles, a “humiliation” and of course, a lap with The Stig. All that and more is a click away, so follow the jump to get watching. Hat tip to Tyler!

[Source: BBC via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Top Gear and the Ferrari 458 Italia. What are you waiting for?

Video: Top Gear and the Ferrari 458 Italia. What are you waiting for? originally appeared on Ferrari News on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted in 308, 458 italia, 458Italia, F 430, f430, Ferrari 308, ferrari 430, Ferrari 458 Italia, Ferrari308, Ferrari430, Ferrari458Italia, james may, JamesMay, Jeremy Clarkson, JeremyClarkson, stig, top gear, TopGear | No Comments »

Thu

22

Jul

Sibal renders Ferrari 458 GT

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Ferrari, Design/Style, Racing

Ferrari 458 GT by Jon Sibal – Click above for high-res image

Brace yourself for big ol’ dose of sexy. Ferrari hasn’t exactly made a secret that this is the last year for the F430 GT in the American Le Mans Series. With its days numbered, more than a few souls have begun meditating on what will come next for the Prancing Horse’s ALMS teams. Most have settled on the notion that the new 458 Italia will make its way to the paddock in race guise, resulting in a 458 GT. Fortunately for us, one of those contemplative souls just happens to be the design guru Jon Sibal.

Sibal worked up a quick rendering of what the new bruiser would look like, and we have to say we’re smitten. The lunging lines of 458 Italia lend themselves well to an even more low-slung race stance. Throw in a few aerodynamic tweaks, a new set of shoes and proper rubber and you’ve got a genuine heart throb. Sibal says the rendering is just a quick shot at what the car looks like – we’d can’t wait to see what happens when he takes his time with the car.

[Source: Jonsibal]

Sibal renders Ferrari 458 GT originally appeared on Ferrari News on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted in 458 GT, 458Gt, ALMS, american le mans series, AmericanLeMansSeries, f430, F430 GT, F430Gt, Ferrari, Ferrari 458 GT, Ferrari 458 Italia, Ferrari F430 GT, Ferrari458Gt, Ferrari458Italia, FerrariF430Gt, gt, Jon Sibal, JonSibal, Rendering | No Comments »

Sat

17

Jul

Ferrari 458 Italia fans the flames in the City of Lights

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Europe, Ferrari, Luxury

Ferraris have been known to have the fire inside, and sometimes the coupes like to give their owners a baptism by fire. Literally. The gent in the photo was cruising through Paris in his new 458 Italia when he noticed that the rear fender was on fire. While he bolted from the driver’s seat and left the car burning in the middle of the street, a passerby happened to have a fire extinguisher and put the flames to rest before the 458 got an even blacker paint job.

We presume that was a different passerby than the one with the camera, who just took lots of photos of the car-b-que. Click the link for more of them, and watch out for flaming stallions in Paris.

[Source: Autogespot (translated)]

Ferrari 458 Italia fans the flames in the City of Lights originally appeared on Ferrari News on Sat, 17 Jul 2010 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted in combustion, Ferrari 458 Italia, ferrari fire, Ferrari458Italia, FerrariFire, fire | No Comments »

Wed

14

Jul

Officially Official: Ferrari 458 Challenge races in

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Europe, Ferrari, Racing

Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge – Click above for high-res image

The 458 Italia, like any other roadgoing Ferrari, draws its inspiration and development from the Scuderia’s considerable racing prowess. Turning the 458 back into a racing car, then, is an extra special feat – one to which Maranello is well accustomed, from the Challenge versions of the 348, 355, 360 and 430 that came before. The new race car will run alongside the F430 Challenge as part of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo next year, the latter of which is also getting a new Asia-Pacific series for 2011 as well.

While the Challenge car maintains the production 458′s 5.5-liter V8 drivetrain, it has gone on a substantial diet that includes thinner body panels comprised of Lexan and carbon-fiber. Ride height has been dropped for circuit duty by 30mm, and the Challenge also gets its own suspension bits and setup with stiffer springs, dampers and aluminum bushings. Center-lock 19-inch racing wheels are banded in slick Pirelli tires, and the whole gorgeous Italian parade reins to a halt with Brembo CCM2 carbon-ceramic brakes from the 599XX. In other big news, the 458 Challenge receives F1-Trac electronics that makes use of specific programs that help set the car up for both wet and dry conditions.

All of this information arrives on the heels of the initial spy shots and the video that followed, with Ferrari having issued an official statement (available after the jump) and the image above. In addition, a small batch of photos have crept their way onto the Teamspeed forums, apparently from the vehicle’s official unveiling in Maranello. You can check them out at the gallery below.

Gallery: Spy Shots: Ferrari 458 Challenge

[Sources: Ferrari, Teamspeed.com]

Continue reading Officially Official: Ferrari 458 Challenge races in

Officially Official: Ferrari 458 Challenge races in originally appeared on Ferrari News on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted in 458, 458 challenge, 458 italia, 458Challenge, 458Italia, challenge, Ferrari, Ferrari 458 Italia, ferrari challenge, Ferrari Challenge Trofeo, Ferrari458Italia, FerrariChallenge, FerrariChallengeTrofeo, teamspeed, Tifosi | No Comments »

Wed

7

Jul

Motor Trend forecasts Ferrari 458 Scuderia, new Enzo

Filed under: Performance, Ferrari

Ferrari 458 Italia – Click above for high-res image gallery

There’s been a lot of talk recently about new Ferraris slated to roll out of Maranello. Which makes sense, considering that its parents at Fiat are in the midst of a big product shake-up. But while previous reports foreshadowed replacements for the 599, 612 and Enzo – and even went as far as outlining the product life-cycle to be implemented across Ferrari’s entire line – executives in Maranello have until now avoided any mention of a Scuderia version of the new 458.

And we could hardly blame them. After all, there aren’t many better ways to kill off excitement for a brand-new supercar than talking about the better version in the pipeline. Motor Trend, however, claims to have it on good authority that a lighter-weight, more powerful version of the 458 Italia will arrive in 2013, taking up the position held by the outgoing 430 Scuderia and the 360 Challenge Stradale before it.

Unfortunately, not much else is known, other than to say that, while some body panels will be replaced by carbon fiber, Ferrari’s intent on sticking with aluminum for its production models, rather than integrating the magic black weave into its mainstream offerings as some of its competitors are doing.

The Enzo’s replacement, however, is not considered a mainstream production model. MT figures the twin-turbo, direct-injection V8 that will power the new flagship will produce upwards of 700 horsepower, driving through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and aided by all the latest electronic wizardry which Ferrari has cooked up in its F1 and XX development programs.

Gallery: Ferrari 458 Italia

[Source: Motor Trend]

Motor Trend forecasts Ferrari 458 Scuderia, new Enzo originally appeared on Ferrari News on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted in 458, 458 italia, 458 scuderia, 458Italia, 458Scuderia, enzo, Ferrari, ferrari 458, Ferrari 458 Italia, ferrari 458 scuderia, Ferrari Enzo, Ferrari458, Ferrari458Italia, Ferrari458Scuderia, FerrariEnzo | No Comments »

Tue

6

Jul

Video: Goodwood 2010 – Taking the hill

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Performance, Ford, Lexus, Lotus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Ferrari, UK, Racing

Porsche 908/3 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2010 – Click above to watch video after the jump

There are plenty of reasons to get excited about the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The annual shindig is a mecca for metal from all over the world – old and new. Motorsports events from across the go-fast spectrum make it onto the schedule and there’s even plenty of auto-themed art to keep the masses entertained when they aren’t huffing tire smoke. In a word, the event is bliss for anyone with even a passing interest in the automobile.

But the grand daddy of it all has to be the Hill Climb. At 1.16 miles, the course features nine turns, a looming stone wall and enough hay to feed all the cows in Wisconsin for a week. Last year brought out a rash of new high-dollar supercars, including the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and the Lexus LFA, and as a result, there were plenty of manufacturers on hand to show off their newest hardware. While we were lurking the grounds and looking at all the shiny conveyances, drivers were blasting across the grounds and recording their exploits. We’ve rounded up 10 of the best videos from the hill and arranged them in no particular order. Sure, some of them are more entertaining than others, but all of them are better than what you’re doing at work, right? Hit the jump to get started.

Continue reading Video: Goodwood 2010 – Taking the hill

Video: Goodwood 2010 – Taking the hill originally appeared on Ferrari News on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted in Ferrari 458 Italia, Ferrari California, Ferrari458Italia, FerrariCalifornia, Ford Transit Connect, FordTransitConnect, Goodwood 2010, Goodwood2010, GoodwoodFestivalOfSpeed, lotus exige cup 260, LotusExigeCup260, McLaren MP4-12C, MclarenMp4-12c, mercedes-benz sls amg, Mercedes-benzSlsAmg, Porsche 908, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Porsche908, Porsche911Gt3Rs | No Comments »

Thu

1

Jul

Riding with the King: Clapton wants a Ferrari 458 Italia… with a V12

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Ferrari, Celebrities

Hey brother, can you spare a chin? Clapton in the Ferrari paddock with Michael Schumacher

When you’ve recorded as many platinum records, collaborated with as many big names and topped as many best-guitarists-of-all-time lists as Eric Clapton, you can get pretty much anything you want. And the ironically nicknamed Slowhand is known to have a taste for Ferraris. So much so that when he stopped by the factory in Maranello, even Ferrari couldn’t pass up the opportunity to interview him.

Neither could Quattroruote, for that matter. While speaking with the Italian car-mag, Clapton reportedly professed his love for the new 458 Italia… with just one caveat: He’s not such a fan of eight cylinders. Could he get it with V12?

According to Quattroruote, apparently he can, as Ferrari has reportedly agreed to build it for him, with the 6.0-liter V12 from the 599 GTB Fiorano. We’ll believe it when we see it, which is pretty much exactly what we said the first time we heard the guitar riff on Layla.

Gallery: Ferrari 458 Italia