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Ted Macauley fantasises about Ferrari’s latest supercar
ARGUABLY THE MOST desirable name in motoring, Ferrari is the marque of dreams for car fans. And if you’re going to dream of owning any Ferrari it should surely be the new 458 Italia, probably the sharpest, sexiest stunner Ferrari have ever offered us. Of course, there’s little chance of the dream coming true unless you can afford the car’s likely US$270,000 price tag.
Its first public display is set to be at this month’s Frankfurt motor show from 17 to 27 September, leading up to a general release in the spring. Final details remain under wraps but we do know the replacement for the six-year-old F430 will be powered by a new 4.5-litre V8 engine, giving out a whopping 570bhp. Convert that to performance and you’re talking 96kph from standstill in a mind-blowing 3.4 seconds.
If you’re brave enough and the traffic cops are nowhere in sight, you could reach a flat-out speed of 326kph – not much slower than Ferrari’s Formula One car. And to add to the F1 feel, the 458, developed by seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher, will have a paddle change behind the steering wheel for its seven gears.
At the recent press try-out of another peppy but much smaller and less powerful sports car, four journalists managed to crash their rides in spectacular, if careless, style. We would guess that they won’t be getting any invites to take on this prancing horse. www.ferrari.com
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