Photo: Khyzyl Saleem
We're once again thrilled to bring you an answer to a question we expect nobody asked - what happens if somebody decides to grab a Ferrari 458 and, for instance, throw it at the Pikes Peak Hillclimb?
This would obviously require the Prancing Horse to be given a time attack treatment and the resulting machine could look just like the one above. The 458 Time Attack monster you see here is but a pixel rearrangement for now, one that's been beautifully brought to digital life by young British artist Khyzyl Saleem.
However, we might just get too see such a contraption being put together in the next few years. And that's because the 458 Italia offers one hell of a platform.
While Maranello may have retired the 458 early due to the aggressive market, the tuning world is taking full advantage of the 488's predecessor nowadays. However, while Liberty Walk kits and huge wings make for outlandish visual transformations, the 4.5-liter displacement of the V8 and its naturally-aspirated nature mean most tuned 458s sit around 600 hp, matching the output of the Speciale at best.
Well, the Time Attack vehicle we're discussing here would have to follow the 488 down the turbocharged route. Once that happens, the sky is the limit in terms of performance.
The 488 also packs innovations such as the active damper control being integrated into the supercar's handling algorithm a bit of extra body roll at the limit (more control for the driver), but racing drivers can easily do without such tech stunts.
Why are Time Attack cars so important? The most recent answer came over the weekend, with the Goodwood Festival of Speed being won, for the second year in a row, by a Subaru Impreza WRX STI that had been given a treatment similar to what you see in this rendering. And yes, the Scooby roasted McLaren's fiercest P1 incarnation, the LM, which was supposed to set a new record.
However, we might just get too see such a contraption being put together in the next few years. And that's because the 458 Italia offers one hell of a platform.
While Maranello may have retired the 458 early due to the aggressive market, the tuning world is taking full advantage of the 488's predecessor nowadays. However, while Liberty Walk kits and huge wings make for outlandish visual transformations, the 4.5-liter displacement of the V8 and its naturally-aspirated nature mean most tuned 458s sit around 600 hp, matching the output of the Speciale at best.
Well, the Time Attack vehicle we're discussing here would have to follow the 488 down the turbocharged route. Once that happens, the sky is the limit in terms of performance.
The 488 also packs innovations such as the active damper control being integrated into the supercar's handling algorithm a bit of extra body roll at the limit (more control for the driver), but racing drivers can easily do without such tech stunts.
Why are Time Attack cars so important? The most recent answer came over the weekend, with the Goodwood Festival of Speed being won, for the second year in a row, by a Subaru Impreza WRX STI that had been given a treatment similar to what you see in this rendering. And yes, the Scooby roasted McLaren's fiercest P1 incarnation, the LM, which was supposed to set a new record.
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