Ferrari 458 Black Carbon Edition by Anderson Germany Goes to the Dark Side

Challenging the notion that a true Ferrari has to be red, Anderson Germany has whipped up a murdered out 458 Italia with both styling and mechanical upgrades. Starting with the visible modifications, Anderson Germany's Ferrari 458 is finished in a black color and features a carbon fiber package that includes a pair of vents on the front hood, spoiler lips, rear diffuser and exterior mirrors. The German tuner also tinted the Italian supercar’s windows, headlamps and taillights.

The exterior look is rounded off with a new set of 21-inch alloy wheels in a carbon finish that are shod in tires size 245 up front and 345 at the rear, and brake calipers finished in a contrasting yellow color.

The carbon fiber theme is continued inside with the lightweight material making its appearance on the air vents, center console, door handles, door sills, steering wheel, instrument panel, shift paddles, and even the seat adjustment handles. The tuner also dressed the seats and the door panels in mixture of black carbon leather and black alcantara with diamond seams. A high-end entertainment system completes the interior upgrades.

Few will complain about the 570 ponies and 540Nm offered up by Ferrari’s run-of-the-mill 4.5-liter V8 engine, but for those that do, Anderson Germany offers a performance programme that includes an ECU optimization and a custom exhaust system with special manifolds and Rennkats boosting output to 623HP and 636Nm (469 lb-ft).

The German tuner did not release pricing information on the 458 Italia Black Carbon package.

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Ferrari to Drop the Top on New 458 Italia Spider at Frankfurt Motor Show?

Emerging from the rumormill are talks about Ferrari getting ready to reveal a convertible version of its new 458 Italia supercar at next month's 2011 Frankfurt auto show.

In a new report from Germany's Auto Motor und Sport magazine, sources close to Maranello say that like its predecessor, the 458 Italia Spider will be offered with an electrically operated cloth convertible top that disappears behind the front seats.

Under the hood, the 458 Italia Spider will sport the same 4.5-liter V8 engine with direct injection technology found in the coupe model.

The V8 delivers 570 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and a peak torque of 540Nm or 398.2 lb-ft at 6,000 rpm. All that grunt will be sent to the rear wheels through Ferrari's highly-acclaimed 7-speed F1 dual-clutch gearbox.

Expect to see the Spider version in showrooms in 2012.

Story source: AMS , Renderings: Wildspeed /Teamspeed

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Ferrari Unleashes 458 Italia Grand Am

Italian sports carmaker Ferrari has set its eyes on the North American Grand Am series, which it plans to compete in with the new 458 Italia Grand Am that was given its track baptism today at the Fiorano circuit completing several laps in the hands of Maurizio Mediani and Jaime Melo.

Developed in cooperation with Michelotto Automobili, the racing model is based on the European GT3 version of the 458 Italia but features less efficient aerodynamics as well as a detuned V8 delivering 500-horses due to the different regulations in the American series.

In addition, the Grand Am sports a modified braking system, as the car has neither ABS nor traction control.

Other differences compared to the GT3 include the strengthened roll-over bar to deal with the more frequent collisions in the American series, while the car is also fitted with Continental tires, the sole supplier to the series.

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Too Much? Graf Weckerle-Tuned Ferrari 458 Italia

It seems that there is a tune for just about everyone and everything these days, from subtle to extreme, and all points in between. We do not know where exactly this Ferrari 458 Italia from German tuning firm Graf Weckerle fits in that spectrum, but those odd-looking alloy wheels are sure to catch the attention of every passerby.

Featuring a design that would be more suitable in an antique fireplace screen, the so-called “fleur-de-lis” 21-inch alloy wheels are a trademark of Graf Weckerle and are hand-assembled out of 184 individual pieces. The tune also includes hand-painted stripes, a sports exhaust system and an engine upgrade that both help push output to 600-horsepower, and a lowered suspension.

Source: Jameslist via GTspirit

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Want a Ferrari 458? Why Not Take Two?

In Australia and indeed the world, Ferrari waiting lists are notoriously long. At one point the average wait time for a Ferrari 575M Maranello was as much as three years, as demand rapidly stripped out the brand’s relatively small production capacity. Whatever is a cashed up Ferrarista to do?

Well, you could just buy whatever’s available and drive that until your hot pink Ferrari 458 with the diamante-encrusted wheel arches and baby seal leather interior arrives. I mean, who cares about depreciation when you can lay down half a million on a factory fresh Ferrari? You’d be surprised how many Ferrari customers in Australia are doing this exact thing.

Edward Rowe, spokesman for Ferrari’s official Australia distributor, told the Brisbane Times:

“We had our first trade-in swaps on 458s barely four months after the car was bought. We actually have pre-owned 458s now because one set of customers literally ordered two cars — one with a very straightforward specification that would come straight down the production line as early as possible, and at the same time they ordered one with all the special spec they wanted. When that car turned up, they traded in the first one.”

Mr. Rowe is not concerned, however, as there are some very loyal followers of the Ferrari brand in the land down under:

“We have one owner who bought his first Ferrari in 1973, and I think he has bought about 15 since then and is yet to sell one. The very first Ferrari ever sold in Australia is still on the road in Melbourne, a (1950s-era) 212.”

Even though that 212 is probably not still in the hands of its original owner, it’s nice to see there are people in Australia who care so much for the Ferrari brand.

By Tristan Hankins

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