Automobile
We didn’t expect the 458 Italia “to raise the bar significantly.” Its predecessor, the F430, was so good that Ferrari could have easily “slapped on a new skin and a new nameplate” and made us happy. Yet Ferrari’s latest addition to the V-8 Berlinetta lineup is another example of its knack for translating its “hard-fought Formula 1 racing expertise” into desirable sports cars.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
With a direct-injection 4.5-liter engine and 9,000-rpm redline, the 458 was built for the track. Yet such features as magnetorheological shock absorbers and multilevel stability control make driving at high speeds easy, “like strapping on parabolic skis.” The only knock against the 458 may be the aesthetic. “The 458 was designed less for sex appeal than for maximum efficiency in power production.”
Road & Track
Purists will consider it a “sacrilege” that the 458 isn’t available with traditional manual transmission. In its place is a twin-clutch, 7-speed manual transmission with “lightning-fast and error-free paddle.” Braking is also vastly improved, thanks to hyper-responsive carbon-ceramic brakes paired with a “pre-fill” function that “automatically moves the brake pads close to the rotors the moment the driver comes off the throttle quickly.”
-
Groypers: the alt-right group pulled into the foregroundThe Explainer The network is led by alt-right activist Nick Fuentes
-
10 concert tours to see this upcoming fallThe Week Recommends Concert tour season isn't over. Check out these headliners.
-
How to put student loan payments on pauseThe Explainer If you are starting to worry about missing payments, deferment and forbearance can help
