A report has emerged suggesting that the facelifted Ferrari 458 Italia will see the current car’s sonorous, naturally aspirated 4,5-litre V8 make way for a smaller turbocharged unit that will turn up the wick on an already formidable performance car.
A Ferrari insider speaking to British Car Magazine has stated that the company has been sufficiently impressed with the performance of the 3,8-litre turbocharged V8 in the California T to warrant the move to a forced induction powerplant for the facelifted 458.
In the more ‘leisurely’ California T the 3,8-litre turbopetrol unit develops a very impressive 411 kW and 755 N.m of torque – good for a 0-100 km sprint time of 3,6 seconds. Thanks to this engine’s easily adjusted boost pressure characteristics the modified version of the T’s engine in the Ferrari 458 Turbo will reportedly develop a stupendous 499 kW.
Mindful of the soundtrack-sucking nature of turbocharging Ferrari will utilise a complex exhaust system, as well as the module in the T’s ECU that limits torque in lower gears, encouraging the driver to rev the engine to its 7 500 r/min redline, where the engine really comes on song.
The facelifted 458 will emerge during the course of 2015 – hopefully with this formidable twin-turbo V8 slotted amidships.
