Oakley Design has announced updates to their tuning programme for the Ferrari 458 Italia. The production limitation of five pieces has now been increased to seven cars due to early demand and confirmed orders. Each one will be bearing an unique build number plaque. Outside of this Limited Edition model, individual parts will also be made available for clients who do not require the complete package.

Check out the press release for more details…

Following international acclaim for their finely honed Porsche GT2, GT3 and Panamera conversions, Oakley Design is now proud to announce their tuning programme for the Ferrari 458 Italia.

Production limited originally to 5 has now been increased to 7 cars due to early demand and confirmed orders, with each bearing a unique build number plaque. Outside of this Limited Edition model, individual parts will also be made available for clients who do not require the complete package.

There is also now a possibility of a Ducati 1198 superbike with ‘carbon edition’ design to compliment the sale of each car to make the ultimate Italian package complete.

With Jon Oakley’s motorsport background central to the company’s philosophy, any change, whether aerodynamic or mechanical, is only done for sound technical reasons.

Wind tunnel testing proved that the carbon-fibre front spoiler lip adds 25kg of downforce over the front axle at 150mph (240km/h), benefiting aerodynamics. Further internal airflow management is seen in the radiator air exit ducts beside the headlamps, which receive carbon-fibre inserts and improved ducting from the radiators.

Deeper, wider side sills improve airflow control down the cars flanks, as well as helping to optimize the flat-bottom effect. The longer but 10kgs lighter carbon-fibre rear diffuser has deeper boundary layer fences to improve directional stability.

Finally, a new rear spoiler with Gurney flap adds 23kg of downforce over the rear axle at 150mph. This works together with the underbody diffuser to reduce the Italia’s overall drag by smoothing out the separating airflow.

The only exterior alterations made for cosmetic reasons are the signature Oakley Design carbon-fibre roof panel, mirror covers and engine cover insert below the rear window glass. These are matched in the engine bay by carbon-fibre panels covering the inner wings and rear bulkhead.

Lower kerb weight automatically improves performance and puts less stress on the suspension, tyres and brakes. The complete titanium exhaust system with triple outlet pipes and no bypass valve shaves a huge 32kg from the Italia’s aft section, where it counts the most.

At half the weight of cast alloy equivalents, the new lightweight Forged HRE wheels save a significant 5.0kg of unsprung weight per corner. Their adjusted offset keeps the wheel centre line the same as OE to compensate for the half-inch wider footprint at each corner.

Oakley Design will offer 9.0J x 20-inch and 11.0J x 20-inch wheels with 245/35ZR20 and 295/35ZR20 tyres, as well as one-inch diameter smaller 9.0J x 19-inch and 11.0J x 19-inch HRE Racing wheels shod with the New Pirelli Trofeo tyre in sizes 245/35/19 and 325/30/19 that meets the latest EU regulations for street legal trackday rubber.

Apart from lower back-pressure in the new exhaust system, the improved throttle response and output is down to the larger carbon-fibre air intake box, larger ram air feeds and larger diameter white silicon pipes with Oakley Design logos connecting the air boxes to the intake.

With an ECU remap optimising the fuelling and ignition curves, these changes account for an approximate 10 percent power gain from 570bhp to 623bhp, while torque is up five percent from 540Nm to 573Nm

Carrying around 65kg less and with more power on tap, the factory 3.4 sec 0-100km/h (62 mph) time drops to 3.0sec, while top speed has been recorded at over 335km/h (208 mph).

As reducing the sprung weight has the effect of stiffening the suspension, the car is undergoing extensive testing in this form. A bespoke suspension kit for hard-core trackday drivers is also underway at Intrax, Oakley Design’s suspension and development partner.

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Source: motorward.com and gtspirit.com

New details of the Ferrari 458 Italia Spider GTS have emerged recently saying the open-top model will actually received a glass roof. The glass roof gets folded behind the seats of the Ferrari 458 Italia Spider GTS in an especially designed compartment. This is only speculation at the moment. Previous rumors also speculate that the Ferrari 458 Italia Spider GTS will get a folding hard-top and others say it will have a soft-top. So, at the moment, all version could become a reality. However, the glass roof seems the more interesting idea, and the less probable.

Under the hood the 458 Spider will use the same 4.5 Liter V8 engine equipped with the traditional Ferrari flat crankshaft as the coupe version. The unit produces 570 HP at a rather high 9000 RPM and sprints the car from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds on its way to a top speed of 202 MPH.

We’ll have more details on the Ferrari 458 Italia Spider GTS as soon as they become available.

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Source: zercustoms.com and topspeed.com

With news that Ferrari held a special gathering for extra-special owners at Pebble Beach to show off the Ferrari 599 roadster slowly leaking out, we tapped our top Ferrari source to find out if it’s true. It is.

Here’s what our anonymous tipster with intimate knowledge of the event told us:

• The concept was shown over the course of two days.
• Attendees had to turn their phones off and give them and cameras to security.
• The plan is to make 100 cars worldwide… maybe 40-50 for the U.S.… possibly less.
• Expect the car to show up Q2 2011 for the US.
• Price will be GTO price + premium
• Under the hood, expect the same engine as the GTO.
• Snap-on fabric top…but pretty easy to take on and off.

Attendees also received a letter — this one courtesy of our friends at Luxury4Play — thanking them for their attendance and interest in the next drop-top out of Maranello.

The letter, which appears to be on authentic-looking Ferrari North America stationary, thanks the user for attending the 599 Roadster presentation, and describes the information they collected from potential customers as “first feedback.” “I am sure our Ferrari engineers will deliver a unique, superlative and memorable supercar,” the letter reads. Assuming the letter is authentic and not a mean-spirited photoshop, it would seem Ferrari is still tinkering with the 599 Roadster—in which case, it’s not surprising we haven’t seen it yet. As for why we haven’t heard more about what those potential customers saw (or even whether there was a prototype there), it’s possible Ferrari made everyone sign a non-disclosure agreement(NDA). And if that’s so, well, we have to hope for the sake of our friendly leaker that posting this letter (you can see it below) doesn’t violate the NDA. But we bet it kinda does.

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Source: jalopnik.com and 0-60mag.com

Ferrari 458 Italia

 Ferrari is recalling its new 458 Italia model after several vehicles were reported to have burst into flames.

A Ferrari spokesperson told CNNMoney.com the luxury supercar is being recalled in order to make modifications to the wheelhouse assembly.

Ferrari is recalling all its 458 Italia vehicles after five fires were reported in California, Switzerland, China and France.

Deliveries of the car in the U.S. began this summer. It has a 4.5-liter 8-cylinder engine, 7-speed automatic transmission, 570 horsepower and has a base price around $230,000.

Ferrari said the company is asking owners of the cars produced before July 2010 to bring them in to have the glue replaced with mechanical fasteners.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a statement saying Ferrari’s Italian headquarters had told its North American division about the recall. NHTSA warned that if the adhesive ignites it could “render the vehicle inoperable and possibly result in a crash.”

The NHTSA statement said 303 vehicles are being recalled, and owners could be eligible for reimbursement for if they spent money on repairs related to the problem before the recall was announced.

Ferrari North America will start notifying affected customers within two weeks, NHTSA said.

Last week, Britain’s Sky News site said drivers of the 458 Italia were “fearing they are jinxed after 10 of the vehicles crashed or caught fire within three months … It is not thought that the 458 design has a fault, just that the owners have been unusually unlucky.” 

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Source: money.cnn.com

Ferrari’s finally decided to issue a recall on the Ferrari 458 Italia after at least four fires in three months, according to a letter allegedly received by an owner. Ferrari’s apparently blaming a design flaw instead of their owners.

The Italian automaker promised us the Ferrari 458 Italia would be a hot new ride, but the numerous fires made us wonder about how literal the Italians were being. 

After weeks of no response to our questions, we were treated to a quiet leak to European buff books earlier this week that Ferrari was investigating the fires. It turns out it may have been a quick investigation. 

We’ve heard from one owner last Saturday that they received a letter from Ferrari claiming a gas overflow tube and gas vapor system were placed too close to the engine, thus creating the possibility of a fire. The owner was told they can take their vehicle to their dealer to receive a fix. We’re currently trying to confirm this report and will update you as soon as we get it. 

UPDATE: The reliably in-the-know Ferrari obsessives at Ferrari Chat seem to confirm there’s a fix going on, with one poster even posting pics saying:

picked up my 458 today.
This was the part they changed immediately during the PDI.
The 1st photo is where the “breather pipe” is located.
The 2nd photo is the old part.
The 3rd photo is the new part that was installed.

 

In response to a question about whether this was related to the fire, the same person who shared photos of the repair said “I asked the same question… they gave a non-committal “probably”. I think they are under gag orders. ”

Stay tuned for more regarding the recall.

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Source: jalopnik.com

With the news of one more Ferrari 458 Italia crash, total toll for the supercar reaches to 11. A significant number indeed to tell that time has ripened to investigate real reasons of such crashes. The present Ferrari crash involving a brand-new model occurred in Ningbo, China. It caught fire after only about 1,000 miles on the odometer. According to the information available, smoke was seen coming out from the engine compartment of the car before the fire.

The first report of Ferrari 458 Italia catching fire had come from Paris when its owner was just trying to drive his brand new sports car. In the case that occurred in the month of July this year, fire had started in the rear wheel before spreading to other parts. Within a few days of the incidence, Switzerland saw another Ferrari 458 catching fire while it was trying to climb up a mountain pass. Third fire-incidence was reported last week only from the London Heathrow airport, where the car caught on fire while staying in a warehouse before being transported to an Arabian customer. Engine catching fire was also noticed last week in Costa Mesa, California.

Whether it is a fire case or meeting with an accident, the Ferrari 458 Italia is getting destroyed at a very regular intervals. If you follow the last 11 crashes, including the present one, you will find one supercar accident in every 10 days! And, if the trend is not checked immediately, we must be ready for the 12^th Ferrari crash in next couple of days.

The Ferrari 458 Italia comes equipped with a 4.5-liter V8 engine to power the car. Weight of the car is only 3042 pounds and it can produce 570-hp to make the car attain 60 mph from rest in just 3.4 seconds. Top speed of the car is 202 mph.

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 Source: wreckedexotics.com, nitrobahn.com, and insideline .com

What do you think about Ferrari going green?

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Source: ferrari.com via youtube.com

In Moriyama, Japan- Japanese tuner Auto Veloce has created a Lamborghini-inspired body kit for the outgoing Ferrari F430. It was officially unveiled at the 2010 Special Import-Car Show, or SIS, in Japan, and it’s now available for order in both spider and berlinetta versions.

The package is part of Auto Veloce’s product line called “Super Veloce Racing,” and includes a full exterior body kit. Like a lot of the aggressive models from Lamborghini, the F430 gets a huge airdam, quarter-panel intakes and a monstrous rear wing. The kit is blacked out to make it look even more like Lamborghini’s 2010 Murcielago LP670-4 Super Veloce. New wheels and a rear bumper with a diffuser are also part of the modifications.

A similar but less aggressive package with the Lambo look is also offered for the Ferrari 360 Modena.

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Source: insideline.com

Ferrari California tuned by Anderson Germany

Sacrilegious as it may seem to some, there are those who feel that their Ferrari just isn’t fast enough. Fortunately for such individuals there is an aftermarket full of companies like Anderson Germany that are glad to fill the void with creations like this one.

Starting with the Ferrari California, Anderson has tweaked out an extra 55 horsepower with a simple readjustment of the car’s integrated electronics and a new tri-mode variable exhaust system. The result is a whopping 515 horsepower, with a variety of visual modifications available to complement.

PRESS RELEASE

Source: autoguide.com and luxist.com

Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta

On display for the first time even, Ferrari chose the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to display the one-off P540 Superfast Aperta. One of the first vehicles to come from Ferrari’s Special Projects program (others including the Enzo-based P4/5 and the F430-based SP1), underneath this gold beauty is a Ferrari 599 chassis.

The P540 Superfast was built for Edward Walson, the son of John Walson, who invented cable TV. Walson commissioned the vehicle with inspiration coming from the Fantuzzi-designed Ferrari which appeared in the 1968 film Toby Dammit. It was designed by Pininfarina and built in-house in Maranello, with Walson taking part in the entire design process. While added bracing was required to maintain the chassis’ rigidity, plenty of carbon fiber panels were used to reduce the impact of the weight gain. In total, engineers managed to limit the added weight to just 44 lbs.

Like previous projects, the luxurious Ferrari’s engine remains untouched, with the factory 6.0-liter V12 producing a tremendous 612-hp.

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Source: autoguide.com