Frankfurt, 11 September

The official launch of the 458 Speciale took place yesterday, at the opening of the Frankfurt Motor Show and it immediately caused a sensation in the traditional media and also on the Internet.

“We don’t speak Italian well,” said the people at Motortrend, “but having seen and heard the Prancing Horse in the video of the 458 Speciale, we have a much better understanding of how this car got its name.”

“How much closer could a driver get to a Formula 1 car without having to spend a million Euros,” added Automotive News, while the Daily Telegraph asked itself, “More powerful, more agile, lighter, what’s not to like about the 458 Speciale?”

Apart from these glowing tributes from the general and specialist press, the 458 Speciale definitely got great reviews from the web surfers, as can be seen from the countless messages plucked from the blogosphere and social networks. “An enormous object of desire...I started drooling even before I’d clicked on the video link!... An incredible car and a beautiful video!... Pure perfection! Bravo Ferrari, bravo!!”

The style and sound of the latest special series model from Maranello has pleased everyone, while the moveable aerodynamics and dynamic controls have tickled people’s curiosity. Some have compared it to previous specials, such as the 430 Scuderia and the 360 Challenge and some nostalgic types would like to see it with a manual gearchange. All ask the same question: what’s it like to drive? Oh, and to the sceptics who ask if the video has used computer generated images, we can tell them, no, it’s all real: all the work of a 458 Speciale and a Ferrari test driver!