Your feelings on the Ferrari 458 Italia will depend heavily on whether you want a car that looks like it was designed by Italian surrealists or whether you want one that looks like it was painted by a more neoclassical hand. Because (and some people will argue with me on this) the Italia looks like a car. A nearly perfect car, but still: a car.

Other Ferraris assault the eye with precarious curves, hazardous pointy bits and violent-looking intakes, all of which convey the impression of big meat-eating power. So while the Italia too looks just as serious as its predecessors, it does so with subtle curves, elegantly angled headlights, a peekaboo-glass top over its mid-set engine. It’s just a genuinely pretty car, not wild-looking and alien, but still as impressive as a Ferrari should be.

0 to 60 in Just 3.3 Seconds

And this all plays out in its performance. Launched in 2009 as the descendant to the F430, the 458 Italia pumps out an astonishing 560 horsepower, getting it from standstill to 60 in 3.3 seconds. The eight-cylinder two-seater, while perhaps not as scary in appearance as some other Ferraris, certainly has the strength of its convictions, topping out at somewhere right over 200 mph.

And it’ll get there smoothly, with a dual-clutch 7-speed transmission which anticipates the shifts by revving the next gear to match the one you’re currently in for a seamless transmission transition. Think about how a new relay runner matches the speed of the previous one before the handoff and you’ve got a vision of what’s going on in the gearbox of the Italia.

Forget Signaling

The future is all right there in the dash, for better or worse. There’s a simplicity to some Ferrari consoles that isn’t on display here — all the turn signals and windshield wipers are squeezed onto the steering wheel, so you better memorize the wheel before you go into turns. Then again, with the level of output this car delivers, it might not ever dawn on you to bother with signaling. No one’s going to keep up with you anyway.

Which is what’s really remarkable about this car. For all its outstanding power, handling and performance, it manages to maintain its good looks and not succumb to the vents and sharp edges of outrageous design. And it doesn’t appear to hurt it at all. When compared to the ultra-exclusive Enzo, available to rock stars and sheiks, the Italia is far cheaper (at $230,000 this is a relative term) and yet still nearly as fast as the Formula One-emulating Enzo. The Italia absolutely tops its predecessor, the F430, which was already in a league of its own.

Learn more about Charles Philip Granere. Stop by Charles Granere’s site where you can find out all about Charles Philip Granere‘s hobbies.

Ferrari is definitely on the cutting edge when it comes to automotive technology and style. It is the all-new F430 that is really promising. It replaces the outdated 350 Modena and it debuted at the Paris Motor Show at the end of September.

It still continues the “fresh” Ferrari look that started with the Enzo and it adapts and incorporates a number of design elements. The engine of the Ferrari F430 was based from the 4.2 liter V8 engine of the Maserati and it was developed into a whole new 4.3 liter engine with a 490 horsepower output.

The basic look came from the F355, which then evolved to the 360 Modena. This was then adapted by the F430.

In contrast to the horizontal headlights of the 360, the Ferrari F430 sports vertical headlights nearly identical to the Enzo’s. The F430 also features larger front air intakes and a smaller splitter in the middle similar to the Enzo. Compared to the 360, the F430 has a much cleaner nose in the middle of the bumper and bigger front spoiler air duct on the trailing edge.

The Ferrari F430 maintains the influence of the Enzo on both the rear air intakes and lower air intakes. The taillights have a high mounting on the rear fascia. While the 360 has no cutouts on the sides of the engine cover, the F430 features five on all sides. It also prominently observes the Enzo-like rear air diffuser with vertical canes and compared to the 360, the rear bumper of the F430 has a cleaner integration into the rear body.

The Ferrari F430 and the 360 basically have identical aluminum space frames. However, what truly sets the F430 apart is the Maserati 4.3 liter V8 engine boasting a 490 horsepower output and 343 lb-ft of torque. The 360 Modena cannot even compare in terms of power and the power-to-weight ratio increased even more with the F430. It only takes 4 seconds to reach 62 mph as it has a top speed of 196 mph.

The F430 is the pioneering V8 Ferrari to have driver aid control fixed to the steering wheel, as seen previously on the 612 Scaglietti and Enzo. There is a knob on the right known as the manettino by the drivers on the Ferrari F1 team. It controls the dynamic modes of the car. Shifting with the de riguer paddle shifters can be done in just 150 milliseconds and this sends power through the differential, which is electronically controlled. Such a new technology was adapted from the F1 team. The 19-inch, dual-spoke wheels of the F430 are reminiscent to the Enzo’s. $20,000 carbon-ceramic brakes can also be fitted as an add-on.

When the Ferrari F430 first arrived in the U.S., it was in the $200,000 range. Because of such a demand for the vehicle on the market, it sold way more than the window sticker price. The first few F430′s were sold at about a quarter of a million dollars. Still, it felt great rolling down the street in a Ferrari.

Mechanics and Status of most Ferraris. Check out Philip Granere‘s blog.

categories: high technology,speed,ferrari california,ferrari,super cars,sports cars,cars

Mere mention of the word “Ferrari” and the two things that first enter your mind are speed and elegance. That is because Ferrari is one of the most well known status symbols worldwide and at the same time one of the most desirable cars to own as well as drive.

The Ferrari car company was first established in 1929 in Modena, Italy with Enzo Ferrari’s Scuderia Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari started as a racecar driver for Alfa Romeo and only stopped driving when the company hired him to head its racing department. Ferrari resigned in 1940 when he found out that Alfa wanted to buy out his own Scuderia. Thus, he created the Avio Costruzioni Ferrari, which manufactured machine tools as well as aircraft accessories. It was during this time that Ferrari made his first racecar and named it the Tipo 815. The Ferrari factory moved to its present location in Maranello, Italy in 1943.

The first models introduced to the market are quite different from those that are seen in showrooms today. In the years that followed, the company quickly shifted to the Gran Turismo market, much of which remains the same today. In 1971, Ferrari infiltrated the mid-engined 12-cylinder market using the Berlinetta Boxer. By the mid 1990s, the letter “F” was added to the brand’s new car models. However, this practice was abandoned after the F355 and the F512 models, but eventually returned with the F430 model.

The first Ferrari racecar models introduced back then are quite different from those we see today. The company changed gears and concentrated on the Gran Turismo market in later years. Ferrari infiltrated the mid-engine 12-cylinder market starting with the Berlinetta Boxer. In the mid 1990s, the letter “F” was added before each of the car names. This was stopped after producing the F355 and the F512 models, but returned later on with the F430.

The F430 model started production in 2004 and is still currently being produced today. This model has a curved body with an aerodynamic design. It carries most of Ferrari’s trademarks like the rear taillights, interior vents, and the car’s name engraved in the driver’s side mirror. The front bumpers have large oval openings that can be seen in previous racing models such as the 156 “Sharknose” Formula One and the 250 TR 61 Le Mans. From the years 1987 to 1989, the F430 model was considered the world’s fastest street-legal production car, in spite of the fact that it did not have any traction control.

The most expensive and perhaps the fastest model to this date is the Ferrari F40. A successor to the Ferrari 288 GTO, this model has a mid-engine, three-wheel drive system. A two-door sports coupe car was produced in the years 1987-1992. This model was one of the first to use turbochargers and was considered the most expensive Ferrari car at that time.

Because its popularity has been increasing, Ferrari decided to manufacture and produce its own brand of merchandise, which includes pens, eyewear, perfume, clothing, laptop computers, and even hi-tech bicycles. The brand’s well-known symbol, the “Cavallino Rampante” consists of a black prancing horse over a yellow background. The letters “S” and “F,” which are located at the horse’s hooves, stands for Scuderia Ferrari. Ferrari is the oldest and the most successful race team in the Formula One racing championship. Its team of racecar drivers holds most of the Formula One record in history.

Science and Preeminence of the Ferrari F430, check out Charles Philip Granere‘s site.