Say ‘buongiorno’ to the Ferrari 458 experience coming to a race track near you! As far as exotic driving experiences go being given the chance to drive this Italian stallion around a race track has got to be up there with the very best. Get ready on the paddle shifts you’re going 458 driving!
This is a stunning car. And if just looking at the 458 gives you goosebumps just imagine what the experience of driving one will do to you. With it’s roaring direct fuel injection 4.5l mid-mounted engine that red-lines at 9000rpm giving a whopping 562bhp this car has all the credentials to be a winner on the track. Just bear in mind this 458 does about 21 miles to the gallon…
Of course that figure depends on how you drive the 458. In our experience wheel screeching around a track in race mode will make that figure drop even more. As you can see owning a car like this requires deep pockets. But on these sessions you’re there purely to enjoy the sensations of driving this epic car rather than worrying about service costs thankfully!
Inside it’s a veritable racing cockpit designed with that F1 heritage very much mind. Most of the controls are actually on the steering wheel – from the engine start button to the lights and indicators. And there’s no gearbox to worry about it’s a flick of the right paddle to shift up and the left paddle to shift down. Both steering wheel mounted of course.
The beady-eyed amongst you will spot the little ‘manettino’ switch. This shows allows to select pre-sets for different driving styles covering F1-TRAC E-Diff F1-DC CST ABS and SCM vehicle dynamics. It’s a minefield of automotive jargon in there and even the speedometer is ‘virtual’ – appearing as a selectable screen. Best just stick to getting this 458 around the track then.
And as if you needed any reminding of the fact that it’s a Ferrari 458 that you’re driving on this experience it’s emblazoned nearly across the glove box and there’s that famous prancing horse logo staring right back at your from the centre of the steering wheel too.
With a choice of three or six lap Ferrari 458 experiences operating at race circuits around the UK something tells us you’re going to enjoy your drive. So much so that you’ll have trouble saying ‘ciao’ to the 458 at the end of your experience.
