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2012 Ferrari 458 Italia Emozione by Evolution 2 Motorsport
 
Every so often, a tuning firm comes out of the woodwork to present a program that takes your breath away. Evolution 2 Motorsport isn’t what you’d consider a household name in the tuning world, but when they came out with the Ferrari 458 Italia Emozione, we couldn’t help but stop and take notice. On the visual front, Evolution 2 Motorsport dressed up the Italian supercar with plenty of carbon fiber components, including a new front splitter, a rear spoiler lip, mirror shrouds, a new double rear diffuser, and engine bay surrounds on both the front and sides. In addition, the tuning company also added a chrome-effect mesh, custom alloy pedals, and a new set of 21" alloy wheels. Under the hood, the Ferrari 458 Italia’s 4.5-liter V8 engine was given its own upgrade, thanks to the inclusion of a new large-volume carbon fiber airbox, a titanium exhaust with blue end tips, and a re-programmed ECU unit. All these changes offer a significant bump in output for the Italian supercar, from the standard 562 horsepower all the way up to 602 horsepower. 2012 Ferrari 458 Spider by Novitec Rosso
The Ferrari 458 Italia has already received two upgrade programs from Novitec Rosso: a "standard" one and a second one called "Twins." And now the tuner is turning their attention to the 458 Spyder. Just like with the coupe version, the roadster has also received a carbon aero kit, superlight forged wheels, an engine increase to 609 HP and a top speed of 201 mph. The standard 458 Spyder delivers a total of 570 HP, but Novitec Rosso has added a special carbon-fiber air box with modified air routing and a high-performance exhaust system. As a result the car delivers a total of 609 HP at 9,100 rpm and a peak torque of 419 lbs-ft at 5,400 rpm. For the exterior the tuner is offering a new front fascia upgraded with a two-piece front spoiler and side flaps, new sill skirts and a new rear spoiler lip or a rear wing. All these elements are made in carbon fiber. The car sits on a new set of 22" forged wheels combined with a hydraulic suspension system that can raise the car’s ride by 40 mm or lower it by 35 mm. Hit the jump to read more about the new Ferrari 458 Spider by Novitec Rosso. Full story Video: Ferrari celebrates 8 million fans by doing a 458 Italia burnout
There’s no doubt in anybody’s mind that Ferrari is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. In today’s world of social media, the Italian automaker has taken advantage of its worldwide popularity to draw in a ridiculous amount of fans on its Facebook page, proving without question that pretty much everybody and their mothers know what the Prancing Horse badge is. Recently, Ferrari celebrated a pretty significant Facebook milestone after earning 8 million fans on Facebook. So what did they do to earmark this occasion? They decided to bring a Ferrari 458 Italia to an empty road and let the mighty Ferrari supercar drift to its heart’s content. But more than just the burning rubber and the smoking tires, the drift stunt itself carried its own significant message, one that will be revealed at the tail end of the video? What exactly is this message? Well, stop waiting for answers and just watch the video.
Ferrari 458 Italia looks great with HRE Wheels
If you were to pick one of the latest Ferrari models that we like the best, the 458 Italia will be our choice. And we are 100% sure of that! But we have never imagined how cool that car can get when you add a new set of wheels, and more importantly the right photographer to take the pictures. Do you know those moments when you discover another great look on the person you love, just because she or he sits in a different light? Well, this is exactly what Michael Burroughs from StanceWorks did with the 458 Italia. And, after watching his images over and over again, we came up to a conclusion: the 458 Italia is not just a car to drive, it is also a car to love! Do you think we exaggerate? We don’t! While about the 458 Italia you know everything you need to know, lets offer you some details about the new elements on the car: a new set of HRE Wheels 505 Vintage in Satin Bronze alloys. The wheels are made in aerospace-grade 6061-T6 forged aluminum for high strength-to-weight ratio and they are offered with ARP high strength stainless-steel fasteners.
2012 Ferrari 458 Italia China Special Edition
Ferrari is celebrating its 20th anniversary on the Chinese market with the introduction of a special edition 458 Italia. This new edition will be limited to only 20 units and since it will be exclusively offered in China, will be characterized by unique Chinese elements. The 458 Italia will be finished in a brand new color called Marco Polo Red specially developed for this exclusive car. Since this is the "Year of the Dragon," the car’s livery was inspired by the longma theme which is an old Chinese idiom which means "the vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse." These elements include a golden dragon on the front bonnet, which is offset by gold and black livery stripes symbolizing a racing track. The golden dragon is combined with a gold finish for the rims and the aeroelastic winglets. On the interior, this special edition adds gold embroidery on the car’s head rests, while the engine start button on each of the 20 cars is inscribed with the simplified Chinese characters for "start." Each unit will also receive a "20th Anniversary Special Edition" plaque in the dash. $1.5 Million in Luxury Cars Seized by U.S. Customs
There are a lot of new car scams in the world and most of them are initiated by the new car dealer, not the buyer. A group of buyers flipped the script on several Los Angeles dealerships, by using fake identities to purchase 20 cars and were shipping them to Hong Kong and Vietnam to sell them for two to three times their U.S. value. It was a laundry list of luxury vehicles, such as a $280,000 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia, an Audi Quattro, 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, along with several Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti, and BMW SUVs among others. For some reason, the thieves even threw in a Toyota Tundra. The one that got these fraudsters busted was the Ferrari 458 Italia, as Ferrari fitted the supercar with a GPS system as standard, which Ferrari used to track the car once they found out they were defrauded. This led U.S. Customs and the California highway Patrol to conduct a full investigation and find the cars on a ship that had already pulled away from the port. Needless to say, that ship was forced to come back and all but four of the cars were recovered. The four non-recovered cars are due to be shipped back by Vietnamese Customs. According to the report, had the fraudsters not gone after the Ferrari, chances are they would have gotten away with this scam and made a ton of money in the process. The total amount of the vehicles seized by U.S. customs is estimated at $1.5 million, which would have pulled in around $3 million in Hong Kong and Vietnam. We are still trying to figure out what in the world a Toyota Tundra was doing in the mix with all of these high-end luxury cars. We also wonder which thief drew the short straw and was stuck going to the Toyota dealership to pick this thing up?
Official Patented Drawings Of Eric Clapton’s Ferrari SP12 Leaked
 We’re positive that we have all seen Eric Clapton’s one-off Ferrari 458 Italia by now, but up until this point we’ve only seen blurry images and a less-than-exciting video shot by YouTube personality ‘Shmee150’. However, now we can show you the official patented drawings for the car which were constructed well in advance of the car actually being made. The original pictures published make the incredible supercar look relatively odd. It’s likely fitted with a lifting system and we wouldn’t be surprised if that was activated throughout the event it debuted in. Furthermore, it’s quite hard to actually pick the lines of the 458 Italia of which it’s based off, but these high quality drawings do give us a clear indication of the styling direction Clapton chose for the car. The car has a much wider stance than the regular 458 Italia, and this makes it look quite reminiscent of the legendary Ferrari Enzo, and of course, the Enzo headlights help finish off the aggressive look. The most interesting part of this particular car, however, is its under tray. We’ve yet to see any real pictures showcasing just how the regular car looks from underneath, but Clapton’s SP12 has a very smooth under tray to improve airflow with its aggressive rear diffuser helping to add even more downforce to the driven wheels. Initial reports suggested that the SP12 would feature the V12 from the now-extinct 599 GTB, but it was later confirmed to have retained the standard 4.5-liter V8 producing a little over the standard 570HP.
Kobe Bryant scores a Ferrari 458 Italia for $329,000
For "normal" folks like us, making a six-figure purchase is tantamount to being kicked out of the house and forced to sleep on the curb. But for people like professional basketball player, Kobe Bean Bryant, $329,000 is pretty much chump change. Sure, his recent divorce cost him half his fortune, but Kobe’s still got plenty of Benjamins coming his way, which makes his recent purchase of a 2012 Ferrari 458 Italia not much of a big deal to the Mamba. He paid for it full, too, with a check, which pretty much tells you that this is like buying groceries for this guy. The price Kobe paid for his 458 Italia is about $100,000 more than the MSRP price of the Italian supercar, which leads to speculation - at least from our end - that he probably tricked out his new toy with plenty of additional options. Either that or Kobe just got hosed for 100 grand by the dude who sold him the car. In deference to the man, we’d prefer to believe the former since Kobe has never been shy about his growing fleet of exotics, particularly those with Italian heritage to it. After all, he did grow up in Italy.
2012 Ferrari SP12 EPC
Everyone knows that Ferrari is famous for their individually developed programs, such as the P540 Superfast Aperta and the Superamerica 45. When you mix the talent of Ferrari and their exquisite projects with the wads of cash that can undoubtedly be found in singer/songwriter, Eric Clapton’s bank account, you have a recipe for another ridiculously awesome vehicle. Ferrari and Clapton collaborated to create the Ferrari SP12 EPC (SP = Special Projects12 and EPC = Eric Patrick Clapton), made especially for the singer himself. It is based on the 458 Italia, but adds body work inspired by the 512 BB. The body work includes new bumpers, a wide grille, and a retro-style rear end. There is also a new exhaust system and a whole new interior. In terms of power, Eric Clapton wanted his one-off Ferrari to carry a powerful V12 engine, but in a "the customer isn’t always right" way, Ferrari opted instead to power the sports car with a V8 engine delivering more than 570 HP, or at least that is what the latest rumors are stating. Others seem to think that a V12 still found its way under the hood. Updated 05/25/2012: Ferrari has officially unveiled today the special edition SP12 EC - a model created as homage to Clapton’s career and his long lasting experience as a Ferrari owner. Check the picture gallery for some new images. Hit the jump to see a video of the Ferrari SP12 EPC! Full story China’s ongoing government imbalance leads to banning of Ferrari on the Internet
China’s political party has been under fire recently with news of Bo Xilai getting the old heave ho after trying to remove the police chief from his position during a corruption investigation involving Xilai’s family. The internet with bezerk with the news and social media just hasn’t been the same in Asia. In fact, transfer of power in the Communist party is scheduled to be done in Fall 2012 and government officials are worried that this uproar will rock the boat way too much to do so. Now, another incident has sparked the Chinese population’s interest in political unbalance. Early Sunday morning, a man was driving his Ferrari 458 at high speeds when he crashed in Beijing, splitting his car in two. The man died and the two women in the vehicle were severely injured. So far, this amounts to another tragic accident involving a superior sports car, but people in China are taking it even more seriously. Turns out, the internet went abuzz with rumors that the driver of the vehicle was a son of a senior communist party official, adding even more concern over the faltering balance in government. A story in the New York Times takes it a bit further by stating that Bo Xilai’s son, Guagua, actually drives a red Ferrari. Blogs, websites, and search engines were being so heavily crowded with intrigue that any and all information surrounding the crash was removed from the internet altogether, as was the capability of searching for anything Ferrari-related. A son of a political official driving a Ferrari raises a few question on its own. Some may wonder how a civil servant could afford to buy his son such a pricey sports car, while others may just get angry at the fact that government officials can afford these types of luxuries when others are stricken with poverty. When you throw in the minor detail that the son of an official who was being investigated for corruption drives a car like the one in question, then all hell is bound to break loose. We’ll stay on top of the story and relay any details as soon as we get them. | featured reviews:Ferrari 458 latest reviews:
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