The Ferrari 458 Challenge has made its world premiere debut in Maranello during the Annual Dealer Meeting, a traditional event that joins together the representatives of Ferrari’s international sales network.

Coming just a few months after the 2010 Frankfurt Motor Show unveiling of the Ferrari 458 Italia on which it is based, the Ferrari 458 Challenge introduces a number of important modifications to adapt it for competition use.

2011 Ferrari 599 GTO car rear angle

2011 Ferrari 599 GTO car grille

2011 Ferrari 599 GTO car gallery

2011 Ferrari 599 GTO new car wallpaper

2011 Ferrari 599 GTO car wallpaper

2011 Ferrari 599 GTO car headlamps grille

2011 Ferrari 599 GTO new car gallery

While it’s true that every Ferrari is innovative by definition, it’s equally true that in the course of the Prancing Horse’s history, certain cars have marked a genuine departure from the current range. This is very much the case with the Ferrari 458 Italia, which is a massive leap forward from the company’s previous mid-rear engined sports cars.

2011 Ferrari 458 Italia Sports Car

2011 Ferrari 458 Italia Sports Car

2011 Ferrari 458 Italia Sports Car

The new model is a synthesis of style, creative flair, passion and cutting-edge technology, characteristics for which Italy as a nation is well-known. For this reason Ferrari chose to add the name of its homeland to the traditional figure representing the displacement and number of cylinders.

2011 Ferrari 458 Italia Sports Car

The Ferrari 458 Italia is a completely new car from every point of view: engine, design, aerodynamics, handling, instrumentation and ergonomics, just to name a few.

When it first debuted, the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano set a new standard in terms of performance that remains a benchmark for new sports car development to this day. Now Ferrari is introducing the new Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE (Handling Gran Turismo Evoluzione) package for the model to further underscore its sportiness and handling.

2010 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE

2010 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE

2010 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE

2010 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE

The package includes a modified set-up with stiffer springs and rear anti-roll bar as well as new calibration settings for the magnetorheological shock absorbers when the manettino is at its sportier settings. The ride height has also been lowered which in turn lowers the car’s centre of gravity. This combined with the new set-up helps improve body control. The package also includes specifically optimised tyres featuring a compound that offers even better grip.

Ferrari 599XX, while based on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano with the same transaxle layout and engine type, is an extreme track car. Ferrari’s engineers have carried out extensive work on the engine’s combustion chambers and inlet and exhaust tracts. These modifications, combined with the fact that internal attrition has been reduced and the maximum revs have been boosted to 9,000 rpm, helped achieve the target power output of 700 hp at 9,000 rpm. Particular attention was also paid to cutting the weight of the engine unit components. This was achieved both by optimising forms – as in the new crankshaft – and adopting exclusive materials, as in the carbon-fibre used for the intake plenums. A new gearbox shift strategy cuts overall gearchange times to 60 ms.

2010 Ferrari 599XX

2010 Ferrari 599XX

2010 Ferrari 599XX

2010 Ferrari 599XX

The Ferrari 599XX is characterised by an innovative electronic concept called the “High Performance Dynamic Concept” which has been designed to get the maximum performance from the car by managing the combination of the car’s mechanical limits with the potential of its electronic controls. The mechanical and electronic systems work together to get the maximum performance from the car under extreme high performance driving, for consistent lap times. The sporty handling has been improved thanks to the adoption of second generation SCM suspension system. Track usage is also made easier thanks to the new “virtual car engineer”, a screen in the car that provides a real-time indication of the vehicle’s efficiency.