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I am still shocked.. and STILL recovering from what a crazy day I had driving the 458 Italia!
For starters - I can't believe I was given the keys.. because lets be honest, I wouldn't give ANYBODY the keys to a car that cost £225,000. This thing is CRAZY!!! I can't begin to explain what happened to me as I drove, slid, and squirted the throttle through and around London! I will be completely honest. Not ONCE did I hit the redline when driving it. We (myself and James Barron) had the car from approximately 10.00am and gave it back just before 5.00pm the same day. My body wouldn't physically let me hit 9000rpm because it was SCARY AF! This car is too much for me. I take my hat off to all the guys who make YouTube videos driving these cars. Even at part throttle it keeps going sideways! I had to remember what Aldous Voice said when driving his F430, because the JOLT from the engine when shifting gears will THROW the car sideways if you don't understand throttle control in a Ferrari.. They are not easy to drive. I am around 60% good at driving a RWD 911, and after last Tuesday only 10-15% good at driving a Ferrari. That is the gap. For me to become 'maybe' 30-40% capable of driving this car I would need a track to myself for 5-6 hours and even then I know it will bite unexpectedly.. Novice drivers be warned. The Ferrari 458 has won over 30 awards including "Best Performance Engine" and "Best Engine Above 4 Litres". Its mid-rear mounted V8 engine is a NEW design and the chassis has been fully developed by Ferrari alongside the aviation industry to be 15% more rigid compared to the F430. The Pininfarina design features compact, aerodynamic lines, Scuderia Shields and attractive Red Calipers. The sleek body is both aesthetically captivating and incredibly practicable as air is fed from two intakes on the top of the rear wings to the F1 gearbox and the dual-clutch situated in the rear. The Chassis Jesus.. Tight.. Nimble.. TIGHT!!! Very stiff but not an uncomfortable car to drive. From what I felt - it just keeps trying to go sideways... traction control (just like a Porsche/Lamborghini/High End Audi) will NOT help you. This is not a Vauxhall Astra. The Body Beautiful curves.. Sumptious lines and perfect attention to detail from every angle. The interior is beautiful - Carbon Fibre detail and an instrument cluster I could die in. If I die bury me in this car! The Throttle This car doesn't have a throttle - it has a DANGER pedal! I can't believe this car is road legal. At part throttle it WAILS and SCREAMS, causing people to turn/stare/take pictures/scream/applaud, and an array of other things as I drove past The Houses of Parliament and Downing St. We were just on our way to Selfridges (new shoes) but the reaction from people was really cool! I had my third - or fourth - taste of Super Car freedom and it was a great experience. Not many people get the chance to drive cars like these, and I always send a 'thank you' email to everybody that helps me get inside these cars. I said ''Super Car freedom'' <-- by that I mean having COMPLETELY UNRESTRICTED ACCESS to a car and using it on the ROAD.. I cannot stand it when people say they had a Super Car Experience at a race track - where a grumpy-snouted fart restricts you to second and third gear only. No thank you... that is not driving.. The Exhaust LOUD!! LOUD!! LOUD!! So much noise - it is unreal! I tried to turn it off, but unlike the Lamborghini Huracan and Aventador it cannot be silenced.. Ferrari's scare me to death - but they are the BEST cars on earth. The ''theatre'' of these things thrill me like nothing else. They take your heart and soul, and make you love them. How can a car do this? The answer is ''Ferrari..'' The Ferrari Exhaust may be loud, obnoxious, lairy and deafening - but the car used under £25 of petrol even though I used 100% throttle most of the day.. Some of you may be saying ''huh..'' but it is true. This is one of the CHEAPEST Super Cars I have ever driven. The technology and development between Ferrari and Shell is astonishing. I am overwhelmed. This car. The noise. The drive. The emotion. It is too much of a car for me. When I gave back the Huracan I didn't say a word... just handed over the keys and sat in silence. This car is untamed. It is a stallion. I couldn't make use of the power it has. The 458 is just crazy - and if given the opportunity again I would have to decline because I am incapable of driving it. It is a fucking machine! Nicholas Lawrence //ON CARS Email - nick@on-cars.com |
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