YouTuber Samples Extremely Rare and Street Legal 458 Challenge

‘Shmee’ drove a near one-of-kind Ferrari 458 Challenge on public roads, an experience he clearly found exhilarating.

Generally speaking, race cars stay on the track. Most people probably don’t want to experience them anyway, even if they enjoy performance oriented vehicles. But for those that do, it can be a rewarding experience. Especially when that vehicle is a heavily modified variant of an already beloved Ferrari.

Tim Burton, a.k.a. “Shmee,” recently headed to California for a chance to drive an ultra-rare Ferrari 458 Challenge. The Ferrari started out life as an actual race car. Now it’s street legal. That allowed Burton to take it out on the highway. He was all smiles and laughs throughout the drive.

A True Race Car

Obviously, the street legal Ferrari 458 Challenge belongs to an enthusiast. Kevin, the guy behind Cyber Garage on Instagram, didn’t have to do much to make it suitable for public roads. He raised the ride height and added non-racing wheels to the Ferrari. That’s it. Everything else is exactly what racers experience when they drive the 458 Challenge. And this particular example bears the scratches, nicks, and faded paint of one that’s spent time on the track.

“You’ve got a gigantic picnic table here at the back. Literally full-on carbon fiber picnic table,” says Burton as he examines the massive spoiler. It’s certainly not something you’d see on a production model because of its size. But that’s what makes it unique. Engineers installed cooling ducts in the trunk too, a move that eliminated any semblance of cargo space.

Burton gets giddy as soon as he starts driving the Ferrari. Even before he gets to the highway his experience behind the wheel is substantial. “This is freaking mental! It’s quite fun. It’s off the charts fun!” exclaims Burton. Once he gets the racer up to speed and really puts the car through its paces, Burton gains a better understanding of just how visceral the Challenge behaves when pushed a bit. “The noise. The feel. The drama. The vibrations. The shaking. The involvement. The steering. The suspension. The directness. Everything is so cool,” says Burton.

Not Exactly Fit For Everyday Use

The Ferrari’s greatest strengths are also its biggest weaknesses. Burton clearly had the time of his life driving the racer, but its practicality is extremely limited. There’s no air conditioning or heating, the noise reduction materials aren’t there, and the car lacks any sort of audio system. That’s almost certainly why so few people have converted them for street use. They’re not designed to sit still, and as Burton points out, the ride is very rough at low speeds. But not many people can say they’ve driven an actual race car on public roads. Burton now belongs to what we assume is a pretty exclusive club.

Perhaps the best of both worlds is something like the 2020 Lexus RC F Track Edition, a model that trades some refinement and amenities for increased performance while still being able to function as a daily driver. There’s obviously a small market for such vehicles. Especially when the regular models ride and handle so well. The 458 remains one of Ferrari’s greatest hits and doesn’t have to be a track monster to be loved. But you don’t have to love dedicated race cars to enjoy Burton’s reactions to driving the Challenge. It is absolutely worth a watch.