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Ferrari 458 Drag Races Honda K20-Engined Lotus Elise, Gets Spanked

Now that the Ferrari 458 has been replaced by the considerably more muscular 488 GTB, you can expect more and more examples of the naturally aspirated supercar to show up at street racing events. Case in point with the Prancing Horse we have here, which duked it out with a Lotus.
Ferrari 458 Drag Races Honda K20-Engined Lotus Elise 5 photos
Photo: Street FX Motorsport & Graphics/Facebook
Ferrari 458 with Straight Pipes Drag Races Honda K20-Engined Lotus EliseFerrari 458 with Straight Pipes Drag Races Honda K20-Engined Lotus EliseFerrari 458 with Straight Pipes Drag Races Honda K20-Engined Lotus EliseFerrari 458 with Straight Pipes Drag Races Honda K20-Engined Lotus Elise
Now, the British automotive producer's machines aren't exactly famous for their sprinting abilities. However, this Elise has given up its Toyota motor in favor of a Honda mill.

The change has brought a monstrous horsepower boost and that's because this mid-engined machine now packs a modded K20 motor.

Honda's turbo-four is infamous for its tuning friendly nature, with the motor easily coping with four-digit outputs. This doesn't seem to be the case here and yet the JDM firepower of the Lotus is enough for the Brit to show the Maranello machine its posterior.

The 458 had also been taken down the aftermarket path, albeit only receiving a light touch, which came in the form of a custom exhaust. Truth be told, if we are to check out the aural side of the battle, there's simply no way of comparing the two and such a conclusion would stand even without the aftermarket hardware present on the Fezza (the 458 is animated by a 4.5-liter V8).

Alas, the two didn't choose a drag strip for their confrontation, going for a highway brawl instead. And don't think that the public road battleground has determined the drivers to show any form of concern.

In fact, while the drag race saw things climbing to about 250 km/h (make that 155 mph), the driver of the Prancing Horse kept the throttle welded after the battle was over. And the guy didn't stop hooning until the Italian exotic went past 300 km/h (186 mph). And no, the highway wasn't straight for the entire length of the run.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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