Ferrari 458 Italia First Drive 2010

Ferrari 458 Italia First Drive 2010

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Label: Otomotif The F430 gets a ctrl+alt+del. Ferrari has rebooted its V-8 sports car range, starting with a sheet that's as clean as the one the 360 Modena was scribbled on to replace the F355. Okay, the new 458 is still a mid-engine rear-drive all-aluminum design, but the powertrain, chassis, electronics, aerodynamics, ergonomics -- practically everything but the manettino switch -- are do-overs. And a day spent terrorizing the rural flora and fauna in the Apennine hills above Maranello along with a few very hot laps at Fiorano should help determine whether this is indeed Ferrari's hottest V-8 since the F-40.

Dimensionally, the wheelbase stretches 1.9 inches longer for greater stability while shrunken overhangs reduce the polar moment of inertia to help the car rotate more eagerly. New aluminum alloys and bonding techniques boost the larger body's structural rigidity by 20 percent in torsion, 8 percent in bending without adding weight. Extensive computer simulation and wind-tunnel work yield a slinky shape that seduces the air into providing more downforce (up to 794 pounds of it at 200 mph) with less drag than the F430 managed (the Cd drops from 0.34 to 0.33). Naturally that downforce is split 41/59 percent front/rear, roughly matching the static weight distribution so the car's dynamic balance never changes at speed. The technical briefing continues for an hour, but time is short so let's head for the hills and fill in the details as they manifest themselves.

At first glance the interior is slightly daunting, and requires some orientation. Column stalks are out, so turn-signaling, high-beam and wiper functions move onto the multifunction steering wheel. The radio, Bluetooth phone and nav are controlled by a mouse-knob and screen on the right of the (refreshingly) analogue tach (the virtual speedometer appears here when navigation is off). On the left is another screen displaying temperature gauges, lap times, the settings of the myriad electronic driving aids, or the temperature status of the tires, brakes and engine. Sadly, neither screen shows a reverse-camera view. There isn't time to fiddle with it enough to pass judgment, so press the start/stop button, pull the right shift paddle and let's go. Sorry, there's no manual tranny. Those were fine back when folks had 3.5-4.0 seconds to lavish on accelerating to 60 mph, but in the low-3s era, Ferrari is losing its patience with such go-slow antiquities.