Thursday 15th July 2010

Ferrari 458 Racer Unveiled

Maranello's new baby goes one-make racing

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Ferrari has revealed its latest 'gentleman's' racer, the 458 Challenge. The new car will be eligible for competition in next year's Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli one-make series.

The direct-injection 4497cc V8 is carried over unchanged from the 458 Italia road car, although 562bhp at 9000rpm is hardly going to leave it underpowered. The gear ratios and calibration of the dual-clutch gearbox have been tweaked, however, to bring higher torque at lower revs. The 458 Challenge is also equipped with the E-Diff electronic differential already employed on the road-going version, a first for a Ferrari race car.

In an effort to reduce the car's weight, Ferrari's engineers have reduced the thickness of the bodyshell panels, while liberal use of lightweight materials, such as carbon fibre and Lexan, help to push the car's weight down further.

Ferrari isn't saying exactly how much weight it has shaved from the Italia to create the challenge, but it's enough to get the car around the company's Fiorano test track in 1min 16.5secs, two seconds quicker than the F430 Challenge can manage, generating an impressive 1.6g of lateral grip along the way.

No doubt helping with that rapid lap time and huge grip on offer is a bespoke suspension set-up featuring solid aluminium bushings, stiffer springs, single-rate dampers, centre-nut 19in alloys, Pirelli slicks and a ride height lowered by 30mm all round. It also gets the Brembo CCM2 brakes from the 599XX.

The 458 Challenge is also the first Ferrari one-make racer to get the F1-Trac traction control system. Two specific track-biased calibrations - wet and dry - have been developed for the 458 Challenge, while the system is integrated with the E-Diff to help traction out of corners.

[spoonoff]

Road-going 458 GTO anybody???

[Gold]

I'm sure there will be a Scuderia/Challenge Stradale follow up

[pagani1]

Damn it my bank manager has just died. Anyone wishing to put up a share option ownership syndicate scheme or SOOSS- i have £1000 earmarked so if there are 200 like minded souls out there??
Oh and as the founder member bags I keep it at home for you prospective syndicate members
to come and pick up for your one and a half days of fun each.

[bikemonster]

Article said:

The gear ratios and calibration of the dual-clutch gearbox have been tweaked, however, to bring higher torque at lower revs.

Eh?

How does the gear ratios impact on the shape of the torque curve?

[wab172uk]

I really wish I was rich enough.

[Dagnut]

It's a one make series so laptimes are all relevant, or should be relevant to driver ability and speed...why put traction control aids in there?
I really don't get that, when you're chasing someone down or someone's chasing you down and you're pretty evenly matched, you're waiting for mistakes..which won't happen as often with an E Diff.

[spoonoff]

bikemonster said:

Article said:

The gear ratios and calibration of the dual-clutch gearbox have been tweaked, however, to bring higher torque at lower revs.

Eh?

How does the gear ratios impact on the shape of the torque curve?

Torque at the wheels not engine torque. That's how.

[P4ROT]

pagani1 said:

Damn it my bank manager has just died. Anyone wishing to put up a share option ownership syndicate scheme or SOOSS- i have £1000 earmarked so if there are 200 like minded souls out there??
Oh and as the founder member bags I keep it at home for you prospective syndicate members
to come and pick up for your one and a half days of fun each.

I'm in- as second founding member I'd like the car on first Sunday of every month- if you don't mind? How much would insurance be for a 21 year old with 6 months no claims?.....LOL

[marcgti6]

Very nice car but I'm going to ask a question that's been bothering me for a while - Why are all the pictures on PistonHeads so small?

[bikemonster]

spoonoff said:

bikemonster said:

Article said:

The gear ratios and calibration of the dual-clutch gearbox have been tweaked, however, to bring higher torque at lower revs.

Eh?

How does the gear ratios impact on the shape of the torque curve?

Torque at the wheels not engine torque. That's how.

Sure, a lower ratio 'box gives more torque available at the wheels, but the shape of the torque curve doesn't change just because the gearbox has been re-jigged.

Highest torque at the wheels is usually in reverse, because reverse is usually lower geared than 1st gear.

Leaving that aside, it's unlikely that the new gearbox will include a lower first gear, so I think my question still stands.

[300bhp/ton]

Am I the only one?

But something to me, just says "Photoshop".




Looks good otherwise though.

[mat205125]

Gold said:

I'm sure there will be a Scuderia/Challenge Stradale follow up

Trofeo Stradale?

[yazza54]

300bhp/ton said:

Am I the only one?

But something to me, just says "Photoshop".




Looks good otherwise though.

Thought that instantly. All they've unveiled is a pic they've made.

Is no one else getting bored of all these supercars, theres that many being churned out now many seem to massively lack character. Nothing is ever impressive anymore, it's just another supercar.

[spoonoff]

bikemonster said:

spoonoff said:

bikemonster said:

Article said:

The gear ratios and calibration of the dual-clutch gearbox have been tweaked, however, to bring higher torque at lower revs.

Eh?

How does the gear ratios impact on the shape of the torque curve?

Torque at the wheels not engine torque. That's how.

Sure, a lower ratio 'box gives more torque available at the wheels, but the shape of the torque curve doesn't change just because the gearbox has been re-jigged.

Highest torque at the wheels is usually in reverse, because reverse is usually lower geared than 1st gear.

Leaving that aside, it's unlikely that the new gearbox will include a lower first gear, so I think my question still stands.

The torque curve is not mentioned in the article.

[ccr32]

yazza54 said:

Is no one else getting bored of all these supercars, theres that many being churned out now many seem to massively lack character. Nothing is ever impressive anymore, it's just another supercar.

Nope, not me.

Carry on...

[Slinky]

300bhp/ton said:

Am I the only one?

But something to me, just says "Photoshop".




Looks good otherwise though.

I think it's the lighting (and use of artificial lighting) that gives it that impression..

[RobM77]

I find the principle of giving a car more low down torque to convert it from a road car to a racing car rather bizarre. Normally it's the other way round - the search for more power in race cars is at the expense of low torque low down, and the need for flexibility in road car engines requires torque low down.

[300bhp/ton]

spoonoff said:

bikemonster said:

spoonoff said:

bikemonster said:

Article said:

The gear ratios and calibration of the dual-clutch gearbox have been tweaked, however, to bring higher torque at lower revs.

Eh?

How does the gear ratios impact on the shape of the torque curve?

Torque at the wheels not engine torque. That's how.

Sure, a lower ratio 'box gives more torque available at the wheels, but the shape of the torque curve doesn't change just because the gearbox has been re-jigged.

Highest torque at the wheels is usually in reverse, because reverse is usually lower geared than 1st gear.

Leaving that aside, it's unlikely that the new gearbox will include a lower first gear, so I think my question still stands.

The torque curve is not mentioned in the article.

They make a valid point though. A Lower gearing would affect torque at the wheels across the entire engine rpm range, not just "lower revs" as the article states, unless it is referring to wheel revs and not engine rpms.

And remember, a gain in wheel torque through gearing is at the expense of horse power at the wheels.

[soad]

Looks damn good to me.

[mnk303]

Just another way Ferrari can make more more money, IE: The car has less and made even worse than normal and still charge over £200K, maybe they sould stick to aftershave