Ferrari 458 Speciale

What we have here is the Ferrari 458 Speciale – the successor to the 360 Challenge Stradale and 430 Scuderia, and the hard-core version of the 458 Italia. It was expected to carry the name Monte Carlo, but then Ferrari has never been fond of letting the press dictate what it would call its cars. But forget the nameplate: what really matters is what it's got to offer.

For starters, the award-winning, high-revving 4.5-liter V8 has been retuned to deliver 596 horsepower, up from 562 hp in the standard 458, while torque remains the same at 398 pound-feet. But the other side of the power-to-weight ratio (quoted at 2.13 kilogram per cheval vapeur or 4.77 pounds per horsepower) is the extra mass Ferrari has cut out of the equation: the 458 Speciale's dry weight is quoted at 2,844 pounds (1,290 kg) , representing a significant drop from the 458 Italia's 3,274 lbs (1,485 kg) curb weight

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Adaptive aerodynamics – which Ferrari plans on integrating into all future road cars – further help the 458 Speciale run to 62 miles per hour in 3 seconds flat and to 124 mph in 9.1 seconds. It's also said to lap Fiorano in 1:23.5, half a tick behind the twelve-cylinder F12 Berlinetta. The engineers in Maranello have also cooked up a new Side Slip Angle Control system that interfaces with the electronic differential to help it handle on the limit, with specially-developed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber to help the Speciale grip at 1.33 g in lateral acceleration.