Ferrari 458 Speciale a special car

The result is a completely new, uncompromising, streamlined sports car concept. Many of the sophisticated solutions being applied for the very first time to an in-range car in the 458 Speciale, including its advanced active aerodynamics, will become a standard feature of all new Ferraris in the future.

Flanked in the Maranello marque’s range by the multi-award winning 458 Italia and 458 Spider, the new mid-rear-engined V8 berlinetta was designed to boost both performance and driving emotion to unprecedented levels, yet simultaneously guarantee smooth, effortless control in all kinds of situations.

Having lavished meticulous attention on the power unit that was named ‘Best Performance Engine’ at the International Engine of the Year Awards for two consecutive years, Ferrari has now built its most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever (445 kW) with an extraordinary specific power output of 99 kW/litre, the highest ever achieved by a road-going naturally aspirated engine.

Thanks to an equally exceptional weight/power ratio of just 2.13 kg/cv the 458 Speciale can sprint from 0-100 km/h in a mere 3.0 seconds and reach 200 km/h in 9.1 seconds. The Ferrari also clocked a lap time of just one minute 23,5 seconds at the Fiorano circuit.

Aerodynamic requirements guided the work of the Ferrari styling centre, which led the project in co-operation with Pininfarina, to sculpt the car’s forms to ensure they were more performance orientated than ever. The most notable features in this sense are the front and rear movable aerodynamics which balance downforce and cut drag, thus helping make the 458 Speciale the most aerodynamically efficient range production car in Ferrari history.

The technology used in the vehicle dynamics subsystems which gives the driver instant confidence and control at high speeds, natural power oversteer management and precise response to commands are further advances in an area in which Ferrari is already a well-established leader.