04:58AM - 28.05.'14
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News Source: autoblog.com
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I wasted my last hour with the 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale pacing the polished concrete floor of Home Depot. My quest was to find an industrial-strength adhesive that would permanently bond me to the bright-red Italian's carbon-fiber racing seat. At that moment, I was determined to spend the rest of my life with this Ferrari – glued behind its F1-inspired steering wheel – selfishly dismissing trivial matters like eating, bathing and all future interaction with my wife and kids. After reviewing literally hundreds of exceptional vehicles, many considered the finest enthusiast offerings each automaker has to offer, I had finally found my mechanical soulmate – the limited-production 458 Speciale. I somehow became convinced that cementing myself within its spartan cabin would ensure that our love affair would never end. My plan was ingenious, assuming the hardware store still had a large bottle of Gorilla Glue on the shelf. Simply put, there is no better way to start a weekend than with a gassed-up Rosso Corsa Ferrari 458 Speciale parked in your driveway and instructions to "Enjoy!" Burdened with such a monumental assignment, I slithered into Speciale's driver's seat and pulled the featherweight door shut firmly behind me. My right hand inserted the key into the steering column, while my left pressed the red start/stop button on the steering wheel. After a brief mechanical whirl, a hand-assembled 4.5-liter V8 barked to life just a couple feet behind my spine. Mere seconds later, as warm oil filled its sump, the engine settled down to a raspy idle accompanied by a frenzied exhaust note. The Ferrari I found myself encapsulated within was launched at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show as a faster, more compelling version of the 458 Italia – the automaker's range-topping V8 model. Targeting uncompromising enthusiasts with a proud nod to the 360 Challenge Stradale and 430 Scuderia (its noted predecessors), the low-volume model relinquishes amenities and adds capability in pursuit of agility and speed. Those seeking a street-legal racecar from Ferrari need look no further. To reduce mass, the cockpit of the 458 Speciale does not contain an audio system, navigation, cruise control, glovebox or armrests. The seats are covered in mesh fabric and the door panels are paper-thin carbon fiber. There is no carpet, with only coldly textured aluminum plates on the sills, kick panels and underfoot. Also gone is the center console, with its three obligatory transmission buttons now elegantly suspended on a featherweight carbon-fiber blade. The cabin is minimalist, yet it has lost none of its visual impact. The driving position is low, but surprisingly comfortable and supportive considering that the form-fitting seats only offer minimal adjustments. Practically every operating control that the driver needs, from engine start to turn signals and high beams, is on the multi-function steering wheel – its ergonomics initially appear haphazard, but everything is logically placed for immediate access. A quick tug on the right column-mounted paddle engages first gear, and the Speciale awaits for foot pressure on the accelerator before it automatically releases the clutch and the two-seater pulls away. To increase power over the standard Italia's 562 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque, the 4.5-liter V8 in the Speciale is fitted with shorter intake runners, higher-lift cams, new intake ports and modified piston geometry that boosts compression from 12.5:1 to 14.0:1 (the pressure inside the cylinders rises by a whopping 145 psi). While maximum torque remains the same, it's spread more widely across the engine's operating range and output rises to 597 horsepower. The standard seven-speed F1-inspired dual-clutch gearbox has been remapped for 20-percent quicker upshifts and downshifts are now 40-percent more rapid. Gone is the three-pipe exhaust system, replaced by a high-flow, twin-pipe setup with weight savings and improved packaging in mind. This Ferrari has a difficult time fitting in with more mundane vehicles on the road. The issue isn't just its iconic, bright-red paint (which looks wet up close), but its implausibly clamorous exhaust note – the Speciale sounds like a track-only 458 Challenge that's escaped the paddock. Neighbors are awakened at night and dogs bark during the day as it roars by. Everyone turns their heads. With a bit of justified arrogance, this Italian relishes the attention, yet all it really wants to do is run free. With that in mind, it's positively agonizing driving the Speciale in urban traffic, as there's so much pent-up potential that both operator and machine quickly become frustrated. To reduce stress, I switch the five-position Manettino (Wet, Sport, Race, CT off and ESC off) to Sport and press the transmission's Auto button. The Ferrari acts as if I had just tossed a Xanax into its intake, with its exhaust note subsiding and the gearbox shifting up a few gears. Tranquility is restored as I continue crawling towards more challenging roads far less traveled. Enthusiasts will recognize the Speciale from a distance. Its signature stripes are a dead giveaway, but so are its new front, side and rear fascias, all tuned to carefully balance downforce and reduce drag. While keeping the coupe planted is crucial at circuit speeds, there are active motorized flaps in the nose and at the tail that reposition above 140 mph to reduce drag. Thus unburdened, the 458 Special will run to more than 200 mph. Even its tail has been sculpted a bit taller to properly manage the wind. Finally free of the congestion, and with nothing but empty Southern California coastal canyon roads in the windshield, I switch the Manettino to Race and toggle the gearbox to Manual mode. It takes but a second for the Ferrari to clear its throat and resume its audible barrage. I do what any warm-blooded enthusiast would do – I mash the throttle to its stops. |
