By many accounts, the Ferrari 458 Italia is already one of the best sports cars currently in production. The Pininfarina-designed racer replaced the Ferrari F430 when it debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and now it looks like the company is looking to one-up itself at the same venue this year with a Scuderia 458.
Ferrari's Scuderia automobiles are basically upgraded versions of some the carmaker's most successful models, with the last major release being the F430 Scuderia in 2008.
According to Car and Driver, the Ferrari Scuderia 458 will be capable of producing 600 horsepower, up from 562, due to new connecting rods built into the car that are capable of withstanding a 9,300-rpm redline. In addition, the Scuderia 458 will employ a new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox from Getrag and a 4.5-liter V-8 engine. It's unclear what the car will retail for, but Complex estimates the sticker price will fall somewhere in the $400,000 range.
On top of the added horsepower, the Scuderia 458 will have an augmented exhaust system that further increases the sound generated by the car's engine. Car and Driver reports that the sound has been called "arrabbiato," which means "angry" in Italian.
One of the most noteworthy upgrades to the 458 Scuderia is to the bodywork. Carbon-fiber winglets will be used to create the composite plastic rear diffuser, which is reportedly active. This means that as the vehicle travels, the diffuser will change position based on speed, throttle and g-forces. Ferrari is also rumored to be looking to drop the car's weight to less than 2900 lbs. by using exotic compound materials.
Ferrari has already put out two other variants of the 458, not counting the versions designed solely for racing. In addition to the 458 Challenge, the company released the 458 Spider at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Spider features a retractable hardtop that the company claims weighs 55 lbs. less than a soft-shell roof. The Scuderia 458 will, if nothing else, be more exclusive than both of these as the company typically manufactures less than 500 units of the special edition automobile.
