458 Italia

The 458 Italia was, simply put, a landmark car for Ferrari, and set the tone for their iconic mid-engined, V8-powered sports cars for the next decade. Introduced at the 2009 Geneva Motorshow, the 458 proved a huge step up in both design and technology from its predecessor, the F430.

Powered by a 4.5 litre, flat-plane crank, naturally aspirated V8, that was deemed to be so spectacular that it won several Engine of the Year awards, the 458 is characterised by its ability to rev, as well as the cultured but wonderful howl that it produces. With such a special engine, an upgrade was needed from the ageing single clutch transmission that was used in the F430; therefore, Ferrari sourced the lightning-fast double clutch auto from Getrag, which was also used in period by Mercedes for the SLS AMG. This meant that the 458 now had a gearbox that could do justice to the incredible engine it was mated to.

The 458 was Ferrari’s final naturally aspirated V8 production car, bringing to a close a chapter of Ferrari’s history that saw some of its finest ever cars being produced. As well as this, the 458 was also one of the final Ferraris to be penned by Pininfarina, the legendary Italian design house that has been responsible for some of Ferrari’s most iconic vehicles. As testament to the quality of the 458’s design, its successors, the 488 and the F8 Tributo, have remained largely unchanged from the original shape penned by Pininfarina 14 years ago.

As a result, many regard the 458 to be the last of its kind, making it both a great potential investment, but also one of the all-time-great Ferraris.

This beautiful 458 was delivered to Graypaul Birmingham in December 2011, and comes with an extensive carbon fibre interior specification, featuring both carbon fibre racing seats and the carbon fibre racing package, which are two sought-after options. The classic pairing of Rosso Corsa over Nero suits the 458 particularly well, and the addition of the optional 20” forged diamond-finish alloys help to compliment this colour combination. This 458 boasts some other choice options, such as satellite navigation, iPod connectivity and Bluetooth, as well as front and rear parking sensors and cruise control, and when coupled with full Ferrari service history from new, this is evidently a fantastic example of a very special, future-proof car, that still looks as fresh as the day it was unveiled.