The new Prancing Horse car is powered by a 4.5l V8 direct injection engine. Equipped with the traditional flat-plane crankshaft, the engine develops 570 horsepower at 9,000 rpm, meaning we get some 127 horses/liter. It's like having four 1.4l Alfa Romeo MiTo under the hood. Maximum torque of the 458 is 540 Nm at 6,000 rpm, with some 80 percent of it is available from just 3,250 rpm.
The engine 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),
According to the company's figures, the Pininfarina design of the body provides 140 kg of downforce at 200 km/h (124 mph). This is achieved in part thanks to the aeroelastic winglets which deform at high speeds to reduce the section of the radiator inlets and cut drag.
The front features a single opening for the front grille and side air intakes, with aerodynamic sections and profiles designed to direct air to the coolant radiators and the new flat underbody.
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 says.
Further details, including prices and perhaps a few more photos are still expected to surface.
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