Forza Italia!

In a swanky affair at the equally swanky Inanda Club, last night, it was not the string of Rolls Royce Phantoms or other exotica that South Africa’s social elite was out to see. Instead, Ferrari chose this venue to launch the new Ferrari 458 Italia – and ZA Car Show was there.

Under wraps. What could it be?

The [rumored to cost] R3.8 million supercar replaces the F430 in Ferrari’s lineup and features a 4.5l V8 high-revving (9000 RPM redline) engine mounted amidship. With a kerb weight of only 1.3 tonnes, and outputs of 420kW and 540Nm, the 458 Italia sports some pretty impressive performance figures: the ton is up in under 4-seconds even at the hands of a ham-fisted driver. But Ferraris are not drag queens, so the sophisticated suspension setup, E-Diff and F1 electronic traction control systems take care of the car around the corners, ensuring that it is no less than 32% quicker than its predecessors when doing so.

Men from Ferrari: Spoiling the view.

It’s the return of the pretty Ferrari. The 360 and 430 were not the prettiest cars since the 355, but with these credentials its safe to say that this 458 is set to trump sales the world over, especially in South Africa if attendance at the launch event was anything to go by.

Covers off, the floor fills with spittle

Aggressive. Very Aggressive.

That tall shadow on the left is Derek Watts. Pay at Carte Blanche is good.