Car Review : Ferrari 458 Italia

Watch the video by Polyphony Digital Inc., creators of the "Gran-Turismo" videogame a tribute to the new 458 Italia, Ferraris 8-cylinder Berlinetta presented at the IAA Frankfurt. The virtual clip shows the car in action on the road and on the track.

It's only been a few weeks since we last spotted the newest Ferrari supercar roaming the streets of Europe. But today, Maranello has quelled a growing storm of speculation by releasing initial details and images of its all-new Prancing Horse -- the Ferrari 458 Italia.

Set to make its world debut at next month's Frankfurt motor show, the 458 Italia (that's "Italy" in English) is intended to pay tribute to the country in which it was born, according to Ferrari CEO Luca di Montezemolo. It is a land he describes as being synonymous with "excellence, creativity, and quality" -- all characteristics he believes his company's newest model embodies.

One look at its exterior and you'll get a gist of what di Montezemolo is talking about. The Pininfarina-penned design is executed in hand-laid aluminum and carbon-fiber panels underpinned by the latest in Ferrari's F1-derived aluminum chassis technology for weight minimization.

Up front and at the rear, improved aerodynamic features like a sealed undertray, diffuser, and what the brand calls "aeroelastic winglets" at its nose, all culminate to create a more stable, precise, and sleeker super sports car, according to Ferrari. At roughly 124 mph (200 km/h), the car produces 309 pounds of downforce, according to the automaker's engineers.

The 458 Italia looks ultramodern and much sleeker than its two immediate predecessors, the F360 and F430. Still, the car is a clear evolution on the same swoopy-fendered Pininfarina styling premise that began with the Dino 206GT of the late 1960s. There are plenty of Enzo cues too -- especially toward the rear clip -- and the long, slim headlamps appear to be directly inspired by the Enzo-based Pininfarina Ferrari P4/5. Offset above the headlights are vents crafted to cool the giant available carbon ceramic binders; Yes, there are plenty of new touches here too.

It's indeed a compact design compared with other exotics in the segment, but the 458 Italia grows ever slightly in length (178.2 inches. versus 177.6) and width (76.3 inches versus 75.7) compared with the outgoing F430. Height remains at a short 47.8 inches. Its wheelbase is extended by nearly two inches (104.3 inches from 102.4) and its dry weight is upped to 3042 pounds with forged wheels and carbon-fiber racing seats onboard (expect a curb weight of at least 3250 pounds) compared with the 430's 2974. As the tenet goes, muscle weighs more than fat, and per Ferrari's specs, the 458 Italia has been a definitive body-builder during the R&D process.

Set low in the mid-gut of this Prancing Horse is a more muscular direct-injected 4.5L V-8 producing 562 horsepower at a screaming 9000 rpm and an associated 398 pound-feet of torque at 6000 revs. Engineers improved upon the 430's 4.3-liter unit by incorporating a racing-like low piston compression height combined with the usual flat-plane crankshaft.

In total, it's a substantial 79-horse and 55-pound-foot improvement over the F430 (483/343) and impressively, the motor drinks less fuel to the tune of 17 mpg U.S. (converted from EU combined cycle) and emits less harmful gases from its tri-tipped exhaust (320 g/km of CO2 versus 345 g/km). Its longitudinal positioning also helps greatly in achieving a 42-percent front/58-percent rear weight distribution, which should prove ideal for the mid-engine car.

Car Review : Ferrari 599 SA Aperta

Ferrari's highly anticipated SA Aperta (aka the 599 Roadster) has made its public debut at the Paris Motor Show.

Built to celebrate Pininfarina's 80th anniversary, the Aperta is "an authentic roadster" that features a lowered windscreen, a reduced ride height, and two aerodynamic buttresses which are integrated into the roll bar hoops.

Under the hood, a 6.0-liter V12 engine produces 670 PS (493 kW / 661 hp) and 620 Nm (457 lb-ft) of torque. It enables the 1705 kg (3759 lb) roadster to accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3.6 seconds, before hitting a top speed of 325 km/h (202 mph).

Production is limited to 80 units and, rumor has it, they have all been spoken for.

After nearly 58 years together, do you think Ferrari management would forget Pininfarina's birthday? Not a chance. To properly wish the bodybuilder-turned-design house well on its 80th anniversary, the folks in Maranello have created a fitting tribute: the Ferrari 599 SA Aperta.

The SA in that awkward name stands for Superamerica, and like the 575M Superamerica that came before it, the new SA Aperta is a version of Ferrari's front-engine, V-12 sports coupe that exposes its occupants to the elements. Unlike the previous Superamerica, however, the SA Aperta does without a fancy flip-around top -- or any top mechanism, for that matter. Aperta is Italian for "open," and apart from a rudimentary soft top that can be deployed if needed, the SA Aperta is designed to be enjoyed en plein air.

The SA Aperta differs from its 599 siblings only above the fenders, where designers reshaped the car's windshield, pillars, and cabin in the process of chopping the top. The rear interior wall and integrated roll bar neatly flow into the elongated rear buttresses, while simultaneously echoing the shape and color of the scalloped sports seats.

Beneath the beltline, the SA Aperta picks and pulls parts from the entire 599 range. The majority of the car's body panels come straight from the 599 GTB Fiorano, although the rocker panels have been massaged to accommodate larger brake cooling ducts. Underhood, the SA Aperta is all 599 GTO. Power comes from its 670-horsepower, 6.7-liter DOHC V-12, which channels its output to the rear wheels via a six-speed automated manual gearbox. It's unknown if the suspension tuning borrows more from the GTB, GTB HGTE, or the GTO, but Ferrari does note it managed to reinforce the Aperta's chassis without adding a significant amount of weight.

Although the Paris Motor Show marks the 599 SA Aperta's first public debut, if you're on Ferrari's short list of preferred clientele, chances are you've already laid eyes on this beauty. It was a poorly kept secret that Ferrari was showing a topless 599 to VIPs this summer at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The privileged preview was a smashing success. Despite the SA Aperta's estimated price tag of roughly $456,000, all 80 examples are already spoken for.