mid-engine
In automotive engineering, a mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine in front of the rear-wheel axles, but behind the front axle.
History
The mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive format can be considered the original layout o ...
sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
produced by Ferrari. The F458 is the successor of the F430, and was first officially unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. It was succeeded by the 488 GTB (Gran Turismo Berlinetta), which was unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. It was made by hand at Ferrari headquarters in Marranelo, Italy.
Specifications
In Ferrari's first official announcement of the car, the 458 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 One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship ...
.
The
body computer
Automotive electronics are electronic systems used in vehicles, including engine management, ignition, radio, carputers, telematics, in-car entertainment systems, and others. Ignition, engine and transmission electronics are also found in trucks, ...
system was developed by
Magneti Marelli
Magneti Marelli S.p.A. () is an Italian developer and manufacturer of components for the automotive industry. The firm is headquartered in Corbetta, Italy, and includes 86 manufacturing plants, 12 R&D centres, and 26 application centers in 19 c ...
.
Engine
The 458 is powered by a engine of the "Ferrari/Maserati" F136V8 family, generating a power output of at 9,000 rpm (
redline
Redline refers to the maximum engine speed at which an internal combustion engine or traction motor and its components are designed to operate without causing damage to the components themselves or other parts of the engine. The redline of an en ...
) and of torque at 6,000 rpm with 80% torque available at 3,250 rpm. The engine features
direct fuel injection
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All com ...
, which is a first for Ferrari mid-engine setups in its road cars.
Transmission
The only transmission available on the 458 is a 7-speed
dual-clutch
A dual-clutch transmission (DCT) (sometimes referred to as a twin-clutch transmission) is a type of multi-speed vehicle transmission system, that uses two separate clutches for odd and even gear sets. The design is often similar to two separat ...
automatic
Automatic may refer to:
Music Bands
* Automatic (band), Australian rock band
* Automatic (American band), American rock band
* The Automatic, a Welsh alternative rock band
Albums
* ''Automatic'' (Jack Bruce album), a 1983 electronic rock ...
gearbox by
Getrag
Getrag (), stylized as GETRAG, was a major supplier of transmission systems for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The company was founded on 1 May 1935, in Ludwigsburg, Germany, by Hermann Hagenmeyer; as the ''Getriebe und Zahnradfabrik ...
, in a different state of tune shared with the
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG (C197 / R197) is a front mid-engine, 2-seater, limited production grand tourer developed by the Mercedes-AMG division of German automotive manufacturer Mercedes-Benz, with the assistance of David Coulthard. The car is ...
. There is no traditional manual option, making this the first mainstream model to not be offered with a manual transmission.
Handling
The car's suspension has double wishbones at the front and a multi-link setup at the rear, coupled with E-Diff and F1-Trac
traction control system
A traction control system (TCS), also known as ASR (from german: Antriebsschlupfregelung, lit=drive slippage regulation), is typically (but not necessarily) a secondary function of the electronic stability control (ESC) on production motor vehicl ...
s, designed to improve the car's cornering and longitudinal acceleration by 32% when compared with its predecessors.
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. This, combined with the ABS and standard Carbon Ceramic brakes, have caused a reduction in stopping distance from 100–0 km/h (62-0 mph) to . Tests have shown the car will stop from 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in or in with run flat tires, from 60 mph (97 km/h) and from 60 mph (97 km/h) with run flat tires.
The adaptive magnetorheological dampers were co-developed with BWI Group.
Performance
Ferrari's official 0– acceleration is 3.4 seconds. The top speed is over . It has fuel consumption in combined cycle (ECE+EUDC) of while producing 307 g/km of CO2.
Design
In keeping with Ferrari tradition, the body was designed by
Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930.
On 14 December 2015, the Indian ...
under the leadership of
Donato Coco
Donato Coco is an Italian car designer born in Foggia, Italy in 1956. He is known for designing automobiles for Citroën, but even more well-known for designing some of Ferrari's recent cars.
Coco was Lotus Head of Design from 2009 to November 20 ...
, the Ferrari design director during 2009.
The interior design of the Ferrari 458 Italia was done by Bertrand Rapatel (Director of Ferrari Interior Design), a French automobile designer.
The car's exterior styling and features were designed for aerodynamic efficiency, producing downforce of at . In particular, the front grille features deformable winglets that lower at high speeds, in order to offer reduced drag. The car's interior was designed using input from former Ferrari Formula 1 driver
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher (; ; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver who competed in Formula One for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Schumacher has a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Lewis ...
; in a layout common to racing cars, the new steering wheel incorporates many controls normally located on the dashboard or on stalks, such as turning signals or high beams.
According to British car magazine '' Autocar'', the 458 Italia's design has drawn inspiration from the
Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari (; 20 February 1898 – 14 August 1988) was an Italian motor racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari automob ...
and its Millechili concept car. It has been designed to be Ferrari's sportiest V8-engined car, to distinguish itself from the entry level
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
convertible
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving ex ...
variant of the 458 Italia features an aluminium
retractable hardtop
A retractable hardtop — also known as "coupé convertible" or "coupé cabriolet" — is a car with an automatically operated, self-storing hardtop, as opposed to the folding textile-based roof used by traditional convertible cars.
The benefits ...
which, according to Ferrari, weighs less than a soft roof such as the one found on the Ferrari F430 Spider, and requires 14 seconds for operation. The engine cover has been redesigned to accommodate the retractable roof system. It has the same 0–100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration time as the coupé but has a lower top speed of due to the added weight.
458 Speciale (2013–2015)
The 458 Speciale was unveiled in 2013 at the
Frankfurt Motor Show
The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility shows. It cons ...
as the high performance variant of the 458 Italia. Distinctions of the Speciale over the standard 458 Italia are the forged wheels, vented bonnet, finned side sills, a taller rear spoiler and redesigned bumpers, which include active aerodynamics designed by Ferrari Styling Centre in cooperation with
Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930.
On 14 December 2015, the Indian ...
; front and rear movable flaps balance
downforce
Downforce is a downwards lift force created by the aerodynamic features of a vehicle. If the vehicle is a car, the purpose of downforce is to allow the car to travel faster by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more grip ...
and cut
drag
Drag or The Drag may refer to:
Places
* Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway
* ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania
* Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street adj ...
at speed. The engine was revised, with power increased to at 9,000 rpm and of torque at 6,000 rpm. Electronic systems were updated too and side
slip angle
In vehicle dynamics, slip angle or sideslip angle is the angle between the direction in which a wheel is pointing and the direction in which it is actually traveling (i.e., the angle between the forward velocity vector v_x and the vector s ...
control (SSC) was introduced to improve car control on the limit. SSC performs instant-to-instant analysis of the car's side-slip, comparing it with the target value and then optimising both torque management (via integration with F1-Trac traction control) and torque distribution between the two wheels (via integration with the E-Diff electronic differential]). The Speciale accelerates from 0 to in 3.0 seconds, 0– in 9.1 seconds. Ferrari declared a Fiorano test track lap time of 1:23.5, only 0.5 seconds slower than the F12 berlinetta. Lateral acceleration now reaches 1.33 g. Only 3,000 were made.
458 Speciale A (2014–2015)
The 458 Speciale A is the convertible variant of the 458 Speciale which was unveiled at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. The 'A' stands for 'Aperta', which is Italian for 'open' – and the model was limited to only 499 examples (49 RHD examples). Just like the Speciale coupé, the Aperta has a 4.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine which generates a power output of and of torque. 0–100 km/h (62 mph) takes 3.0 seconds and the Spider is capable of a top speed of . It was the most powerful, street-legal, naturally aspirated Ferrari automobile the company had ever launched in a convertible variant, until it was surpassed by the naturally aspirated V12 of the LaFerrari Aperta in 2017.
Special Editions
458 Italia China Edition (2012)
The 2012 458 Italia China Edition is a limited (20 units) version of the 458 Italia for the Chinese market, built to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Ferrari in China since the first Ferrari, a 348 TS, was ordered in Beijing. It is distinguished by its Marco Polo Red body colour, golden dragon graphic on the front bonnet, gold and black livery stripes symbolising a racing track, gold painted wheels, gold aeroelastic winglets, gold embroidery on the car's head rests, engine start button inscribed with the simplified Chinese characters for 'start' and a '20th Anniversary Special Edition' plaque on the dash.
The vehicle was unveiled at the Italia Center of Shanghai World Expo Park.
sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
built by Ferrari for English musician Eric Clapton under Ferrari's Special Projects programme, and based on the 458 Italia. It was revealed in May 2012 and shown at the 2013
Goodwood Festival of Speed
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual motorsports festival featuring modern and historic motor racing vehicles taking part in a hill climb and other events, held in the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England, in late June or e ...
.
The bespoke SP12 EC's bodywork is inspired by that of the Ferrari 512 BB, and was designed by Ferrari Styling Centre in collaboration with
Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930.
On 14 December 2015, the Indian ...
. It uses the mechanicals of the 458 Italia, including its 4.5-litre V8 engine and seven-speed
dual-clutch transmission
A dual-clutch transmission (DCT) (sometimes referred to as a twin-clutch transmission) is a type of multi-speed vehicle transmission system, that uses two separate clutches for odd and even gear sets. The design is often similar to two separ ...
, although many of the car's technical details are considered confidential. The car reportedly cost £3,000,000.
Pininfarina Sergio (2013)
The Pininfarina
concept car
A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...
, named in memory of long standing chairman
Sergio Pininfarina
Sergio Pininfarina, born Sergio Farina, (8 September 1926 . – 3 July 2012) was an Italian , is a modern interpretation of the 2-seater
barchetta
Barchetta () is an Italian word commonly translated into English as "little boat". The term originally referred to a small skiff used for recreational purposes. It is also applied to some items of clothing, as well as being used in automobile styl ...
built upon the 458 Spider's mechanicals. In keeping with the traditional open barchetta body style, it has no windshield; two matching helmets are provided for the driver and passenger.
The car was first shown in March 2013 at the
Geneva Motor Show
The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by t ...
. According to Pininfarina, the Sergio was developed like a production car, and therefore it could be produced in limited numbers.
Ferrari built six units of the Ferrari Sergio in collaboration with
Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930.
On 14 December 2015, the Indian ...
in 2015 and sold it to handpicked customers. The production version incorporates a
targa top
Targa top, or targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsch ...
body style due to complexities and high production costs arising in producing the original design of the car. They use the engine of the 458 Speciale and each unit reportedly cost US$3,000,000.
The yellow and matte black car shown at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show was delivered new to its first owner in Switzerland. Its VIN is ZFF75VHB000205529 and it was offered at RM Sotheby's Monaco auction in May 2018. The car had from new and an estimate of €2,500,000 - €3,000,000. The car sold for an unknown amount.
A silver (Argento Nürburgring) and matte black car was offered for sale at Gooding and Co's 2019 Pebble Beach auction with 78 miles from new and an estimate of $2,500,000 - $3,000,000. The car's VIN is ZFF75VFA5E0205934 and it was delivered new to a European racing driver. It didn't sell then.
sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
based on a Ferrari 458 Speciale and built for a British customer. The design pays homage to the Ferrari 288 GTO and incorporates handcrafted aluminium and carbon fibre components.
Racing
458 Challenge
The 458 Challenge is a
race car
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organis ...
designed to participate in the
Ferrari Challenge
The Ferrari Challenge is a One-Design, single-marque Auto racing, motorsport championship that was created in 1993 for owners of the Ferrari 348, 348 Berlinetta who wanted to become involved in racing. The series was proposed by Ferrari Club N ...
. It was presented at the Ferrari Annual Dealer Meeting on 14 July 2010 for the 2011 Ferrari Challenge season. The 458 Challenge Evo was introduced for the 2014 season and was replaced by the 488 Challenge for the 2017 season. Hence both variants of the 458 Challenge were used as the prime Challenge car for three seasons, the 458 Challenge for 2011 to 2013 and the 458 Challenge Evo for 2014 to 2016.
According to Ferrari the standard (non-Evo) 458 Challenge 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
The Ferrari FXX is a high-performance track-only developmental prototype built by Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari. The FXX is based on the street-legal flagship Enzo Ferrari. Production of the FXX began in 2005.
Overview
The FXX use ...
. Given the Evo upgrade, the 458 Challenge Evo is faster around the Fiorano test track than the Ferrari FXX.
Weight of the 458 Challenge was reduced from the standard 458 through the use of thinner body panels, carbon fibre replacement panels, and polycarbonate windows and windshield. Other differences over the regular road legal 458 include a racing cockpit with a Sabelt racing seat and six-point seat-belt harness, detachable steering wheel using a Lifeline quick-detach, plumbed-in Lifeline fire extinguisher system, air-jack mounting on the rear to lift the car up, racing fuel filler cap, center-lock wheels, a racing exhaust as well as tow hooks on the front and rear. The 2014 Evo upgrade was mainly focused on improving the aerodynamics of the 458 Challenge, with the most obvious change being the inclusion of a large rear wing. Ferrari sold an Evo upgrade kit, so that pre-2014 458 Challenge cars could be upgraded by Ferrari dealers and race teams to Evo spec.
Total production of the 458 Challenge and 458 Challenge Evo combined is just under 150 cars. Of this total, production of the Evo version is estimated at 30%, meaning that just over 100 458 Challenges and a little under 50 458 Challenge Evos were produced. It is estimated that between five and ten cars were destroyed through accidents each season, meaning that somewhere between 25 and 50 458 Challenge cars have been lost with the remaining cars possibly numbering less than 100.
458 Italia GT2
Ferrari unveiled their new GTE class racer in 2011 to take part in Championships sanctioned by
ACO
ACO, AcO, or Aco may refer to:
Organizations
* Accountable care organization, healthcare organization characterized by a specific payment and care delivery model
* Aco Records, a British 1920s record label
* ACO, C.A., a Venezuelan holding compan ...
and FIA. The 458 Italia GT2 drops the "flex splitter" found in the road cars in favour of a more conventional inlet, with the air exiting out through the louvers in the bonnet. Under new restrictor regulations, the 4.5-litre V8 engine generates a power output of , which is less than the road car and the 458 Challenge. Unlike the road car, which has a high-revving low-torque engine, the engine in the GT2 version only has a red line of 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 the amended rules in 2011 allow them.
So far the 458 Italia GT2 has had an impressive racing record. The car won the
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
Petit Le Mans
The Petit Le Mans (French for ''little Le Mans'') is a sports car endurance race held annually at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, USA. It uses the rules established for the 24 Hours of Le Mans by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), which ar ...
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
.
In 2011, the 458 Italia GT2 took the
Intercontinental Le Mans Cup
The Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (shortened ILMC) was an endurance sports car racing tournament organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) started in 2010.
GTE Manufacturers' and the GTE PRO Team Titles, the
Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the f ...
GTE Manufacturers' and GTE PRO Team and Drivers' honours and the
International GT Open
The International GT Open is a grand tourer-style sports car racing series founded in 2006 by the Spanish GT Sport Organización. It was a spin-off of the now-defunct Spanish GT Championship, but is now a distinct series featuring FIA GT3-spec ca ...
Overall and Super GT Team and Drivers' crowns. The following year, with the creation of an FIA-managed World Championship, the car obtained the GTE Manufacturers' and GTE PRO Team Titles in the
FIA World Endurance Championship
The FIA World Endurance Championship is an auto racing world championship organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The series supersedes the ACO's former Interco ...
. In the same year the Italian car gained the
European Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...
GTE PRO Team and Drivers' honours and the
International GT Open
The International GT Open is a grand tourer-style sports car racing series founded in 2006 by the Spanish GT Sport Organización. It was a spin-off of the now-defunct Spanish GT Championship, but is now a distinct series featuring FIA GT3-spec ca ...
Overall and Super GT Manufacturers', Team and Drivers' crowns. In 2013 the car repeated its successes, winning the
FIA World Endurance Championship
The FIA World Endurance Championship is an auto racing world championship organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The series supersedes the ACO's former Interco ...
GTE Manufacturers', GTE PRO Team, GTE Drivers' and GTE AM Team Titles, the
European Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...
GTE Team and Drivers' honours, the
Asian Le Mans Series
The Asian Le Mans Series is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and based in Asia. It is the successor to the defunct Japan Le Mans Challenge which folded in 2007 after its second season. T ...
GTE Team and Drivers' crowns and the
International GT Open
The International GT Open is a grand tourer-style sports car racing series founded in 2006 by the Spanish GT Sport Organización. It was a spin-off of the now-defunct Spanish GT Championship, but is now a distinct series featuring FIA GT3-spec ca ...
Overall and Super GT Manufacturers' and Drivers' Titles. In 2014 the 458 Italia GT2 achieved, for the third straight year, the
FIA World Endurance Championship
The FIA World Endurance Championship is an auto racing world championship organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The series supersedes the ACO's former Interco ...
GTE Manufacturers' and GTE PRO Team honours, as well as, for the second time in a row, the GTE Drivers' crown (which had been instituted in 2013). For the fourth time the car also clinched the
European Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...
GTE Team and Drivers' Titles, but it didn't take part in the
International GT Open
The International GT Open is a grand tourer-style sports car racing series founded in 2006 by the Spanish GT Sport Organización. It was a spin-off of the now-defunct Spanish GT Championship, but is now a distinct series featuring FIA GT3-spec ca ...
and
Asian Le Mans Series
The Asian Le Mans Series is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and based in Asia. It is the successor to the defunct Japan Le Mans Challenge which folded in 2007 after its second season. T ...
Championships (the 458 Italia GT3 raced in both these series that year).
In 2015, the Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 cars competed in the
FIA World Endurance Championship
The FIA World Endurance Championship is an auto racing world championship organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The series supersedes the ACO's former Interco ...
,
European Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...
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, generating a power output closer to and has a red-line of 9,000 rpm. 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.
The 458 Italia GT3 has achieved many important victories in its career. It has won six times the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (two in the GT3 PRO AM category and two in the Gentlemen Trophy), four times the Gulf 12 Hours (three overall and one in the Gentlemen Trophy), the 2013 and 2014 12 Hours of Sepang, the 2014 and 2015 24 Hours of Dubai in the A6-AM class, the
2014 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour
The 2014 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour was an endurance race for a variety of GT and touring car classes, including: GT3 cars, GT4 cars and Group 3E Series Production Cars. The event, which was staged at the Mount Panorama Circuit, near Bat ...
at the famous
Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Circuit is a motor racing track located in Bathurst, New South Wales, Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on Mount Panorama (Wahluu) and is best known as the home of the Bathurst 1000 motor race held each October ...
in Bathurst and the 2014 24 Hours of Barcelona.
The 458 Italia GT3 holds the record for the number of titles won in many international Championships. In the Blancpain Endurance Series it took the 2011, 2012 and 2014 GT3 PRO AM Team and Drivers' crowns and the 2013 and 2014 Gentlemen Trophy Team and Drivers' honours, while in the
European Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...
, since the creation by the
ACO
ACO, AcO, or Aco may refer to:
Organizations
* Accountable care organization, healthcare organization characterized by a specific payment and care delivery model
* Aco Records, a British 1920s record label
* ACO, C.A., a Venezuelan holding compan ...
of a GT3 class, clinched the 2013 and 2014 GTC Team and Drivers' Titles. In the
International GT Open
The International GT Open is a grand tourer-style sports car racing series founded in 2006 by the Spanish GT Sport Organización. It was a spin-off of the now-defunct Spanish GT Championship, but is now a distinct series featuring FIA GT3-spec ca ...
the
Maranello
Maranello ( Modenese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy, 18 km from Modena, with a population of 17,504 as of 2017. It is known worldwide as the home of Ferrari and the Formula 1 racin ...
car gained the 2011, 2012 and 2014 GTS Team and Drivers' crowns, the 2012, 2013 and 2014 GTS Manufacturers' honours and the 2014 Overall and Super GT Drivers' Titles. The 458 Italia GT3 has also a strong racing record in the most important Asian GT series, the GT3 Asia, in which it achieved the 2011 Drivers' crown and the 2012 and 2014 Team and Drivers' honours. The car has also been driven to win the 2011 FIA GT3 Drivers' Title, the 2013
Asian Le Mans Series
The Asian Le Mans Series is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and based in Asia. It is the successor to the defunct Japan Le Mans Challenge which folded in 2007 after its second season. T ...
European Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...
,
International GT Open
The International GT Open is a grand tourer-style sports car racing series founded in 2006 by the Spanish GT Sport Organización. It was a spin-off of the now-defunct Spanish GT Championship, but is now a distinct series featuring FIA GT3-spec ca ...
Blancpain Sprint Series
The GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup, officially known as Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS for sponsorship reasons, formerly the FIA GT Series, is a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) ...
,
Asian Le Mans Series
The Asian Le Mans Series is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and based in Asia. It is the successor to the defunct Japan Le Mans Challenge which folded in 2007 after its second season. T ...
,
Australian GT Championship
The Australian GT Championship is a CAMS-sanctioned national title for drivers of GT cars, held annually from 1960 to 1963, from 1982 to 1985 and from 2005. Each championship up to and including the 1963 title was contested over a single race a ...
and many other national GT3 Championships.
458 Italia Grand-Am
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, generating a power output of and having an 8,000 rpm redline. Instead of a
dual-clutch
A dual-clutch transmission (DCT) (sometimes referred to as a twin-clutch transmission) is a type of multi-speed vehicle transmission system, that uses two separate clutches for odd and even gear sets. The design is often similar to two separat ...
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gea ...
, the car is fitted with a conventional
sequential manual transmission
A sequential manual transmission, also known as a sequential gearbox, or a sequential transmission, is a type of non-synchronous manual transmission used mostly for motorcycles and racing cars. It produces faster shift times than traditiona ...
.
The roll-cage 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 9 Sept. 2012, drivers Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato finished second at Laguna Seca and clinched the Grand-Am Rolex GT championship.
Awards
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
''Autozeitung'' or ''Auto Zeitung'' (German: "Automobile Newspaper") is a German-language biweekly automobile enthusiast magazine. It is headquartered in Cologne, Germany.
History and profile
''Autozeitung'' was established in 1969. The magazine ...
'' magazine awarded the Ferrari 458 Spider "Best Cabrio 2011".
''
Motor Trend
''MotorTrend'' is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, and designated the first Car of the Year, also in 1949.
Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles published ''MotorTrend'' until 1998, when it was sold to ...
'' awarded the Ferrari 458 Italia the title of "Best Driver's Car" in 2011. The 458 Speciale won Top Gear's Supercar of the Year 2013 and James May's Car of the Year.
Recalls
Wheel-arch adhesive fires
On 24 August 2010,
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
reported that ten 458s had either crashed or caught fire in just three months. Ferrari responded later that it was aware of the fire-related cases, and was in the process of investigating them.
On 1 September 2010 Ferrari officially recalled all 1,248 of the 458s sold to date. A spokesman commented that the problem had been traced to an 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, received a new car. All other cars were modified by replacing the adhesive with mechanical fasteners.
Engine seizure
In 2012, Ferrari recalled certain 2011 and 2012 US market cars because the engine could seize suddenly and possibly cause a crash. The F136 engines had incorrectly mounted crankshafts. The manufacturer learned of one such incident from a review car lent to critics. Owners could 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.
Marketing
Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels is an American brand of scale model cars introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1997, when Mattel bought Tyco Toys, then owner of Matchbox.
Many automobile manufacturers ha ...
produced a 1:18 scale model of the 458 Italia, Spider, GT2, Challenge, China Edition and, later, the Speciale versions under both its regular "Mattel / Heritage" and premium "Elite" and "Super Elite" lines of collectible die-cast models. Bburago also produced variants of the 458, such as the Italia, Spider and Challenge, in diecast in 1:18, 1:24, 1:32, and 1:43 scales under its "Race and play" line up. The Speciale version in 1:18 scale followed later under both its "Race and play" and "Signature series" lineups.
Illicit trade practices investigation
After the Ferrari 458 Italia had been reported to cost much more in China than the United States, the Chinese Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) began working in conjunction with the National Development and Reform Commission for possible price-fixing, despite automakers' claim of a 24% import tariff, 17% value-added tax, and a consumption tax having been added to the car's price.
458 Italia
The Ferrari 458 Italia (Type F142) is a mid-engine sports car produced by Ferrari. The F458 is the successor of the F430, and was first officially unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. It was succeeded by the 488 GTB (Gran Turismo Berl ...