Ferrari 458 Speciale. Hot laps at Fiorano
Features | EVO Middle East | crankandpiston
James takes the new Ferrari 458 Speciale for a balls-out run on Ferrari’s official Fiorano test circuit.
Originally posted – 20 November, 2013 – crankandpiston.com | EVO Middle East magazine
Fiorano. This is Ferrari home turf. This is my first ever Ferrari event. And this is the circuit upon which I will soon take the brand new Ferrari 458 Speciale for a hot lap.
To the casual observer this Ferrari appears to be just a normal 458 Italia with a stonking great set of racing stripes. And while the nod to Ferrari’s traditional North America Racing Team colours is pretty cool, there’s actually much more to it than that. The Ferrari 4.5-litre V8 under the glass engine cover has been given redesigned intake and exhaust systems, newer and lighter pistons manufactured to cause less friction, an increased compression ratio for improved torque, and various other highly intelligent tweaks that go slightly beyond the limited engineering comprehension of this particular writer.
Simply put, the revised V8 in the Speciale – now 8kg lighter than that in the Italia – chucks out 597bhp and 398lb ft of torque, making it the most powerful naturally-aspirated unit in the company’s history. What we have here then is a $290,000 greyhound of a 458, capable of 0-100kph in three seconds flat, 0-200kph in 9.1 seconds and a top speed of 325kph. By kind invitation, crankandpiston will shortly drop into it for a balls-out run on a circuit that Formula 1 and GT racing legends have been hammering since 1972. As you can imagine, I’m keen to crack on with proceedings this morning.
Arriving nice and early at the Pista di Fiorano, I’m invited to check out the six 458 Speciales on display in Piazza de Michael Schumacher, a small(ish) courtyard a stone’s throw from the circuit itself and named in honour of the seven-time F1 world champion. Just behind me is Enzo Ferrari’s old office, and the Ferrari Foundry pokes its roofline above the trees. To my left is an eight-foot commemorative portrait of Alberto Ascari’s 1952 British Grand Prix winning Ferrari 500. Steeped in history and with passion eking out of the walls, it’s difficult not to feel a pang of emotion, and I’m struck by how moved I am by this one courtyard.
And then there’s the car. Though the Italia and the Speciale may look similar, exterior changes are such that the new boy reaches ‘the highest performance levels of any Ferrari V8’ model. At the front the aggressively carved LED headlights are as striking as ever, but now come with three rather natty louvered air outlets alongside as a nod to both the 250 GTO and the F40. Underneath the traditional air intake–festooned bumper there’s a new front splitter, complete with two vertical flaps and one horizontal that automatically open above 170kph and 220kph respectively to cut air flow to the radiators and significantly reduce drag. These work in tandem with the new turning vanes bolted onto the side of the front bumper, much as the aerodynamic fins just in front of the rear wheels direct air accordingly for greater downforce. Move round to the back, past the striking five-spoke 20-inch forged wheels, and there’s that V8 poking its Italian snout at you through the glass engine cover.
Combined with a low roofline and elegant (wind tunnel-designed) flow of the bodywork, the Speciale really is an awesome looking bit of kit. Even the tail lip rear spoiler has been angled more acutely to improve the efficiency of the underbody, while two flaps in the rear diffuser – just below the twin cylindrical exhaust pipes – automatically lower at speed to reduce drag. There are few maths lessons that look this damn good.
On the inside, the radio, sat-nav and even the glovebox have been ripped out to lighten the Ferrari. The carbon fibre door handle on the inside seems so fragile I fear it will come off in my hand. Then there’s the Sabelt bucket seats (complete with carbon fibre shells), four-point racing harnesses, and ‘the bridge’ on the centre console, a carbon fibre wing derived from LaFerrari that extends from the transmission tunnel and on which Reverse, Automatic and the all-too-tempting Launch transmission buttons are found. It all hammers home just how track-orientated Maranello’s stallion really is. Even the floor mats have been chucked.
My iPhone camera memory is well on the way to being exhausted when I receive a tap on the shoulder and a reminder that my track brief is about to start. This is a practical brief, in the form of three passenger laps duly provided by official Ferrari test driver Raffaelle Di Simone. He’s a cool customer, clad in the puffiest of Ferrari jackets, an espresso in one hand and Ferrari sunglasses balancing on the edge of his nose. All smiles. Having driven Fiorano more times than are worth counting, he’s just as keen as I to get cracking: “you will see just how good the Speciale is.”
After being given the all-clear by marshals who, moments earlier, had been checking their SMS messages (hey, for them this is a normal working day), our 458 Speciale is fired into life via a large red button marked simply ‘Engine Start’ on the steering wheel. It’s a low bassy chorus that sends the hairs on the back of my neck aflutter. Though the drizzle is still falling, and putting a question mark over grip on-track, Raffaelle moves his sunglasses into position and gives me the thumbs up before we roll onto the Fiorano Circuit’s 200kph main straight. Giving the engine 400 yards to warm up, Raffaelle waits a beat, heads into and out of the right-handed turn one, then floors it.
Holy crap!
My head snaps back as the right pedal goes down. No hesitation.
The power delivery is just ungodly, 597bhp being thrown at the tarmac almost effortlessly. We’re already through the next couple of corners before I’ve stopped laughing.
Clearly amused by my reaction, Raffaelle starts walking me through the tricky turns three and four: “it’s your traditional S bend, so you want to sacrifice a perfect line through turn two to get the power down through the next one.” Somehow managing to steer through the sweeping chicane with one hand, Raffaelle points out the five-way drive mode dial on the steering. Since we are still in ‘Sport’ – the softest setting for steering, gearshift ferocity and new Frequency-Shaped SCM-E dampers, which with new software offer more precise body control – the new Side Slip Angle Control (SSC) will kick in. The SSC amalgamates acceleration and steering angle data to allow smooth controllable oversteer and bring the car back to me should I make a clanger of my corner entries.
To emphasise this point, and despite the track still being relatively slick from the light rain, Raffaelle gives it a bootful, and the engine gives a grunt of approval before roaring into life through turn three. The rear tyres immediately dart out, caught almost leisurely by Raffaelle and we’re soon ploughing into the sharp left-handed turn four. Fiorano’s 12 corners (including the high-speed flick through turns 10/11 known hereafter as the ‘balls-out’ turn) can be toppled in just 1m 23.5s in the Speciale compared with 1m 25s in the Italia. Our assimilation laps are over pretty quickly.
Confident that apparently I know what I’m doing, Raffaelle unclips his harness and gets out, offers words of advice – “don’t turn in too early for the apex, you’ll go faster if you go wider” – as I’m buckling up my belts, and closes the door.
Here I am. It’s just me, Ferrari’s official test track and a 305kph supercar. I’m concentrating so hard on soaking everything in that it’s a few moments before I notice the marshal giving me the thumbs up to proceed onto track.
My first out lap is taken easily, since I’m not keen to stick this near-$300k prancing horse into the tyre wall. And with Raffaelle ’s advice still wafting Yoda-like through my head, I take a wide angle into the final arcing turn 12 before cutting back onto the main straight. Then I gun it.
The speed is no less ferocious with my ox-like approach to driving, and I’m up to well above 150kph as I begin braking – hilariously early – for turn one, cutting the apex only slightly too wide. The Ferrari’s power steering is remarkably light, meaning it’s difficult to feel much for the front end.
Not that it matters since the grip and balance on the nose is beyond belief: turn the wheel and the front end will point. Every time!
My new ‘concern’ then is the rear wheels, which are already starting to step out on the slick surface. So composed is the front though that you’d be forgiven for thinking it was glued to the asphalt. The specially-designed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 tyres work better than is believable.
Sacrificing turn three for a better line through the left-handed turn four – as instructed – I begin feeding in the power, the rear wheels stepping out slightly and the SSC catching them before I have time to react. Firing up through the gears with the paddle shift seven-speed F1 dual clutch transmission, shift response is beautifully alert and bullet like in speed, both up and down.
Braking hard for the tight turn five over the bridge, the Brembo brake kit, derived from that of the LaFerrari, scrubs speed just as quickly and with amazing ease: there’s plenty of feel in the pedal even though I’m effectively pulling an emergency stop into most corners.
Specifically stiffened suspension means the ride is a bit on the hard side, because… well, of course it is! The Speciale is no GT cruiser. Remarkably impressive fuel consumption (11.8L/100km) and a solid yet comfortable Sabelt seat mean it’s possible, but there’s no doubting the Speciale was born for the track.
Firing down the box through the blind turn six and into the circuit’s second-gear hairpin, I’m quickly building up speed again to ‘the balls-out’ corner. But there’s a problem.
My brain knows where I can brake with the Speciale, but my right foot refuses to obey and I bottle taking it flat. I manage a respectable speed, but at no point during the exercise do I dare look at the speedometer, my gaze instead fixed on the corners ahead. Still picking up speed, I’m into the final corner: wide out, cut back, feed in the power, laugh maniacally, and onto the next lap.
My time on-track in the Speciale is limited, as you would naturally expect. But my mind is already made up as I cruise back onto pitroad. Raffaelle opens my door, sees the enormous grin on my face and understands when I need a few minutes to compose myself.
I’ve spent the past 15 minutes laughing, swearing and getting so involved with the experience that I can scarcely contain it. I’m reminded of crankandpiston.com’s own Phil McGovern’s comment that driving the 458 Spider brought a tear to his eye. I know exactly how he feels.
It’s been an intoxicating experience, with a phenomenal piece of kit. Though many may have wondered how much more the 458 had to give, the answer is an impassionate ‘lots’. Ferocious pick-up, unbelievable braking forces, barely conceivable grip at the front, and a slightly cheeky rear end keen to play along.
To call the Ferrari 458 Speciale anything other than brilliant would be a grave injustice, and I dearly, dearly hope that my first experience at Fiorano doesn’t turn out to be my last. There’s a balls-out corner I haven’t conquered and a track weapon I’ve not yet come close to taming.
Images | Ferrari Media
Features | EVO Middle East | crankandpiston | James Gent