Ferrari Speical Edition

If you had a lot of money - and we mean, like, a lot of money, a sort of quite-close-to-infinite amount of money - with which to create your perfect, custom-built Ferrari, would you order a gold, convertible 599?

No? Well, tough. Because you don't have a swizillion dollars. But Edward Walson does. He's the son of John Walson, the man who invented cable television, and he is Very Rich Indeed.

Last year, Walson Jnr approached Ferrari's Special Projects Programme - established after Pininfarina created James Glickenhaus's P4/5 and Ferrari realised it could create an in-house division to grab a bit of the ultra-lucrative one-off market - to develop a car to his very exacting specifications and very expansive wallet.

So say hello to the Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta, a coachbuilt 599 convertible modelled, apparently, on the gold Ferrari from the 1968 short film Toby Dammit (nope, us neither).

The Aperta took 14 months to build, with much of the work going into strengthening the chassis to deal with the loss of the roof. Still, the Aperta is just 20kg heavier than a stock 599, thanks to extensive use of deliciously expensive carbon fibre.

Walson opted to leave the 599's 6.0-litre V12 (which is, admittedly, a masterwork in standard form) unchanged, which seems a touch odd to us. Surely if you were spending gazillions of dollars creating your own unique Ferrari, you'd demand a tweak or two to the engine... just to make it special, like?

Schumacher is Free to Leave Ferrari

So it looks like Michael Schumacher will surely make a comeback to Formula 1 fans - Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo stated on Tuesday that the Italian team will not stand in Schumi's way if he wants to drive for Mercedes GP.

The off-season news is all about Schumacher's return to the sport and we really hope this isn't just a publicity stunt for F1. Schumi is, after all, bound by contract to the Ferrari team as a consultant till the end of 2012. However, di Montezemolo told reporters today that Schumacher's deal is 'not binding'. If Schumacher does shift to Mercedes, he will partner his fellow countryman Nico Rosberg and end his 13-year stint with Ferrari.

"It's clear that, if he decides to take another road, our agreement will no longer be valid - that is logical," explained di Montezemolo. "You can't work with a competitor and with us at the same time. I still haven't spoken to him about it. He is only a dear friend, not a team member. He is a consultant for our road cars," he added.

On a side note, Mercedes (formerly Brawn GP) may face a $100 million slash in their budget in the 2010 season. German consumer products honcho Henkel is claiming that a three-year sponsorship contract with Mercedes in invalid since the contract was signed by a former employee without authorisation. Henkel alleged that they had informed Daimler (the parent company of Mercedes) of the problem back in September. As a result, Henkel sued Brawn GP in November and the legal proceedings are still on.

Henkel was paying through its nose to Brawn, and lack of funds would mean Michael Schumacher won't get what he asks for. According to German dailies, Schumi is having talks of upwards of $40 million with Mercedes to drive for the team. Lets wait and watch.

Novitec Rosso Tunes Ferrari California

One of our favorite Ferrari tuners, Novitec Rosso presents this new styling and performance package for the Ferrari California. Out of the gate, the revised California emanates a little extra edge and power thanks to a carbon fiber body kit that includes front and rear spoilers, side skirts and rear diffuser. Three-piece NF3 wheels wrapped in Pirellis finish the outside.

Popping the hood, Novitec installed a new engine management system and coupled it with new stainless steel exhaust. Horsepower is increased by 40 to a nice, even 500.

First look: Ferrari 458 Italia

FEW brand names evoke as much passion as Ferrari and one reason is the excitement the Italian super sportscar maker manages to generate with each new product.

One example is the Ferrari 458 Italia, the latest in a line of mid-engined models that started 40 years ago.

Unlike the pretty F430 before it, the 458 looks more aggressive with cab-forward styling reminiscent of the Enzo and the FXX.

It may not look beautiful at first glance but with its LED lights and triple tailpipes, it is sensational enough to make classics like the sensuous 355 look sadly dated.

The 458 has a brand new aluminium chassis with a new V8 engine and suspension.

The car is basically the same size as the F430 but with a longer wheelbase for greater directional stability. As a result, the overhangs are shorter and the cabin has an extra 10mm.

More interestingly, Ferrari has created numerous 'firsts' with the 458.

The new flat-bottomed steering wheel is inspired by the prancing horse's involvement in Formula One racing and houses all the driver functions required, in addition to the already familiar engine start button and manettino car set-up dial.

No stalks sprout out of the steering column. Instead, the switches for the indicator, wipers and high beam are all on or around the steering boss.

Ferrari 458 supercar

Ferrari's 458 is aimed at satisfying thrill-seekers among the Italian car-maker's hard-core audience.The Ferrari 458 Italia – the best supercar of 2010. Possibly. It’s certainly one of the most exciting, as evo new boy Chris Harris will happily testify after driving it at the press launch last month.

It leads an Italian special in this month’s evo magazine (which should be in all good magazine shops and on the doormats of loyal subscribers by Wednesday December 9), which also features the Alfa 8C Spider, Ferrari 599 HGTE, Abarth 500 Assetto Corse and Maserati GranTurismo MC Corsa.

Today on evo.co.uk it’s all about the Ferrari 458 Italia, though. Peruse a gallery of pictures at the bottom of this page (some of them web exclusives) from Harris’s drive in the Italian hills and at Ferrari’s Fiorano test circuit, click to read Henry Catchpole’s blog or watch Chris reviewing the car (and cocking about a bit) in our video section. Bellissima!

Ferrari Car Pictures

Ferrari 458 Italia: review

The 458 is expected to cost as much as $600,000, or 10 per cent more than the 430.

Stuart Martin road tests and reviews the Ferrari 458 Italia, with a lap at the company’s track in Fiorano.

Ferrari has taken its two-seater V8 sports to new heights with the 458 Italia, but there's no manual in sight.

Sharing some of the California's drivetrain, albeit with upgrades to suit the harder-core performance aspect of the coupe, the 458 is only being offered only as a double-clutch automated seven-speed manual when Australian deliveries start mid-2010, so low was the demand for 430 manuals.

The company says the 458 - expected to cost as much as $600,000, or 10 per cent more than the 430 - completes the new generation Ferrari range, boasting better environmental credentials accompanied by more power and better performance.

The 458 is largely focussed on the driver, with the remainder of the cabin laid bare - the driver gets a steering wheel that has the bulk of the features now mounted on it, moving lights, indicators, windscreen washer/wiper function to the steering wheel, as well as the start/stop engine button, the independent damper switch and the all-important Manettino toggle.

That system controls the suspension, stability control and drivetrain via the one ECU, which Ferrari says allows the systems to work together for quicker response times.

The aluminium-spaceframe vehicle, which was developed with input from Michael Schumacher, sits on a double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension, with some similarity to the underpinnings of the California - but some of the suspension has been altered for 458 Italia duty, including the bushing.

The 458 is also stiffer than the outgoing 430 Scuderia, boasting only 30 extra kgs but with 50 more kiloWatts and 70 additional Newton metres of torque on hand, it's quicker than the outgoing sports model.

The alloy direct-injection engine is now 4.5-litres, with work done to reduce internal friction as well as using a dry sump and oil scavenger system, producing 425kW at a manic 9000rpm and 540Nm at 6000rpm, although 80 per cent of that is available from 3250 through until 9000rpm.

The sprint to 100km/h takes less than 3.4 seconds, it brakes from that point to standstill in 32.5 metres thanks to standard carbon-ceramic brake discs and a 1380kg kerb weight and the top speed is around 325km/h.

The car has also benefitted from considerable aerodynamic work, managing to cut drag - it's cD is 0.33 - but at the same time generating solid levels of downforce at speed - 360kg of downforce is being generated at the top speed of 325km/h.

Flexible front winglets, rear diffusers and subtle venting across the length of the body are all part of a complex aerodynamic package that aim to give the car ample track stability at speed.

Driving the car on its local Italian roads and the test track at Fiorano where much of the development work was done, the 458 feels well-sorted. The road drive revealed the latest incarnation of the magnetorheological controlled damping system deals well with ride quality, as well as tightening up appropriately when asked.

The engine sounds a little less inspiring at mundane speeds, but the drivetrain doesn't baulk at suburban dawdling.

But bury the right foot and the active exhaust brays with intent as the V8 spins with ferocious intent to 9000rpm - only race mode will stop the gearbox changing up at the limiter, but the pace at which the horizon closes in on the sharp nose of the 458 is astonishing.

On the Fiorano test track, the 458 is no less astonishing - the full throttle noise borders on a physical assault and the electronics are kept busy on a greasy track, but it feels cohesive and unlikely to bite, unless you switch all the electronics off - but we didn't.

There's little that occurs beneath the wheels that the driver is not aware of, but the talents of the car are best shown by the Ferrari test drivers, who demonstrate the 458 Italia's considerable potential.