Ferrari working on 458 replacement

    The new car uses a revised version of 458's aluminium platform. Codenamed 142M, the M stands for modified and 142 is the project number of the 458.

    Published On Oct 19, 2014 09:50:00 AM

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    Ferrari working on 458 replacement

    Ferrari 458 Italia.

    Ferrari has plans to launch a replacement for the 458 Italia. Tentatively called 458 M, the twin-turbocharged V8-powered car will see light at the Geneva motor show next year. It marks the start of a new era under chairman Sergio Marchionne.

    The new car has a revised version of the aluminium platform that underpins the current 458. The car’s project name is 142M — M for modified, 142 being the project number of the 458.

    The new two-seater is expected to break fresh technical ground for a mid-engined Ferrari by featuring a twin-turbo V8. It is based on the California’s 3.8-litre unit and test mules have been running it for some time. The new V8 is modified with dry-sump lubrication instead of the wet sump in the California.

    The California’s V8 has a capacity of 3855cc, based around an 86.5mm bore diameter. For the new 458, Ferrari must select the V8’s stroke carefully to ensure ‘over-square’ dimensions for a short stroke to promote peak power delivery at high engine revs. A 4.0-litre capacity, for example, would be delivered with a relatively long stroke of 85mm, very close to the 86mm bore. In comparison, the outgoing 458 engine has a 94mm bore and a much shorter stroke of 81mm. Ferrari may even need to select a stroke of 75mm, equivalent to just 3.5 litres, to maintain similar engine geometry to the rev-happy V8 in today’s 458. However, whether that is sufficient to generate the required power is a point for discussion.

    The target car for the new 458 will be the 641bhp McLaren 650S and there are suggestions the Ferrari might be rated at 666bhp. To develop 666bhp from under 4.0 litres, the new V8 will have to produce 168bhp per litre. To achieve that, the engine will feature a relatively high 12:1 compression ratio, aided by Ferrari’s ‘ion’ knock detection system, which adjusts combustion conditions individually in each of the eight cylinders.

    The engine’s capacity is also likely to form the car’s name, a tradition started by the 206 Dino in 1968 — a 2.0-litre V6. A 3.5-litre V8 opens up the possibility of 358, a 3.8-litre 388 and a 4.0-litre 408. By adding a T, Ferrari might denote turbocharging. However, experience suggests that Ferrari is just as likely to opt for a new naming direction.

    The new V8 will possibly have an electrically-powered turbo. Ferrari is known to be experimenting with this technology, although it requires a 42V electrical system, which is probably too expensive to reverse engineer into an existing architecture. More likely is a conventional twin-turbo set-up, with two low-inertia turbo units that allow instant throttle response and high peak power at the expense of torque.

    One of the challenges facing Ferrari’s powertrain engineers is how to reliably match a 650bhp-plus, 76kgm-plus torque output to the seven-speed Getrag ‘7DL750’ dual-clutch automatic gearbox employed on all models from the California up to LaFerrari. Peak torque from the California’s 76.5kgm V8 was set at the ’box’s limit and is only delivered in seventh gear. In the six lower gears, it’s limited to 55.3kgm.

    Styling is said to be the work of the in-house Centro Stile Ferrari design chief Flavio Manzoni and it is likely to be evolutionary. Developments in aerodynamics are likely to lead changes, with the front-end graphic centred around aggressive twin intakes.

    Copyright (c) Autocar UK. All rights reserved.

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