Ferrari 458 Italia Priced at AU$526,950

The latest addition to the Ferrari stable gets ready to hit Australia next month, wearing a price tag of AU$526,950, AU$66,000 more than the outgoing 430, but less than the predicted AU$580,000. According to GoAuto, Ateco Automotive, the local Ferrari importer, some 100 people are already on a two-year waiting list for the car.

The Italia is powered by a 4.5l V8 direct injection engine fitted with the traditional flat-plane crankshaft. It has a breathtaking output of 570 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 540 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm.

The unit is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and together boasts the car from naught to sixty faster than you can say Ferrari 458 Italia: 3.4 seconds. It keeps on going until it reaches 325 km/h (200 mph).

As for the two characteristics which have in time become more important than speed and torque, it's enough to say the berlinetta produces 320 g/km of CO2 and has a fuel consumption rate of 13.7 l/100 km combined cycle (17.16 mpg),

In the interior the F1 feel of the 458 is enhanced by the knowledge that Michael Schumacher was involved in the project since it began. The 458 Italia features "an innovative driving environment with a new kind of steering wheel and dashboard that is the direct result of racing practice," as Ferrari said when the car was introduced.

The dashboard is divided in two sections, with satellite pods to the left and right of the dash. On the left cluster, the driver can find cruise control, buttons for choosing the video setting of the left-hand dash TFT screen and the on-board computer interface, while on the right one the infotainment controls: Bluetooth connection, sat-nav, digital speedometers and rear parking camera.