FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Ferrari debuts 458 Speciale

Ferrari has arrived in Frankfurt with the most powerful interpretation yet of its 458 Italia.

Following in the footsteps of sharpened-focus models like the 360 Challenge Stradale and the 430 Scuderia, the 458 Speciale will take its place in the line-up alongside the standard hard-top and Spider versions of the car.

Coming in large part out of the company’s F1 factory, the Speciale’s reworked 4.5-litre V8 has been overhauled down to just about every last part in a bid to squeeze out every drop of efficiency from its combustion and mechanical processes.

Intake and exhaust manifolds, cam profiles, pistons, knock control systems and numerous other components have been remodeled -- many with advanced new materials -- to cut friction, improve resistance to wear and tear and whittle back weight.

The result is a power boost to 445kW (up from the standard car’s 425kW) at 9000rpm. While peak torque remains unchanged from the original’s 540Nm at 6000rpm, its delivery has been lifted in relation to the engine’s power curve by boosting compression to a near-diesel 14:1 – the highest ever achieved in a naturally aspirated V8.

With a carbon-fibre induced lean-down program helping carve kerb weight down by 130kg to 1395kg, it gives the car a palpable performance advantage over stock variants.

The 0-100km/h dash drops four points to a neat three seconds – a tenth quicker than the F12 and, crucially, Porsche’s new 911 Turbo S.

From there, Ferrari says 0-200km/h comes up in 9.1 seconds, with the 400-metre line arriving in just 10.7 seconds. The Speciale lapped the company’s Fiorano test track in 1:23.5 seconds – 1.5 seconds ahead of its stock counterpart and just half a second behind the F12.

Massive carbon-ceramic brakes from Brembo, drawing heavily on the lessons learned from the LaFerrari system, bring the car to halt from 100km/h in just 31 metres.

Aerodynamics have been overhauled throughout. Most visible is a larger rear spoiler with a more pronounced upturn, with active flap systems front and rear setting the car up for increased lateral stability in cornering while boosting downforce on exit into straights. Ferrari claims the Speciale is its most aerodynamically efficient production car ever.

The company has augmented the car’s already sophisticated chassis electronics with a Side Slip Angle Control (SSC), which crunches lateral acceleration, steering and yaw angle and velocity numbers into real-time instructions for the traction control system and the electronic diff, allowing “smooth, controllable oversteer” and lightning-quick response to driver actions.

This being a track enthusiast’s car, Ferrari will also offer with the Speciale a purpose-developed telemetry system serving up comprehensive data from individual track sessions, either directly through the centre screen or via an external tablet or laptop. A Virtual Track Engineer provides analysis highlighting areas where there’s room for improvement in driver performance.

Along with the front- and rear-end mods, the Speciale gains visual differentiation from unique paint stripes, wheels and finned side-skirts.

Local pricing has yet to be announced, but expect a substantial premium over the $525K entry price.

Check out the 2013 Frankfurt motor show photo gallery

Here's the full run down on the latest news from Frankfurt motor show

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...

Don't forget to register to comment on this article.