Wednesday 5th January 2011

Ferrari 458 Challenge On Track (And The Street)

458 racer filmed in Maranello and at Fiorano

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God bless the Italians. It's hard to imagine any other country on earth allowing a racing car to trundle around city streets on the way to the test track, but that's exactly what's happening in this video of the new Ferrari 458 Challenge racer.

Okay, so there are numberplates taped to the rumps of these 458 Challenge cars, but we would guess they're road legal only in the loosest sense of the phrase. Put it this way - it's hard to imagine Aston Martin or McLaren being allowed to let a racing car loose around the roads of Warwickshire or Woking.

But this is Ferrari, and Maranello, and things are simply different there...

You can read more about the spec of Ferrari's one-make racer in our previous story on the 458 Challenge, but for now we'll shut up and let you enjoy the sound of the 458 racer grumbling around the streets of Maranello and howling around the track at Fiorano. Lovely.

 

[Squabbler]

Glad they finally lost that stupid 3rd exhaust pipe for this version

[old-school]

Sounds fabulous. Love the bit where it sets off the car alarms.

[icebite78]

I think Ferrari are in another world right now,in terms of sports/hypercar manufacturer they are just worlds apart from any one,and i can not see anyone getting close to them i realy dont.

Bravo Ferrari that sounds and looks amazing.

[soad]

Twin exhaust looks superb! As for the car =

Looks and sounds sooo special. Big want!!!

[MogulBoy]

Sounds great on track through headphones!

[GPT]

I'm pretty sure that McLaren were allowed to run an F1 car around some of the roads in Woking when Mika won the world title.

ETA:

http://www.woking.gov.uk/news/archive?item=0000406...

Edited by GPT on Wednesday 5th January 11:35

[bmthnick1981]

V.Nice.

[dele]

Squabbler said:

Glad they finally lost that stupid 3rd exhaust pipe for this version

^^ This.

Id want two exhausts on the road one

[paynter17]

that sounds like

[jon-]

That's one rapid gear change.

[Streps]

This is the first Ferrari in ages that is a beauty
Sounds awesome aswell.

[Captac007]

Truly magical !

Andy

[chuno]

Red Bull also drove an F1 car through the centre of London recently - there was a video on their website (prob on youtube as well now)

Edited by chuno on Wednesday 5th January 12:50

[k-ink]

Wibble

[k3ybo]

I wonder if Lamborghini will still claim the fastest one-make championship when this starts racing in anger?

[geoffracing]

One of the ugliest Ferraris ever. The proportions are completely wrong, as with most rear-engined cars in fact!
And that bonnet that surely comes from an other car! A bit like many bootlids on BMWs...

[Tracked_Out]

Love it when the resonance from the exhaust appears to set of a car alarm at around 3:20 in the video! The guys in the chase car seem to find it amusing too.

[koolchris99]

red bull ran an F1 car round parliament Sq.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5YyYUplS9A&fea...

[fatboy69]

As you say - god bless the Italians!!

I wonder however whether they do it deliberately knowing that there just happens to be someone outside with a camcorder...

No matter. I love the car & i love the soundtrack coming from the engine. Not the prettiest of the recent Ferraris, the 355 holds that honour & will consider to do so for some time, however it is still a great car & i just wish that i had a spare £180k as i would buy one.

Cant wait to see, & hear, the full blown racer on the track when the final version is signed off. It should also make an awesome road car.

[crostonian]

You can hardly compare this to an F1 car running round London or Woking with closed roads and barriers, things like this just happen in Maranello with no prior consent, no need to ask the council for permission. One of my favourite memorys is seeing an MC12 Corsa on slick tyres driving up the public road to the entrance to Fiorano