Your Ferrari deserves a level of protection that, say, your Honda Civic doesn’t. On that end, Ferrari owners may find themselves interested in this Ferrari 458 Speciale that’s been tuned to not only produce more power out of its 4.5-liter turbocharged V-8 engine, but to also carry proper protection in the form of armor. The real kind of armor, too. For a starting price of just $28,000, Add Armor will kit your Ferrari with armor that’s supposedly 10 times stronger than ballistic steel without compromising your Ferrari’s performance capabilities. That’s what you call hitting two birds with one stone, folks.

What's so special about this Ferrari 458 Speciale?

On the surface, this Ferrari 458 Speciale looks like, well, a Ferrari 458 Speciale. The proportions are all the same, and all the aerodynamic enhancements Ferrari added to the supercar — the vented hood, finned side sills, redesigned bumper, and larger rear spoiler — are still in their proper places. Even the blue and white racing stripe — a nod to Ferrari’s North American Racing Team (NART) — still runs the length of the supercar.

These composites — Add Armor calls them “laminated synthetic armoring materials” — are made from a unique and innovative design that’s not only 10 times stronger than ballistic steel, but also weighs 60 percent less than standard armor. The armoring firm also installed ballistic glass that measures only 0.8 inches in thickness. That’s impressive considering that the material is made from a layered sandwich of acrylic, leaded glass, and polycarbonate.

More importantly, Add Armor also managed to offset the weight-gain by bleeding Ferrari dry of every carbon fiber option that’s available to the 458 Speciale. The tuner even went outside of its wheelhouse and added a lightweight Capristo exhaust that helps add 40 horsepower to the supercar’s raunchy 4.5-liter V-8 engine. The increased output means that the V-8 now produces a total of 637 horsepower and a little over 400 pound-feet of torque, all while adding just 67 pounds of weight.

With all these changes in place, the armored Ferrari 458 Speciale can still hit a top speed of 202 mph. I suppose there’s also little change — if any — to the 0-to-60-mph time of 2.8 seconds.

Ferrari 458 Speciale specifications

If you’re driving this Ferrari 458 Speciale, you can take comfort knowing that the B4-level ballistic protection can keep those .44 Magnums out of your face. It can also protect you from armor-piercing artillery, though I suspect that’s where the line is drawn.

Granted, some of you might find it unnecessary to turn your Ferraris into four-wheeled fortresses, but there are legitimate safety concerns that are tied into owning a car that costs around $300,000. If you can be more at ease knowing that you have armor protecting you and your ride, then it’s not too high a price to avail of Add Armor’s services.

How much does it cost?

It depends on what you want to get. If you’re looking to buy this Ferrari 458 Speciale — yes, this one that you see in the photos — AddArmor will sell it to you for a handsome sum of $625,000.

Now, if you don’t have that kind of scratch and you’re more than willing to simply get entry-level versions of the same armoring concept without the carbon fiber goodies and aftermarket exhaust, that tab’s going to add up to “only” $28,800.

It’s an admittedly less “speciale” option, but not everyone has $625,000 just lying around somewhere.