FERRARI 458 SPECIALE

ShifTech had the privilege of working on the Ferrari that holds the record for the best performance from a naturally-aspirated engine: the 458 Speciale!

Our mission was to install a complete exhaust system from IPE to improve its sound.

At Ferrari, every generation of sports coupé with a mid-engined rear is entitled to a radical version at the end of its career. A version designed for the track but homologated for the road! This was already the case with the sharpest Ferrari 360 Modena, named Challenge Stradale in 2003. Four years later, a Ferrari 430 Scuderia saw the light of day before giving way to the Ferrari 458 Speciale in 2013, priced at €235,807 (excluding options).

ENLARGEMENT

Ferrari respects the fundamentals, starting with a drastic reduction in weight.

By eliminating everything they didn't think was necessary, from soundproofing to certain mechanical and body parts, they've saved 85kg to achieve a kerb weight of 1,290kg.

These 85 kg include 12 kg for the new wheels alone. The door panels have also been modified, and even the thickness of the glass on the windows has been reduced. What's more, the rear windscreen is made from Lexan. Finally, the bumpers are made from composite materials.

ENGINE

Once the Speciale had been put through its paces, the prancing-horse marque turned its attention to the engine, and they didn't pull any punches! The engine has been completely revamped.

The compression ratio has been increased to 14:1, in conjunction with the use of new pistons that have also reduced the mass in motion.

The manifold inlet ducts have been shortened by 10 mm and valve lift has been improved thanks to a new camshaft profile.

The crankshaft has a new geometry. The V8 is fitted with new connecting rods and DLC treatment.

At the same time, the reduction in the volume of the combustion chambers and the redesigned fluid dynamics have improved the intake and exhaust phases.

as a result of these changes, the power of the 4.5-litre V8 has increased to 605 bhp, 35 bhp more than the 458 Italia.

Output for a naturally-aspirated engine also broke all records, rising to 135 bhp/L (previously held by the Honda S2000) and 120 Nm/L of torque.

Although the maximum value of 540 Nm at 6,000 rpm remains unchanged, the torque distribution is much better and is distributed over a wide range of use.

As a result, the V8 gains in character, a sort of mixture of turbo at low revs and VTEC at higher revs.

as for the dual-clutch robotised gearbox, shift times have been further shortened, by 20% for upshifts and 44% for downshifts.

CHASSIS

A number of changes have been made to the chassis, particularly with a view to track use. Oversized brakes have been fitted, in this case no more and no less than the enormous carbon-ceramic elements designed to stop the 963 horsepower of the LaFerrari supercar.

The tyres have been specifically developed by Michelin on the basis of its high-performance Pilot Sport Cup 2 range and offer 6% better grip.

The other ingredients of the transformation are essentially electronic.

Active aerodynamics which, thanks to mobile flaps at the front and rear, define the ideal compromise between penetration and downforce depending on speed and conditions of use. A large rear spoiler is dispensed with to preserve the elegant lines.

The real innovation proposed by Ferrari is called SSC. SSC stands for Side Slip Control. This is an intelligent system that compares the car's drift angle with the ideal trajectory.

You'd expect the Achilles' heel of an extreme car to be its lack of comfort. Here again, the Speciale achieves prowess. The SCM-E magnetic suspension has been re-tuned to maintain comfort while minimising body roll.

PERFORMANCE

The result of all these improvements is a power-to-weight ratio of 2.3 kg/hp, enough to make a high-performance Huracan pale in comparison!

Logically, this is reflected in the times, with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h and 0 to 200 km/h in 3 seconds and 9.1 seconds respectively, compared with 3.4 seconds and 10.4 seconds for the 458 Italia. for the 458 Italia.

IN CONCLUSION

Our customer, who wanted an even more pronounced sound from his 458 Speciale, contacted our ShifTech centre to free up his car's vocal chords so that he could take full advantage of the 4.5-litre V8.

We recommended the Innotech Performance Exhaust solution.

The result was everything he could have hoped for, with a sound approaching that of a real F1 car!