Some say the 458 was the last real mid-engined Ferrari, as its 488 successor dropped the naturally aspirated recipe for forced induction, and the F8 that followed took that recipe to new heights.
Here at autoevolution, we are fans of all supercars, no matter how ridiculous they look. Actually, some Mansorys don't tickle our fancy at all, but that's a story for another time. Meanwhile, let's get back to the Ferrari 458, which is still a dream machine even if it hasn't been around for almost a decade.
The Prancing Horse ended production in 2015 after six years, and during this time, they made coupe and convertible versions of it, as well as a few special editions and one-offs, like the SP12 EC, Pininfarina Sergio, and 458 MM Speciale. The pure racers completed the offering and made motorsport history on a few occasions.
It is very tricky to find the specs of some older models on Ferrari's official website, though that does not apply to the 458 series. The Italia, which was the fixed-roof model, packed a 4.5-liter V8 (hence the 458 name). The naturally aspirated engine was good for 562 hp (570 ps/419 kW) at a ridiculously cool 9,000 rpm and 398 pound-foot (540 Nm) of torque at 6,000 rpm.
A dual-clutch seven-speed automatic gearbox channeled everything to the rear wheels. Ferrari quoted the 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) performance at 3.4 seconds and said the maximum speed was over 202 mph or 325 kph. Not many enthusiasts may care about the fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, but these were rated at 17.7 US mpg (13.3 l/100km) and 307 g/km combined, respectively.
Photo: Liberty Walk
No one is allowed to say that we now have hot hatchbacks that are almost as fast as a 458 in a straight-line sprint, as this is a pure supercar designed to offer a thrilling driving experience incomparable to any traditional model, no matter how much power it has. Suppose you need another reason to love this engine. In that case, you should know that it was the foundation of the flat-plane crank V8 powering the C8 Chevy Corvette Z06. The bowtie brand's team of engineers turned to eBay to buy such a mill and used it to learn how Ferrari was able to make it work.
Ferrari's 458 was such a marvelous machine, both in terms of design and performance, that it attracted several celebrities back in the day, including Justin Bieber, who was the owner of a famous blue copy fitted with a Liberty Walk body kit. You can also own a similar ride advertised by the famous Japanese tuner on its official website.
This 458 was made in 2012 and has a lot of miles under its belt for a pure exotic. At the time of cataloging, the odometer showed 44,588 km (27,705 miles). Nevertheless, despite being 12 years old and having seen some action during its life, it is presented in great condition inside and out, and more importantly, under the hood.
Photo: Liberty Walk
Finished in black, it sports Liberty Walk's wide body kit with bolt-on fender flares, side skirt extensions, a new apron, a rear diffuser, and a ducktail spoiler. It also features a set of 20-inch black V-spoke alloys with visible rivets that spin around the white brake calipers. The latter hue dominates the cabin, as it was applied to the seats and door cards in the form of leather, sprinkled with black accents and piping. The rest of the cockpit is black with the usual carbon fiber trim.
One controversial touch is the added infotainment system hooked up to the audio and a reversing camera. The tuner mentions other gear, including the air-con, power windows, power seats, and so on. And an interesting fact about it is that it is a left-hand drive copy, despite calling the Land of the Rising Sun home. That said, it is ready to be imported to the West after paying the asking sum, which, between you and I, is not over-the-top at all for such a brilliant machine.
Our Japanese is still a little rusty, but with the help of Google's Translate, we managed to find out that this Ferrari 458 Italia has an asking price of 27,800,000 yen. This equals almost $185,000 at today's exchange rates. And yes, you could land a cheaper 458 and use the rest of the money for maintenance, insurance, and gas, but it won't feature a Liberty Walk body kit, nor would it look so good.
We completely understand if you're not fans of the said body kit on this Ferrari or on any other model, but since we're children at heart, we absolutely love it and think it fits the design like a glove. If we (okay, I) had that kind of money to spare, we'd be all over this 458. So, what are you waiting for?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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