Passion, Design, and Performance are the words that Ferrari has chosen to recently describe their company and products in a set of teaser images that have just been released. Although the images don't actually show anything that remotely tells us about a product from Maranello, they do tell us a date; specifically tomorrow, February 3rd, 2015. Tomorrow, Ferrari will be debuting a new car, and although it is a secret for now, word on the street is that it will be a mid-cycle facelift for the 458 Italia.
The Ferrari 458 Modificata, as it is rumoured to be named, will most probably lose its high-revving naturally aspirated 4.5 liter V8 in favour for a Maserati-derived twin-turbocharged 3.8 Liter V8. This engine, also found in the California T, is expected to make about 666 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque, which is a healthy 104 hp and 152 lb-ft bump up from the current 458 Italia. The reason for the switch is almost definitely due to ever more stringent CO2 emission and fuel consumption regulations. This engine will help Ferrari comply with these regulations better.
As I have stated in a previous post, more and more automakers are forced into a position where they cannot move forward with naturally aspirated engines. To get the power demanded by the customers and still comply with fuel efficiency and emission regulations, automakers must now move to forced-induction engines to meet all the required specifications needed for this type of vehicle and still comply with regulations.
Although Ferrari has had success with turbo engines in the past (F40 anyone?), there was something special about Ferrari's latest free-revving engines. The 458 Italia's wonderful V8 spun all the way to 9000 rpm, with a glorious soundtrack to match. This engine was praised for the almost instantaneous throttle response which let the 458 dance with the precision and delicacy that the turbo charged McLaren could never replicate. Mind you the engineers at Ferrari usually have a way of working their magic when they build engines, so let's hope that this turbocharged V8 is as good as their last one.
Check out the teaser clip at the bottom of the page!
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