It’s fascinating to watch the development of a particular car model, even when that model is relatively new. This month, we’re looking at the short but eventful history of the Ferrari 458.
The successor to the hugely popular F430, the 458 was an automotive revelation when it was first unveiled in Frankfurt in 2009. With a new design by Pininfarina, and a Ferrari/Maserati designed engine, it was both beautiful and powerful. There were also innovations and progression: the 458 is, for example, the first mainstream Ferrari to be designed without manual transmission.
Despite the notorious wheel arch adhesive fire problem of 2010, the 458 Italia became a true Ferrari classic and is still much sought after today.
The next evolution of the model was the convertible 458 Spider, which proved to be a spectacular feat of automotive engineering. It took Pininfarina four years to design, the key challenge being the usage of a folding aluminium hard top roof rather than the traditional canvas one – something insisted on by Ferrari. Although this modification required some unconventional thinking, it was also the impulse to develop new architectural and aesthetic forms that also had a positive impact on the car’s aerodynamics and practicality.
What emerged, as Pininfarina explain “was the first ever two-seater mid-rear engine car to be equipped with a fully retractable hard top made entirely of aluminium. The main advantage of this innovative solution, patented by Ferrari, is that it allows a saving of 25 kg in weight and takes just 14 seconds to open or close.”
They had created a marvel, a high performance, gorgeous soft top car that hadn’t lost anything of the original’s speed or character.
The final mainstream evolution of the 458 to date, unveiled in 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, is the 458 Speciale. Featuring new forged wheels, aerodynamic features such as finned side stills and a vented bonnet, an enhanced engine and improved electronics, this is the high, high, high performance version of the 458. To prove the point, it can do 0-125MPH in just 9.1 seconds.
Although the 458 has only been with us for five years, it has already produced great leaps forward in automotive engineering, and given us some of Ferrari‘s most brilliant cars to date. Call us to experience some of the 458 magic for yourself.
