Ferrari’s main attraction at its Geneva Motor Show booth is the heavily revised California T with the new 3.9-liter turbocharged V8, but if we’re to be honest, the 458 Speciale is the one that has a…special place in our racing hearts.
We’ve seen the car before as it was displayed at last year’s Frankfurt event in Germany, but I presume you won’t mind a few pictures of the gunmetal grey example with the black and white stripes from the Geneva show floors.
The Italians describe the 458 Speciale as a model aimed at “those looking for an even more focused sports car that offers extreme driving emotions”, and from what we’ve heard, it delivers on that promise.
Lighter (by 90 kg or 198 lbs) and more powerful than the regular 458 Italia with its tuned 4.5-liter V8 engine developing 597hp (605PS) and 540 Nm (398 lb-ft) of torque at 6,000 rpm, the Speciale has an official 0-62mph (100km/h) time of 3.0 seconds and a 0-124mph (200km/h) time of 9.1 seconds.
By John Halas
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