458 PRESENTATION @ FIORANO!!

+100000000000

 

Yes my whingeing kiwis; damn I'm good. So therefore, I go nowhere and make sure the likes of you descry their are two sides to a chat.

 

Of course. However, a piece of grillwork is usually just "mesh". The difference between the weight (for example) of the piece of mesh, just below the CHMSL of an F430, if it were made of aluminum or plastic would amount to what? Five grams; it means zilch. It is costs they are looking at.

 

I think this debate could be argued for years. . .there are two logical sides. The use of plastic most likely saves weight, yes, and while a plastic grill may only amount to a few grams difference, every gram counts. Especially when there are so many parts of a vehicle that could be made from metal or plastic. It all adds up to pounds. If i'm not mistaken the weight between a stradale and a normal 430 is significant, but not impressively significant, however the savings make a huge difference in the performance.

Then again, in my profession, in the restaurant business, every penny counts. We can raise the cost of an item by 10 cents, and if we sell 10,000 of that item, we gain an extra 1,000 a year. Not incredibly significant. But if we do that to all 30 menu items, big increase in profit.

I believe that Ferrari, just like lamborghini and Bentley (they say the mesh grilles are plastic because of pedestrian safety yea OK) and everyone else, uses cheap materials to save money. If this wans't the case, they would use metal on the normal 458 and another lighter material on the light-weight version. my 2cents

 

I hope the no cost option for interior trim includes both aluminium and CF parts.
Its a Ferrari, and buyers shouldnt have to fork out extra for CF trim to make it look
like an exotic sports car.
Looks like Ferrari also eliminated the no cost option of either having red or yellow
tachometers. I noticed that on the 458, its appears to be in one standard colour,
dark grey.

 

The coloured tach features prominently on the 458 launch website.
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wow! the only photos I saw had grey tachs...thks.

 

Video montage of the unveiling:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_JsU-xy8ws

Video shown at the unveling of two 458 racing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA__DuGzJXg

 

by the way, did you guys notice how they have 3 exhausts?
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looks like four pipes to me.

 

4 pipes..........2 in 1.

 

Always the best color combination, IMHO.

Thanks for the photos. I think it looks great, including the wheels. The leathered-up challenge seats are exactly right for a road Ferrari -- leave the CF shells to the Challenge version, for the track rats.

The front bonnet seam is a little weird, and I agree with the posts about the placement of the front cavallino being a bit off. It also looks overly traditional on these plastic-nosed cars. Maybe the badge on the nose is enough.

I like it without all the carbon fibre garnish and shields -- too much trinketry. Less is more. People know it's a Ferrari, and they know it's expensive.

But on the whole it looks a lot more svelte than the 360/F430. I don't know if it pulls Ferrari back up to 355 levels of design, need to see one in person. It looks a lot lower and wider than the 360/F430.

And if the base package beats the 360 CS/F430 Scuderia already... looks like a win for Ferrari after a bit of a drought.

 

Post 232 on this page offers a clue

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=255385&page=12

 

Then why would the middle pipe be split?

 

Probably something to do with efficient gas flow. Maybe it's better to have two distinct pipes than one outlet where two streams of gas from either side can collide.

 

Then why have a cross over pipe in the first place? Usually they're used to balance pressure.

 

That's to keep it nice and civilised when you're taking it easy and then the other two let rip when you give it full metal. I'm only guessing, though.

 

This is true. My BMW 330ci has the optional ZHP package will cubed aluminum trim and it is indeed cold in the mornings--much colder than all the plastic in the car.

 

Standing next to it at the launch I thought it looked narrower and shorter than the 430.

 

Holy crap! I really dislike the front headlights now, makes the car look like an awkward fish..

 

The 458's seat is looking alot like the one of Murcie SV, IMHO>>

 

the pearl yellow & nuovo rosso scuderia colours look fantastic on the 458.

 

The red car at the launch was painted in Rosso Fuoco not Nuova Rosso Scuderia.

 

Some additional pics from the launch in Maranello
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One of the displayed 458 models was confirmed as being painted in the new Rosso Fuoco shade. The three layer process shows as a different color depending on the light. That 458 can be seen in the 1st picture of #37 here and appears again in the last picture of #84 to. Are there any more pictures of this particular 458 from that night?
CH