Niki Lauda is a living legend. The calculative racing driver won three Formula One world championships through decades where the sport would often see the loss of two drivers a season. Lauda’s horrific crash in 1976 saw him almost die, yet he returned to fight for the title just six weeks later showing the most incredible determination. A special Ferrari has been created to honour him.
Commissions by its owner through the Ferrari Taylor Made program, this is the Ferrari 458 Niki Lauda Edition. The 458’s paintwork mimics that of his 1970’s Ferrari Formula One cars with white detailing and gold alloy wheels. A stripe sporting the colours of the Italian flag runs over the roof and through the interior of the car. Powered by the Italia’s standard 4.5 litre V8, this car numbers just one of one.
It was just set to be a regular trip to the nearest Ferrari dealership to talk with some of the staff and browse some of the more interesting models that had made there way into the mitts of the prancing horse. A friend and myself got talking whilst at the pub and the Ferrari FF became the topic of conversation. After debating its merits for a while, we discovered that neither of us had actually had a good look around one. It was a Thursday and I had no work to do and so that is how we found ourselves surrounded by predominantly red supercars.
Oh the FF was very interesting, but that entertained our company for less than 5 minutes. What had caught our eye was a Ferrari 458 Challenge. Now the Ferrari 458 Italia is one of the most capable cars we have ever tested, but this Challenge, well it’s what Ferrari do best. The road car division of Ferrari, back when old man Enzo was still alive, had a the soul purpose of funding the racing program. Enzo Ferrari was notorious for not giving a damn about what customers thought as long as they kept paying for cars. The 458 Challenge is a pure race car with the same Ferrari ideals as its predecessors. Win and do no less…
Sitting no more than two inches from the ground, this purebred racer impresses the moment it catches your eyes. Firstly it is an astonishing looking machine an aggressive yet purely functional stance. It is possible to begin at the front of the car and literally trace the airflow from the moment it hits the car to the second it is ejected from the vents at the rear. Though the 4.5 litre V8 hasn’t been altered and still produces 563BHP, the car works vast amounts of carbon fibre into its construction. Weight saving in racing goes to the extreme, every gram that can go is gone. The cockpit is dominated by a rather raw steering wheel and a set of racing seats. The only luxury you will find in here is a fire extinguisher. The glass is now plastic and even the hinges for the bonnet have been replaced with simple pins. Pirelli racing tyres straddle the ultra light BBS rims that encompasses huge carbon breaks. All of this adds up to a car capable of lapping the Ferrari test track over 2 seconds quicker than the model it replaces.
All of a sudden with the Challenge in the showroom its road going stable mates seem somewhat inadequate. They also seek the pinnacle of performance but are bound by laws. The only laws the 458 Challenge is bound by are those that are laid out by physics.
Ferrari’s gorgeous new 458 Spider has been out giving the Italian countryside a rollicking over the past few days and are we sure glad that there was a camera about. The 4.5 litre V8 work of art not only drives like a true prancing horse but is also one of the prettiest things on wheels. Ferrari have sent us these new images of the car.
The Ferrari 458 Italia is a masterclass in engineering the perfect supercar. It is beautiful, it is powerful and it handles better than just about anything else on wheels. The prancing horse in the 458 has produced yet another jewel for their crown. But when are Ferrari going to take a tin-opener to the 4.5 litre V8? Well now is as good a time as any.
This is the much anticipated Ferrari 458 Spider and boy, it looks every bit as good as its hard-top counterpart. Armed with a metal folding roof, this drop-top can complete its metamorphosis in 14 seconds bringing the sunshine to that Italian cockpit. Interestingly the metal roof is 25KG lighter than a fabric top would have been due to its aluminium construction. The overall weight is only 50KG heavier than the Italia.
Powered by the same 4.5 litre V8 with 562BHP this car will still do 0-62MPH in 3.4 seconds.
The Ferrari 458 Italia is a masterpiece in both design and engineering. Not only is it one of the most beautiful prancing horses in a long time but it also performs exceptionally with its 4.5 litre V8. Here Ferrari give you a guided tour of one of Italy’s best. Click HERE for our review of the Ferrari 458 Italia.
The Ferrari 458 Italia at this moment in time is not only our favorite Ferrari on sale but also a rare car. Vast numbers have yet to be produced and so to see one out on the road is a rare occasion, however this will change with time as more cars are manufactured. The ultra sleek Italia will soon become as common as the F430 at its hight so how does a soon-to-be 458 owner safeguard against the future? Yes, the Ferrari customization program…
The Ferrari 458 Italia is an astonishing piece of machinery. Many of us in the office are quoting it to be the best road-going Ferrari ever produced but what happens when you take it off the road and onto the track? The recently revealed Challenge variant answers that question and today the Italian stalion has released a video of it being pushed to its limit by their test drivers…
The new Ferrari 458 Italia is a sublime piece of kit and in our eyes one of the best cars the firm has made. Beautiful looks and fantastic handling makes this one of our favourite cars on sale today. However there has been a spate of fires involving the 458, not something that is going to help Ferrari sell them and certainly not something owners want to hear. The Italian company launched an investigation immediately and the verdict is now in.
After 10 reported incidents Ferrari undertook thorough examination of the design as well as the circumstances of all the fires and has now reached a conclusion. According to them it is due to the glue used to fix the wheels arch in place. In hot ambient temperatures this glue can overheat and dislodge a heat shield causing smoke and in some cases fire. Ferrari have stressed that this only happens in rare cases where the car has been pushed hard combined with the hot temperature outside of the car. Only a small number of cars will have been effected but Ferrari are recalling all 458’s to fit new liners around the wheel arch, and of course any damaged cars will be replaced.
Ferrari’s new addition to competition is the Ferrari 458 Challenge. It’s a lightened, more hardcore 458 designed to take victories out on track. A few days ago that car was pushed to its limits during a test session and the whole thing was caught on camera.
We officially saw the Ferrari 458 Challenge about a month ago after much speculation about the race enhanced Italian stallion. Based on Ferrari’s new mid-engine V8 road car, the challenge is a stripped out through and through racer for the Ferrari Challenge series. Today Ferrari has sent us some alluring new images of the car that we thought you might like to admire.
This car will be ready to compete in the 2011 series and it is said that this Ferrari can generate 1.6G through a corner! For full details on its specifications CLICK HERE.
