Yesterday we brought you the first official pictures of the new Ferrari 458 Italia. Today we bring you 458 Italia video footage inside the cabin of Ferrari’s new V8 and a short clip of it being driven on track.
The new 4.5-litre V8 Italia will be launched in the UK in spring 2010 and is likely to wear a price tag somewhere between the outgoing F430 (£140k) and the Scuderia (£170k). Call it a nice round £160,000 – we can’t remember any new Ferrari in recent years costing less than its predecessor. Especially when the replacement is so much more powerful.
Ferrari 458 Italia: the video
The new Italia is much closer to the Scuderia in performance. It’ll surpass 202mph and hit 62mph in ‘less than 3.4 seconds’, says Ferrari. Hear the direct-injection V8 wail in our short official Ferrari Italia video (courtesy of Autoblog, upgrade to latest Flash player if any problems viewing) – and those rifle-bolt gearchanges suggest that Maranello has worked further magic with its seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox as seen on the California.
A couple of extra technical factoids have emerged overnight. It’s anorak territory, but Ferrari says:
• The new E-diff integrated into the gearbox means the rear transaxle now weighs 4kg less than the Scuderia’s
• The 458 Italia’s torsional rigidity is 12% stiffer than the F430
• The downforce at 300kph (186mph) adds around a quarter of the car’s mass 315kg – 35kg more than the F430 and 5 kilos over a Scuderia’s aero pack
>> Click here for the full story and reaction to the Ferrari 458 California
>> Click here for a potted history of Ferrari’s entry-level sports cars