In the annals of Italian automakers, Ferrari->ke252 is without question at the top of that list having produced some of the world’s fastest, most powerful, and most iconic vehicles known to man. And when it seems that the company has exhausted all of its efforts in their supercar line-up, they come out and release the 458 Italia, an absolute gem of a supercar that’s already considered one of the all-time greats – recalls notwithsanding.

So when Motor Trend wanted to do a little showdown with the 458 Italia, they predictable reached out to its cross-town rival Lamborghini to set a duel between the Maranello stallion against the Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera. To everyone’s surprise, Lamborghini declined the invitation, leaving the 458 Italia with no opponent to go toe-to-toe with.

Fortunately, Motor Trend had a back-up plan with another iconic Italian brand with the only caveat being that this brand runs on two wheels. Whereas Lamborghini failed to answer the call, Ducati->ke622 and it’s 1198S street racer were up for the challenge.

Full story after the jump.

Motor Trend put the 458 Italia and the 1198S in two different competitions: a quarter-mile sprint followed by a hot lap around the Streets of Willow in Los Angeles. As it turned out, the race between the two Italian icons ended up being lopsided, although not on the side that many would expect.

Despite owning the 1198S in naturally aspirated horsepower – 562 horsepower to 175 horsepower – the Ducati street racer has an even more important advantage up its exhaust. Weighing only 438 lbs, the 1198S is much lighter than the 3,400 lbs the 458 Italia is carrying. That translates to a pretty sizable power-to-weight ratio advantage for the superbike.

After two races, it became evidently clear that while the 458 Italia is a beast in every sense of the word, it didn’t have the metaphorical legs to keep up with the two-wheeled monster that is 1198S.

Interested in how the race unfolded? Check out Motor Trend’s video and find out.