Ferrari recalls the 458 Italia

It's hard to argue that the new Ferrari 458 is a hot car. However, that seems to be a literal description.

Since its introduction, six 458 Italia's have burst into flames. Leaving the stunned owners unable to explain what had happened to their quarter-of-a-million dollar supercar. Until now.

It seems that the adhesive used to secure a heat shield to the underside of the rear fender can ignite, causing a fire in the engine bay.

Ironically, high temperatures are what cause the glue to ignite, which is what the glue, and shield are supposed to protect the engine from in the first place.

When the exhaust system gets extremely hot (this can happen when the car is driven hard, and since it's a Ferrari, who isn't going to give it a good thrashing every now and then?), this adhesive can melt, causing the heat shield to deform, and come in contact with the hot exhaust system. If this happens, the melted glue can also come in contact with the exhaust pipes, and ignite.

So far, Ferrari has sold 1,248 458 Italia's since its introduction late last year. Owners are being asked to return their 458's to the dealer, where the old glue and heat shield will be removed, and a new heat shield will be installed using rivets™instead of glue.

The 458 Italia was first introduced at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. As a replacement for the ageing F430, the new Italia sported a 560-hp 4.5 litre V8, and a top speed of 325 km/h.

Apparently, fire extinguishers don't come as standard equipment.