Ferrari reveals 458 Italia

The project, codenamed F142 and long rumoured to be named the F450, contains styling cues from the Enzo and the Mille Chili concept car.

Ferrari has confirmed that the official name of the car will be 458 Italia, which alludes to the 4.5 litre V8 engine which Ferrari claims has the highest specific output of any normally aspirated car engine, with 127bhp per litre, greater than that of many turbocharged engines.

The 4498cc V8 engine has very light internal parts and tiny piston skirts, resulting in low rotation inertia and a 12.5:1 compression ratio. This gives it a power output of 562bhp, released at an incredible 9000rpm. That makes it the highest-revving Ferrari road car ever.

This allows the car to rocket from 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds, on to a claimed top speed of "over 320km/h", according to Ferrari.

Ferrari's direct injection fuel system, first seen on the California, will be utilised once again, which, when added to the advanced engine electronics and lightweight parts, contribute to the breathtaking performance. Ferrari's now-traditional flat-plane crankshaft will also be used.

The California's dual-clutch gearbox has been modified in order to fit into the Italia's curvaceous body, and also to provide faster shifts. The gear ratios have been tuned to provide a more aggressive shift style.

The 458 Italia also contains new technologies derived from their Formula One developments, with the E-Diff differential and the F1-Trac skid control system, as well as a new system which uses just one ECU to control both as well as the ABS system, resulting in streamlined processing and communication. This means a 32 percent increase in acceleration rate over the F430.

The brakes feature a new system called 'prefill'. When the driver's foot lifts off the throttle, the pistons in the callipers move the pads towards the discs; that helps to reduce the stopping distance from 100km/h to just 32.5 metres.

The 458 Italia's chassis will be made from aluminium, which is built by aluminium specialist Alcoa. The car uses a double wishbone front set-up and multi-link rear end bolted to the chassis, and was developed with the help of multiple F1 champion Michael Schumacher.

The 458 was designed by Pininfarina, with design features optimised through testing in Ferrari's F1 wind tunnel. For example, the bases of the black intakes in the front bumper deform at speed, closing up the intakes and reducing drag. These intakes also provide downforce and feed air though the radiators ahead of the front wheels.

The car's shape makes air curve around the cabin and run over the integrated tail spoiler. The flat undertray enhances the effects of the rear diffuser to create 140kg of downforce at 200km/h.

Inside, the 458 Italia is expected to have a sporty look, with the steering wheel and dashboard said to be "new innovations in production cars".

The 458 Italia will be built alongside the California at a new factory at Ferrari's Maranello base, and is expected to go on sale in Europe early next year. Prices are expected to be higher than the F430.