Last year, Ferrari released the California T, the first turbocharged car from Maranello since the F40 some 25 years earlier. Tomorrow, Ferrari will unveil its updated 458M, a mid-engined V8 Ferrari that is supposed to have 650 or more horsepower thanks to a little hair dryer attached to the engine. It'll probably be magnificent.
Right now, the party piece of the 458 is the high-strung 4.5 liter V8. It's a monster that runs all the way up to 9,000 RPM and makes Alanis Morisette sound like she has no clue what screaming is.
This new 458 doesn't have a 9,000 RPM redline. It has an 8,000 RPM redline, which is almost pathetic. I used to pedal my big wheel that fast.
But that's because it has a turbo. And it makes turbo power. Rumor has it that the 458M (M means "modificata," but it could be called the 458T or another, totally random name) could make up to 670 horsepower from the 3.8 liter V8 that is expected to sit in the middle of the car.
That's enough power to thoroughly destroy the McLaren 650S and it's piddling 650 horsepower. But will it ruin the essence of the 458? We'll have to wait and see.