Originally Posted by mtechnik

The Goods
Here’s what’s new about the 458, which will go on sale next June in the U.S. with an estimated base price of $225,000: Compared with the outgoing F430, the 458 was designed less for sex appeal than for maximum efficiency in power production and aerodynamic slipperiness. The wheelbase was stretched slightly, the overhangs clipped a bit, and the cockpit bubble moved forward and heightened like the canopy of an F-16 fighter. But if you don’t find its neo-amphibian face particularly sultry, blame the various concessions to aerodynamics, such as the plastic nose winglets which look like carp whiskers and deform at speed to change airflow over the radiators for reduced drag and lift. Or the corner vents that pinch the headlights into bizarre slits of stacked LEDs while also flowing slower-moving air over the front fenders to cut lift while not increasing drag. Like the oddly shaped Enzo, the 458 is meant to show off everything Ferrari has learned about airflow with its wing- and duct-bristled F1 cars, whether it’s pretty or not.