Ferrari 458 Italia Manufacturer Ferrari Production 2009-present Model years 2010-present Assembly Maranello, Italy Predecessor Ferrari F430 Class Sports car Body style 2-seat Berlinetta 2-seat Spider Layout Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive Engine 4.5 L V8 Transmission 7-speed dual-clutch Wheelbase 2,650 mm (104.3 in)[1] Length 4,527 mm (178.2 in)[1] Width 1,937 mm (76.3 in)[1] Height 1,213 mm (47.8 in)[1] Curb weight 1,485 kg (3,274 lb) Designer(s) Pininfarina

	Ferrari 458 Italia at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2010
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The Ferrari 458 Italia is a mid-engined sports car produced by the Italian sports car manufacturer Ferrari. The 458 Italia replaces the Ferrari F430. The 458 Italia was officially unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show on 15 September 2009.^[2][3]

Specifications[edit]

In Ferrari's first official announcement of the car, the 458 Italia was described as the successor to the F430 but arising from an entirely new design, incorporating technologies developed from the company's experience in Formula 1.^[4]

The body computer system was developed by Magneti Marelli Automotive Lighting.

Engine[edit]

The 458 Italia is powered by a 4.5 L (270 cu in) V8 engine derived from a shared Ferrari/Maserati design, producing 570 PS (419 kW; 562 hp) at 9,000 rpm (redline) and 540 N·m (398 lb·ft) at 6,000 rpm^[5] with 80% torque available at 3,250 rpm.^[4] The engine features direct fuel injection, which is a first for Ferrari mid-engine setups in its road cars.^[4]

Transmission[edit]

The only transmission available on the 458 is a dual-clutch 7-speed GETRAG gearbox, in a different state of tune shared with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.^[4] There is no traditional manual option, making this the fourth road-car after the Enzo, Challenge Stradale and 430 Scuderia not to be offered with Ferrari's classic gated manual. It is the first mainstream model to not be offered with a manual transmission.

Handling[edit]

Rear

The car's suspension features double wishbones at the front and a multi-link set-up at the rear, coupled with E-Diff and F1-Trac traction control systems, designed to improve the car's cornering and longitudinal acceleration by 32% when compared with its predecessors.^[4]

The brakes include a prefill function whereby the pistons in the calipers move the pads into contact with the discs on lift off to minimize delay in the brakes being applied.^[6] This combined with the ABS has reduced 100–0 km/h (62-0 mph) braking distance to 32.5 metres (107 ft).^[7]

The adaptive magnetorheological dampers are co-developed with BWI Group.

Performance[edit]

Ferrari's official 0-100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration is under 3.4 seconds,^[8] while top speed is 325 km/h (202 mph), with a fuel consumption in combined cycle (ECE+EUDC) 13.3 L/100 km (21.2 mpg_-imp; 17.7 mpg_-US) while producing 307g/km of CO₂.^[9]

Design[edit]

The small aeroelastic winglets generate downforce and, as speed arises, deform to reduce the section of the radiator intake and cut drag.

The body was designed by Pininfarina, as with all recent Ferrari models. The car’s exterior styling and features were designed for aerodynamic efficiency, producing a downforce of 140 kg (309 lb) at 124 miles per hour (200 km/h).^[4] In particular, the front grille features deformable winglets that lower at high speeds, in order to offer reduced drag and increased downforce.^[10] The car's interior was designed using input from former Ferrari Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher, including a new steering wheel design which incorporates many features and controls as opposed to their being on the dashboard, similar to racing car designs.^[4]

According to British car magazine Autocar, the 458 Italia's design has drawn inspiration from the Enzo Ferrari and its Millechili concept car.^[11] It has been designed to be Ferrari's sportiest V8-engined car, to distinguish itself from the recently launched Ferrari California.^[11]

The 458 was also reviewed on 15th season of Top Gear, where it received acclaim for its styling and performance. In a drag race against a Ferrari F430, it won by a considerable margin. The car also lapped the Top Gear test track in 1:19.1, just 0.1 seconds slower than the Ferrari Enzo.

458 Challenge[edit]

458 Challenge rear

The 458 Challenge was presented at the Ferrari Annual Dealer Meeting on 14 July 2010. Ferrari says their newest Ferrari Challenge racer can lap the Fiorano test track in 1:16.5, which is two seconds faster than its F430 Challenge predecessor and only 0.2 seconds slower than the Ferrari FXX.^[12][13] Weight was reduced from the standard model through the use of thinner body panels, carbon fiber replacement panels, and polycarbonate windows and windshield.^[14] The differences over the regular road legal 458 include a racing cockpit, windows which only open through small slots. Air-jack mounting on the rear to lift the car up, racing fuel filler cap and racing rims, as well as hooks on the front and rear to drag the car out of the sandtraps.

458 Spider[edit]

458 Italia Spider at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2011.

Ferrari unveiled the 458 Spider at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. This convertible variant of the 458 Italia features an aluminium retractable hardtop which, according to Ferrari, weighs 25 kilograms (55 lb) less than a soft roof such as the one found on the Ferrari F430 Spider, and can be retracted in 14 seconds.^[15][16] The engine cover has been redesigned to cope with the retractable roof system. Ferrari plans to make 1,500-2,000 458 Spiders every year. It has the same 0-100 km/h time as the hard-top but has a lower top speed 198 mph (319 km/h).

Recall[edit]

Wheel-arch adhesive fires[edit]

On the 24th August 2010, BBC News reported that ten 458s had either crashed or caught fire in just three months.^[17] Ferrari responded later that it was aware of the fire-related cases, and was in the process of investigating them.^[17][18]

On September 1, 2010 Ferrari officially recalled all 1,248 of the 458s sold to date. A spokesman commented that the problem had been traced to adhesive used in the wheel-arch assemblies and that, in certain circumstances, the glue could begin to overheat, smoke and even catch fire. In extreme cases the melting adhesive could lead to the heat shield deforming, and hence moving closer to the exhaust, causing the wheel-arch lining to catch fire. Owners who had reported fires, that were later confirmed by independent engineers to be due to this problem, will now receive a new car. All other cars will be modified replacing the adhesive with mechanical fasteners.^[19][20]

Engine freeze[edit]

In 2012, Ferrari recalled certain 2011 and 2012 cars because the engine can freeze suddenly and possibly cause a crash. The F136 engines have crankshafts that were machined incorrectly. The automaker learned of one such incident from a review car lent to critics. Owners can choose from having a new engine installed by their dealer, having the engine removed and the work done by Ferrari North America or having a new crankshaft and bearings installed at the dealership.^[21]

Racing[edit]

Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 ^[22]

Category	ACO GTE
Constructor	Ferrari
Technical specifications
Chassis	Aluminium Monocoque
Suspension (front)	Double wishbone
Suspension (rear)	Multi-link
Axle track	Front: 1,720 mm (67.7 in), Rear: 1,688 mm (66.5 in)
Wheelbase	2,650 mm (104.3 in)
Engine	Ferrari F142 4,497 cc (274.4 cu in) V8 Naturally aspirated mid-engined, longitudinally mounted
Transmission	Hewland 6-speed sequential manual
Weight	1,245 kg (2,740 lb)
Tyres	Michelin, Pirelli, Dunlop, Hankook Tire
Competition history
Notable entrants	AF Corse, Risi Competizione, JMW Motorsport, Extreme Speed Motorsports, Luxury Racing
Notable drivers	Toni Vilander, Gianmaria Bruni, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jaime Melo
Debut	2011 12 Hours of Sebring
Races Wins Poles Fastest laps 244 [23] 64 54  ?

458 Italia GT2[edit]

Ferrari unveiled their new GTE class racer for the 2011 races sanctioned by the ACO. The 458 GT2 drops the "flex splitter" found in the road cars and replaced with a more conventional inlet, with the air exit out through louvers in the bonnet. Under new restrictor regulations, the 4.5L engine produces 464 hp (346 kW; 470 PS), which is less than the road car and the 458 Challenge. Unlike the road car, which has a high-revving low-torque engine, the GT2 version only revs to 6,250 rpm but maintains a close-to-stock torque number even with the horsepower loss. The double-clutch gearbox had to be replaced but paddle-shifting is retained since rules in 2011 allow them. Ferrari 458 GT2s compete in the American Le Mans Series, FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series.^[24]

So far, the 458 Italia GT2 has had an excellent racing record. The car has finished 2nd in the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1st at the 2011 Petit Le Mans, 3rd at the 2012 12 Hours of Sebring, and has won both the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and the 2011 Le Mans Series. AF Corse 458 Italia GT2 driven by Giancarlo Fisichella, Gianmaria Bruni, Toni Vilander won 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans in LMGTE Pro category. It was also entered as a GT300 car in the 2011 Super GT season.

458 Italia GT3[edit]

Ferrari also unveiled a GT3 version of the Ferrari 458 Italia in 2011. The car is slightly lighter and more powerful than the GT2 version, producing closer to 550 HP and running all the way to a 9000 rpm redline. The engine thus performs more similarly to that of the road car than the GT2 version. The aerodynamics of the car are also slightly different due to different aero regulations.^[24] The 458 Italia GT3 is involved in numerous racing series including the FIA GT3 European Championship, FIA GT1 World Championship, Blancpain Endurance Series, International GT Open, and numerous other national GT3 championships. The car won the 2011 FIA GT3 European Championship by the team AF Corse and the GT Asia Series by Clearwater Racing of Singapore.

458 Italia Grand-Am[edit]

In 2012, Ferrari developed a modified version of the 458 GT3 for Grand-Am. The car weighs the same but produces less downforce than the GT3 car; the engine is also restricted more heavily, producing roughly 500 hp (373 kW) and having an 8000 rpm redline.^[24] Instead of a dual-clutch transmission, the car is fitted with a traditional sequential transmission^[25]

The rollcage is also modified due to stricter safety regulations. The Grand-Am version lacks traction control and ABS. The car debuted at the 2012 24 Hours of Daytona. AimAutosport.com is the first team to win with the new 458 Italia Grand-Am spec. On Sept. 9, 2012, drivers Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato finished second at Laguna Seca and clinched the Grand-Am Rolex GT championship.

Awards[edit]

The 458 won "Car of the Year 2009" and "Supercar of the Year" it also won "Cabrio of the Year 2011" for the Spider, from Top Gear (magazine). Auto Zeitung magazine awarded Ferrari 458 Spider "Best Cabrio 2011".^[26] Motor Trend awarded the Ferrari 458 Italia with the title of "Best Driver's Car" in 2011.^[27]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ferrari 458 Italia

• Official Ferrari 458 Italia page