Ferrari 458 feature After months of speculation and spy shots, Maranello has finally revealed the mid-engined V8 replacement for the Ferrari F430. The all-new Ferrari 458 Italia won't be shown in public until September's Frankfurt Motor Show, but the official details were released early this morning. A new direct-injected 4.5-liter V8 ups the ante underhood, pumping out 562 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque. The redline? A screaming 9,000 rpm. Eighty percent of the F458 Italia's torque is now available at a low 3,250 rpm, thanks in all likelihood to the new engine's 12.5:1 compression ratio.
First, the engine: a new 4.5-litre direct injection V8 putting out – ready for this? – 562bhp. That’s 79bhp more than the current F430, and 52bhp more than the Scuderia.
We’d heard rumours that the F430 replacement might gain turbochargers, but the 458 Italia remains defiantly naturally aspirated – in fact, at 127bhp per litre, Ferrari says it manages the highest specific output of any naturally aspirated engine ever. It’ll rev all the way up to 9,000rpm too, making it the highest-revving Ferrari of all time.
Maintaining the quest for lap-time perfection, Ferrari’s engineers have introduced a new braking system. While other sports-car manufacturers have developed carbon-ceramic discs, and brakes that imperceptibly apply themselves in wet weather to keep the discs dry, the 458 Italia goes one better. The moment the driver lifts their foot from the throttle, a function known as “prefill” has the pistons in the callipers move the brake pads into the slightest contact with the discs, doing away with the typical delay in brake application.
Further performance improvements come from the reprogrammed traction control and electronic differential. Ferrari claims that changes to these, combined with improved suspension, bring about a 32% increase in lateral acceleration when leaving corners.
