Ferrari has shown the Ferrari 458 Speciale off to a rapturous Frankfurt crowd and the response to the lightened, high-tech offering shows that to improve upon the Ferrari 458’s intrinsic perfection is not a task to be undertaken lightly. Ferrari has done a very ‘speciale’ job indeed to ensure the 458 follows in the footsteps of the Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale and the Ferrari F430 Scuderia.
The brand new Ferrari 458 Speciale continues the legacy of hardcore, pumped-up, lightened, mid-engined machines with trick electronics, that evolve from the stable of the prancing horse, and it also continues the tradition of iterations of limited-edition cars that were arguably first put into play by the much loved Ferrari F40.
To ensure the hardcore 458 variant is one of the fastest road cars ever launched by Ferrari, the Italians have plastered the entire car with world-first patents, particularly in the realm of the engine, active aerodynamics and electronic controls.
By sticking to the tried and tested Ferrari formula, the 458 Speciale gains extra power to the tune of 445 kW and 540 Nm of torque, but loses 90 kg of weight and gains an “extraordinary aerodynamic efficiency”, according to Ferrari. Although it’s not as if the the regular Ferrari 458 was exactly a bread van to start with.
The Ferrari 458’s rapturous normally aspirated 4.5-litre V8 engine gets a new intake and exhaust system, reshaped cam profiles, forged internals and coatings to further reduce friction. Compression is up to a mega 14:1 ratio and that combines with the Speciale’s 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, which has been recalibrated to allow for even faster shifts and savage response.
Listen to these out and out performance figures: 0 – 100 km/h is romped past in a trifling 3.0 seconds dead and Ferrari say the 458 Speciale laps their Fiorano test track 1.5 seconds quicker than the regular 458, which is a car that’s already lapped quicker than a Ferrari Enzo, don’t forget.
Something which Ferrari is taking to a whole new level in road-going cars is active aerodynamics. Clever aspects of the Pininfarina-styled front and the rear of the car, are that they adopt different attitudes while cornering, for added downforce. In addition, on straights they act to reduce drag, all of which is done via a new front spoiler with vertical air curtain, rear diffuser and more aggressive rear spoiler.
A new system called Side Slip Angle Control (SSC) is a world first. It utilises an algorithm to compute the relation between yaw angle, lateral acceleration, speed and steering wheel angle, allowing it to adjust the traction control and electric differential to enable smooth and predictable oversteer and/or instantaneous grip and response while cornering.
The Ferrari 458 Speciale’s brakes, suspension and tyres are essentially hand-me-downs from LaFerrari, which consist of carbon ceramic items from Brembo, a next generation magnetorheological damping system, as well as 20-inch wheels covered in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber.
Watch a video about some of the Ferrari 458 Speciale’s rampant technology below.
