Naza unveils Ferrari 458 Italia
The all-new Ferrari 458 Italia was officially unveiled for the Malaysian market at the Naza Italia showroom yesterday. Members of the media got a close look of the car in the morning, before some 400 specially invited guests got to do the same at Naza’s F1 party in the same premises at night.
“The 458 Italia exudes style, creative flair, passion and cutting-edge technology, all in one package. I believe this car is a must have for Ferrari fans and enthusiasts in Malaysia,” said Naza Group of Companies Joint Group Executive Chairman Dato’ SM Faisal Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin.
Packed with F1-inspired aerodynamics and technology, the two-seater 458 made its world debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, replacing the highly-acclaimed Ferrari F430. Compared to its predecessor, the 458 adopts far more aggressive design cues, and there is function behind that impressive form.
Things start up front with what Ferrari calls the ‘aeroelastic’ winglets sitting in the singular air vent slot. Designed for the purpose of generating down force, the winglets deform at higher speeds to reduce air drag. Further contributing to its aerodynamic slippery is a completely flat and smooth underbody that minimizes undercarriage drag.
Developed with extensive use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the 458 Italia has a drag coefficient of 0.33, and generates the equivalent of 140kg of downforce when travelling at 200kph. At its top speed of 325kph, generated down force amounts to 360kg.
Sitting amidships behind the driver is an all-new 4,499cc direct-injection V8. Featuring dry-sump lubrication, this naturally aspirated power unit produces 562hp @ 9,000rpm, and twists out 540Nm @ 6,000rpm, of which 80% (that’s still a healthy 432Nm) are available from 3,250rpm onwards.
During their respective compression strokes, the eight pistons shrink the combustion chamber volume by a 12.5:1 compression ratio, while the two-phase direct injection system squirts in fuel at 200 bar injection pressure. Ferrari claims that the engine is compliant to Euro 5 and LEV2 emission standards.
Paired with the engine is a Getrag-sourced 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, accepting input from steering-mounted paddle shifters. Manual transmission will not be offered as of now. Integrated into the transmission’s control system is the E-Diff 3 electronic differential.
Underpinning the 458 is a new aluminium-alloy chassis, which Ferrari claims to possess 15% improved torsional rigidity and 5% increased beam stiffness over the F430’s frame. Up front, the forward axle is held by double-wishbone suspension, with an L-shaped lower arm, claimed to improve bump absorption and reduce suspension noise. The rear end uses multi-link suspension.
On the electronics front, the E-Diff 3 and F1-Trac control software are housed in the same control unit. Ferrari claims that this setup minimizes communication time between the two interconnecting systems, allowing for improved vehicle performance.
Since the beginning of 2008 Brembo carbon-ceramic disc brakes have been standard on all Ferraris. As you would expect, the 458 gets them too, with 6-pot aluminium callipers clamping the front rotors and 4-potters working at the rear. They are supervised by a high-performance ABS system with its control logic integrated to the E-Diff 3.
Naza Italia is currently in possession of a left-hand drive 458 show car, which is making its rounds throughout the region. At the media preview yesterday, we were among the first South East Asians to be shown the car live.
Bookings are already being accepted, but you’ll have a long wait – one and a half years. We asked for the price tag too. The reply that came back was, “Price on Application.”
