Ferrari launching 458 Speciale, featuring most powerful V8 ever
by Canadian Manufacturing Daily Staff
New supercar makes 597-horsepower, has 0 to 60 mp/h acceleration time of just three seconds
MARANELLO, Italy—Ferrari says it plans to debut its latest breed of super car at the Frankfurt International Motor Show next month, boasting the most powerful naturally-aspirated V8 the automaker has ever produced.
The all-new 458 Speciale will be unveiled at the bi-annual show in Germany, expanding on the 458 Italia model and showcasing Ferrari’s 597-horsepower 4.5-litre V8 powerplant.
According to the automaker, the new mid-rear-engined 458 Speciale promises “to boost both performance and driving emotion to unprecedented levels, yet simultaneously guarantee(ing) smooth, effortless control in all kinds of situations.”
That effortless control is aided by Ferrari’s new Side Slip angle Control system (SSC), which makes it easier to achieve car control at its limit.
Ferrari said SSC performs instant-to-instant analysis of the car’s side slip thanks to the development of a new algorithm, comparing it with the target value and then optimizing both torque management (via integration with F1-Trac traction control) and torque distribution between the two wheels (via integration with the E-Diff electronic differential).
The 458 Speciale will also pilot all-new advanced active aerodynamics—a feature that will become standard on all Ferraris in the future—that include front and rear moveable dynamics to help cut drag.
The 458 Speciale has a 0 to 60 mp/h (0 to 100 km/h) time of just three seconds and pulls 1.33 g of lateral acceleration, the highest number ever achieved on the skid pad by a Ferrari.
