The Ferrari 458 Speciale and Speciale A Sports Car
The Ferrari 458 Speciale: A close look at this sports car’s performance, technical data, features, comparison of rivals, history, used prices from classic to modern.
The Ferrari 458 special
CAR
The Ferrari 458 Speciale sports car was unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, priced at £298,000, and was based on the 458 Italia.
Externally, the most distinctive feature was the blue and white stripes running down the center of the car.
Additions that improved aerodynamics included:
- A hood that contained reverse vents that helped reduce drag
- Thresholds that were fitted with fins
- A rear wing, with a modified shape, positioned higher and with greater surface area, produced additional downforce.
- Redesigned composite bumpers containing ducts that reduce airspeed and increase ground effect
Another cool feature involved moveable fins both at the front and at the rear. At low speeds, the flaps closed and directed cooling air to the radiators.
However, as speed increased, the fins opened up and reduced drag by restricting airflow to the radiators. In this way, there was an increase in downforce at the rear of the car.
Beneath the rear grille, the exhaust consisted of two pipes rather than the trio of the other variant, while a large rear diffuser further increased downforce.
An intriguing addition to electronic control systems was called Side Slip Angle Control, or SCC, which involved analyzing the angle between a wheel’s actual direction and the direction it was pointing, and referring the readings to target values.
The result was that, via F1-Trac, the level of traction control could be managed with respect to prevailing road conditions, while E-Diff, the electronic limited slip differential, would control the torque applied to each wheel.
The sporty 458 Speciale had a dry weight of 1,290 kg, some 90 kg less than the 458 Italia, and with specific weight-saving measures, the engine itself was 7 kg lighter.
It used the latest Brembo disc brakes with upgraded pads, which increased heat dispersion and helped produce shorter stopping distances, such as 62 mph to zero in just 31 meters.
It was fitted with newly designed 20-inch forged road wheels which reduced the overall weight by a further 10kg.
THE MOTOR
The 458 Speciale sports car was powered by the same 4.5-litre V8 engine as the 458 Italia, but power was increased to 597 bhp at 9000 rpm (the redline) and 398 ft/lbs of torque at 6000 rpm.
Fitted with a Getrag 7-speed gearbox, it produced a top speed of 202mph and a 0-60mph time of 3.0 seconds, with 0-125mph taking 9.1 seconds.
The engine was the most powerful non-turbo unit produced to date and used a massive 14:1 compression ratio that was produced by altering the geometry of the pistons and using lightweight components.
The F1-style, dual-clutch, paddle-shift gearbox has now been fitted with new software, resulting in a substantial reduction in the time required to match engine revs to the proper gear. Technical data
COMPETITION
Typical competition for the Ferrari 458 Speciale included the following sports cars: Audi R8 GT and Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. Ferrari Performance:
The Ferrari 458 Special A
CAR
In 2014, a year after the introduction of the 458 Speciale coupe, the convertible variant was launched and named the 458 Speciale A sports car, where the letter “A” referred to the term Aperta, which is Italian for Open.
It was built as a limited edition of just 499 units, and with the same engine and gearbox, it produced the same 0-60 mph time of 2.8 seconds, but the top speed was reduced from 202 to 199 mph.
It weighed just 50kg more than the coupe variant and used the same automatically operated aluminum hardtop, as used on the 458 Italia Spider sports car, which stowed away in front of the engine compartment in just 14 seconds. Technical data:
COMPETITION
Typical competition for the Ferrari 458 Speciale A included the following sports cars: Audi R8 V10 Spider and Lamborghini Huracan LP610-4 convertible. Ferrari Performance:
This marks the end of my Ferrari 458 Speciale sports car review.