Car of the week: 8/22-8/29
Ferrari 458 Italia
I first saw one in the flesh a couple weeks ago while on a bike ride with some friends. I was at the intersection waiting to cross the street when I saw a black sedan rip around the corner and ‘give it some stick’. Nice! 2009 Black BMW M3 Sedan. Immediately following this was a yellow car. I couldn’t identify it. Small frontal cross-section, sleek, moving at a decent rate of speed. Then it struck me as it came into 3/4 view, new Ferrari 458 Italia. I’d finally seen one. Then, like a proper Ferrari should be driven, the driver cornered hard and slammed through 1st and 2nd gear. Whaaaa! Whaaaaa! What a sound. Thus the F430 had died.
This may be the best looking and best performing street going Ferrari to date. The later statement based on reviews, not personal opinion. However if anyone would like me to show them how to properly hoon their Ferrari please contact me.
Produced for the 2010 model year in Maranello, Italy it is the successor to the F430 (the authors dream car until that bubble was burst with the introduction of this beauty). Powered by a mid-mounted, 4,499cc, V8 engine, the 458 produces 570hp @9,000 and 400 lb-ft of torque @ 6,000rpm. This power plant doesn’t just outperform the F430, it puts it to shame as can be seen in this review by Jeremy Clarkson.
Perhaps the only downfall in my book, price excluded, is the absence of a proper manual transmission. The 458 is available with only a 7-speed dual-clutch, flappy paddle gear box. Now it’s my assumption that it is properly mated to the engine and performs flawlessly, unlike the human factor. However, it has been and always will be my belief that the proper manual transmission has 3 pedals and a gear lever in the console for personal rowing enjoyment.
Despite this small and easily overlooked short-coming, This is your Car of the Week and if I ever was allowed to drive one, it would be the Drive of my Life.
H.T.E
Filed under: Random | Leave a Comment
Tags: Car of the week, Ferrari
Connect:
No Responses Yet to “Car of the week: 8/22-8/29”