Ferrari 458 Italia arrives in Brisbane

Fans of the Prancing Horse will be very pleased to hear that the first Australian-spec Ferrari 458 Italias have arrived on local shores.

Ferrari importer Ateco has confirmed that the 325km/h supercar made its debut in Brisbane on June 10, being flown directly from Italy.

"Australian deliveries have started a little earlier than planned because the interest in this remarkable car has been so great that the car has been air freighted to Australia," explains Kevin Wall, General Manager for Ferrari in Australia and New Zealand.

If you want one of these very special Italian sports cars, you'll need to stump up $526,950, and that doesn't include government or delivery charges. Furthmore, the waiting list for this particular Ferrari is about 24 months.

"Even before it was announced, we have had Australian clients expressing interest in the 458 Italia and, once its specification was announced, revealing it to be (even by Ferrari standards) a technical tour de force, interest has climbed dramatically and shows no sign of slowing."

The Ferrari 458 Italia is powered by a 4.5-litre (4499cc) V8 engine that produces 419 kilowatts of power, which is transferred to the rear wheels courtesy of an F1-derived seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

This particular prancing horse tips the scales at just 1380kg and as such is claimed to reach 100km/h from standstill in 3.4 seconds, making it one of the fastest Ferraris ever built. Top speed is quoted as "over 325km/h".

"Ferrari's definition of 'the fastest' is not measured in the crude terms of top speed or its ability to reach 100 kmh in the lowest possible time," says Wall. "These measurements do not take into account a car's ability to go around corners and to cope with difficult driving conditions.

"This is why Ferrari measures 'the fastest' in terms of the quickest lap time around its notoriously difficult Fiorano test track, which is, essentially, made up of all the most difficult corners in Formula One. If a car is the fastest here, then it is, truly, the fastest in the real world."

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