Ferrari 458 Italia

The 458 Italia at a glance

Design and aerodynamics

Pininfarina shaped the 458 under Donato Coco, then Ferrari's design director. The large headlights reach back along the front wings, and the nose has no conventional spoiler. Instead, small winglets in the front grille bend under air pressure at speed to cut drag, while the shape of the floor and the rear diffuser work to keep the car on the road. At 200 km/h the body produces about 140 kg of downforce.

At the rear, three exhaust outlets sit in the middle of the bumper, a clear reference to the F40. The body uses aerospace-grade aluminium alloys, and period data quoted a drag coefficient of 0.33 and a torsional stiffness about 15 % higher than the F430. Ground clearance is only about 113 mm, so steep ramps and speed bumps need care.

Engine, gearbox and performance

The V8 revs to 9,000 rpm and is famous for its sound, which rises sharply above 6,000 rpm. There was no manual gearbox: the Getrag dual-clutch unit shifts with paddles behind the wheel and was the only option. Compared with the F430's 360 kW, the 458 has 59 kW more, an increase of about 16 %. With 1,565 kg to carry, it offers about 268 kW per tonne. Its place among later supercars is shown in the 1cars ranking of the most powerful coupés.

The chassis uses double wishbones at the front and a multi-link rear, with magnetorheological dampers and Ferrari's E-Diff and F1-Trac electronics working together. Carbon-ceramic brakes, 398 mm at the front and 360 mm at the rear, stop the car from 100 km/h in 32.5 m.

Cabin and the "racing" steering wheel

The interior is built around the driver. Former Formula One champion Michael Schumacher advised on the layout, and the steering wheel carries the indicators, wipers, lights, engine start button and the manettino switch for the driving modes. Without stalks, the controls take time to learn, especially the indicator buttons in a roundabout.

A large analogue rev counter sits in the middle of the instrument cluster, flanked by two screens for speed, navigation and vehicle data such as tyre and brake temperatures. Leather seats with strong side support make long trips comfortable for a car of this type. Luggage space is small: period data quoted about 200 litres in the nose and roughly 140 litres behind the seats.

Spider, Speciale and racing versions

The Spider's roof folds into the space in front of the engine and weighs about 25 kg less than a soft top, according to Ferrari. The Speciale is the most focused road version, with sharper aerodynamics and a lap time at Ferrari's Fiorano track of 1:23.5. Sources credit about 1,309 Speciale coupés, but this figure is not confirmed by Ferrari. Special projects based on the 458 included a one-off for Eric Clapton (the SP12 EC) and the Pininfarina Sergio, of which six cars were built.

Safety, recalls and known problems

Like most supercars, the 458 was not crash-tested by Euro NCAP. It has front and side airbags, ABS with brake prefill, stability control and adaptive suspension as standard.

In August 2010 several cars caught fire, and on 1 September 2010 Ferrari recalled all 1,248 cars sold to that date. An adhesive in the rear wheel-arch assemblies could overheat, smoke and catch fire, so Ferrari replaced it with mechanical fasteners. In 2012 some US cars of the 2011–2012 model years were recalled for incorrectly fitted crankshaft parts that could cause engine failure.

Rivals: how the 458 compares

Against the McLaren, the 458 offered a more emotional engine and a sharper front end, while the 12C rode more comfortably and was quicker in a straight line. The Gallardo and R8 had all-wheel drive or a manual option but felt heavier. The 1cars comparison tool sets any two of these supercars side by side.