After churning out the highly desirable ‘Challenge’ versions of the 348, 355, 360 and 430 in the past, Ferrari has now presented the automotive world with the ‘458 Italia Challenge’. This souped up Ferrari 458 continues to use the production model’s 5.5-liter V8 powerplant. However, while the 458 Italia is building up muscles and stamina for its silver screen appearance in Tansformers 3, the Challenge version has undergone some serious weight loss programme. The race car boasts of thinner body panels comprised of Lexan and carbon-fiber! The Challenge also gets new suspension bits and setup with stiffer springs, dampers and aluminum bushings and now sits 30mm lower for the race track. Furthermore, the Challenge gets more drool maal in the form of 19-inch racing wheels that are shod with Pirelli sport slicks and which integrate Brembo CCM2 carbon-ceramic brakes from the 599XX. Slurp!
For Forza fanatics and IT nerds alike there is also a binary code in the Press Release that decodes as, “Another first for a Ferrari Challenge model is the adoption of the F1-Trac traction control system, the most sophisticated of its kind. Developed in-house by Ferrari, the F1-Trac system constantly monitors levels of grip for maximum high-performance road-holding. Two specific track-biased calibrations – wet and dry – have been developed for this application, with control logic and strategies derived from Ferrari’s extensive racing experience in the F1 and GT championships. The F1-Trac is completely integrated with the E-Diff to guarantee maximum acceleration out of corners. The required ABS, F1-Trac and E-Diff calibration settings are selected via the manettino on the steering wheel, the first time this solution has been adopted on a model developed for the Ferrari Challenge series. The driver can thus either chose from the WET or DRY configurations. In high grip conditions it is also possible to select CT-OFF to de-activate the F1-Trac traction control.” The new race car will run alongside the F430 Challenge as part of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo next year, the latter of which is also getting a new Asia-Pacific series for 2011 as well.
For a HIGH RESOLUTION WIDESCREEN WALLPAPER of the Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge and the official Press Release, head over to the next page>>>