First, the engine: a new 4.5-litre direct injection V8 putting out – ready for this? – 562bhp. That’s 79bhp more than the current F430, and 52bhp more than the Scuderia.
We’d heard rumours that the F430 replacement might gain turbochargers, but the 458 Italia remains defiantly naturally aspirated – in fact, at 127bhp per litre, Ferrari says it manages the highest specific output of any naturally aspirated engine ever. It’ll rev all the way up to 9,000rpm too, making it the highest-revving Ferrari of all time.
Add in 398lb ft of torque at 6,000rpm – of which 80 per cent is available from 3,250rpm – and you’re looking at a deeply, deeply fast car.
202mph fast, in fact. And a 0-62mph time of ‘less than 3.4 seconds’. That is unbelievably quick: the F430 hits 62mph in four seconds flat, and even the Scud can only manage a three-point-six. In fact, it’s even faster than an Enzo.
It won’t just be a straight-line monster, either: integrated and remapped versions of the F430’s differential and traction control systems which give the 458 32 per cent more longitudinal acceleration out of corners than its predecessor.
Oh, and see those black winglets on the grille, just under the nose? They’re slightly elastic, and deform downwards at speed to generate downforce, improve aerodynamics and cut drag. The 458, says Ferrari, will generate 140kg of downforce at 124mph. On a track, obviously.
