[1991 Motoring]

Just came across a post on another forum which showed these pics, only recently found. Looks great!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12709551@N07/sets/72157624001892813/

[AshSimmonds]

http://www.themotorreport.com.au/50363/ferrari-458-italia-challenge-spied-in-italy-report

PHOTOS HAVE surfaced online this morning of a modified Ferrari 458 Italia, leading to speculation that it could be the first look at Ferrari's 458 Italia Challenge race car.



The modified 458, featuring aerodynamic tweaks, a plexiglass window, tow hooks and centre-locking racing wheels shod with slick tyres, was reportedly spied at Italy's Vallelunga race track.

Ferrari has offered no word on a track-ready version of its latest model, so for now it remains unclear whether the spied car is an official Ferrari project, an aftermarket prototype, or a privateer racer.

The 'regular' 458 is motivated by a 4.5 litre V8 developing 425kW and 540Nm of torque, pushing the supercar to 100km/h in just 3.4 seconds and on to a top speed of over 325km/h.

Last month, the Italian supercar company, owned by Fiat, offered a glimpse of its new model schedule, which includes a convertible 'Spider' version of the 458, a replacement for the 599, and a successor to the company's Enzo hero car.

[notsofast]

Looks good but I'm hanging out for when the GT2 racer comes out. Apparently we'll first see it mid year perhaps but it wont race until late this year at the very earliest.

[AshSimmonds]

From: http://life.nationalpost.com/2010/07/14/ferrari-458-challenge-debuts-in-maranello/#ixzz0thjwgoxm

Ferrari 458 Challenge debuts in Maranello

The Ferrari 458 Challenge will be ready for the race tracks next year.

Maranello, Italy • Ferrari introduced its 458 Challenge today in Maranello during its annual dealer meeting.

The new berlinetta, which next year will join the F430 Challenge in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, is the fifth model used by the Italian automaker in its one-make championship, which will be extended in 2011 to include a new Asia-Pacific series.

Coming just a few months after the Frankfurt Motor Show unveiling of the 458 Italia on which it is based, the 458 Challenge introduces a number of important modifications to adapt it for competition use. The direct-injection 4.5-litre V8 remains in production form, with an output of 570 horsepower at 9,000 rpm. That said, modifications have been made to the gear ratios and calibration of its dual-clutch F1 gearbox to guarantee 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 Ferrari’s track-only cars.

Significant work has also gone into cutting the car’s weight. This focused on both the exterior and interior with Ferrari’s engineers concentrating on reducing the thickness of the bodyshell panels and on using lightweight materials such as carbon-fibre and Lexan.

The new 458 Challenge also has a specific suspension setup with solid aluminum bushings, stiffer springs, single-rate dampers, centre-nut 19-inch racing rims, larger-dimension Pirelli slicks and a ride height lowered by 30 millimetres all round. It is also equipped with the new generation Brembo CCM2 brakes, which debuted on the 599XX, Ferrari’s experimental laboratory car.

In the course of the development sessions involved in honing the 458 Challenge for racing, the engineers also managed to improve the car’s lap time at the Fiorano test track by two seconds over that of its predecessor, resulting in a new record of just 1 minute, 16.5 seconds. Equally impressive is the 1.6 Gs of lateral grip the new car can generate.

[hydie]

 

[jim501]

From behind the doors it looks unfinished.

[Mario]

From behind the doors it looks unfinished.

 

[beankeen456]

It looks too similar to the road car apart from the wheels and exhaust there really isn't too much of a difference. They should put a wing on it and put at least some carbon mirrors on

[jim501]

 

Don't worry I think the road car does as well

[Mario]

Don't worry I think the road car does as well

Agreed