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In a year when not one but two Skodas win gongs, don't assume that a new Ferrari nabbing the big prize is a foregone conclusion. The 458 Italia isn't our Car of the Year simply because it's a Ferrari: it's our winner because the scope of its abilities is absolutely breathtaking.
Its 4.5-litre engine is a masterpiece, more powerful, more flexible, and more efficient too, even as it howls its way to 9000rpm. Its chassis electronics are so clever they're almost supernatural. It has amazing active aerodynamics. And while it's probably the best-handling Ferrari road car ever, it's also the smoothest riding and most refined.
They might have been rubbish in Formula One this year, but the 458 Italia isn't just a worthy winner, it's off the scale.
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Car of the Year - Ferrari 458 Italia
In a year when not one but two Skodas win gongs, don't assume that a new Ferrari nabbing the big prize is a foregone conclusion. The 458 Italia isn't TopGear magazine's Car of the Year simply because it's a Ferrari: it's our winner because the scope of its abilities is absolutely breathtaking.
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Supercar of the Year - Ferrari 458 Italia
The stunningly beautiful 458 Italia takes its driver to the edge of what's possible in a supercar.
'There is little to fault on the Italia. Time spent with this car is time spent with your mouth open and brain re-adjusting.'
Over eight pages in the Awards issue of TopGear magazine, read how we fell in love with the 458 Italia, and look at the best photos you'll have seen yet of the new Ferrari.
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But the single best thing about this 458 is that it's not intimidating. Switch the adaptive damping to the ‘Bumpy Road' setting and there isn't a supercar out there which rides as well. And because everything is so intuitive - from the steering to the gearbox, even the satnav controls - you feel immediately at home in it. Nothing shocks, nothing surprises.
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The latest all-new Ferrari is the most useable yet - a racer for the road but with more than a nod in the direction of GT talents as well. To that end, there's a dual-clutch gearbox as standard, complete with full auto mode, as well as adaptive damping, a 4.5-litre V8 which revs to 9,000rpm and produces 570bhp and 398lb ft, a steering rack with two turns lock to lock, plus the usual electronic trick diff.
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Suffice to say, it's neither slow nor boring. The noise is epic (we found a long tunnel and it sounded like we were sat slap bang in the middle of an F1 car because the exhaust baffles open at 2,500rpm) and the way the pace builds through all the gear changes is far too addictive to be legal. These are seriously quick up and down shifts, although not quite as mechanical and brutal as the F1 gearbox on the Scuderia.
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Wow. If you've ever been lucky enough to drive a 430 Scuderia and thought you'd reached motoring nirvana, then I'm afraid the world has just moved on. The Ferrari 458 Italia makes that car very old school...
Click through the gallery to read the full story.
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Ferrari 458: the movie
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