This month’s Paris Match features a great article on Ferrari’s latest masterpiece: the 458 Italia. Titled Ferocious Italian the article begins by setting the scene In Maranello, a charming town in the heart of Italy where Ferraris rule. This is the birthplace of the sports car maker and after years of peaceful reign, things are about to change:  new restrictions on noise pollution are being established. This marks the beginning of a new era, according to the writer, an era in which environmental concerns will shape the design of muscle cars. The Italia, however, has made it just in time and the familiar roar of its powerful V8 engine is still there, in all its glory.
 The article is full of technical facts about the impressive specifications of this modern marvel. For example, the 458 can accelerate from 0 to 62 mi/h in a mere 3.4 seconds and only needs 104.96 ft. to decelerate in the same range. The author gives us quite an exhilarating account of what it feels like to drive this lean machine. “Everything is so simple, so clear, so fast. It feels like being in a video game.” Some of its most notable features include a joystick baptized “il manettino” that, with a light touch of the fingertip, allows an unprecedented seamlessness in the gear evolution. Also notable is a revolutionary digital dashboard which presents the driver with a scaled drawing of the entire vehicle with color-coded swatches indicating the condition of the brakes, tires and engine.  It seems like the state-of-the-art 458 Italia has it all: style, substance and functionality. All I know is I am dying to drive one after reading this article. The author’s claim that “behind the wheel of this Ferrari, every driver becomes a racer” is just too tempting.