Twin Turbo 458 Italia from Underground Racing
#23
12-31-2010, 06:58 PM
Oh hell no! No chance. I'll be TT'd and rolling for less than the cost of just the 458. Plus I am not a big fan of the front of the 458 - I like the back though.
#28
01-01-2011, 01:36 PM
Guys, I have to hold my hands up to you on what looks like a great installation, but can I ask you a couple of questions based on my recent test drive of a 458. Here are the comments I made on another web site:
"I will admit that I am no fan of the way the 458 looks. I think the front and back half look they were designed by two different committees that never spoke to each other.
But having recently driving one at Silverstone thanks to a mate in the industry I have a few comments to make.
I for one am not celebrating the march of the modern supercar. For me the relationship between man and machine is now clouded behind a raft of electronics and sensors. Are these cars faster? Yes they are but are they more fun? I would say the jury is out on that one.
The Ferrari 458, is a great diver’s car, but comes with a huge caveat; I will explain based on my recent drive.
Little real skill is required to drive the 458 quickly. Your ham-fisted driving is kept under control by a computer 1000's of times more powerful than the one that put men on the moon. The slower less computer controlled Porsche GT3 RS is actually more fun to drive, just ask Chris Harris from EVO magazine.
The DSG gearbox is an amazing thing to use, but requires no finesse or skill. Yes it is very quick, but that is not the be all and end all. I love being able to use a manual gearbox well and have honed my heal and toe gear changes over the years.
As I said before the 458 is a great car, but to truly find out how interfering the electronics are, switch them off at a track and then try and drive as fast as you were before. Like the Euro fighter jet which is so unstable that it cannot fly without computer assistance, the 458 turns into a complete animal when you turn the electronics off. My lap times at Silverstone dropped by nearly 6 seconds with them off. When you turn them back on again you can really feel them working away in the background. It’s like your inputs are being translated by a committee of computers who then decide ultimately what the car needs to do on your behalf.
I am not being a Luddite here; I know progress has to continue. Cars are becoming quicker, safer and cleaner and that is to be applauded. But as the super car war continues manufactures will have to continue to add more electronics to these cars to stop the less skilled drivers from killing themselves.
The fun I get from driving fast is not about chasing that last 10th of a second here or there but its the feeling and feedback that a car gives me. One of the best drives I ever had was driving a 60's Lotus Elan with about 100bhp. To this day only a few cars I have driven have come close to having steering and feel that was a good as that car.
I am not trying to put the likes of the 458 down, I think it is a landmark car. It just feels like it has it has now turned into a computer game.
So looks aside that is why great as the 458 is it would not have a place in my fantasy garage"
So if the car is virtually undriveable with the electrontics turned off, what will it be like with your huge power increase?
Ok so you drive with the computers engaged, will the performance be reigned in by the electronics trying to keep the car on the road?
Or have you just built a point and squirt car here?
Please don’t take offence to my comments as I mean none, your workmanship looks to be of the best quality, I just really what too know if on anything other than a drag strip of a freeway, would this car be faster than a standard 458
"I will admit that I am no fan of the way the 458 looks. I think the front and back half look they were designed by two different committees that never spoke to each other.
But having recently driving one at Silverstone thanks to a mate in the industry I have a few comments to make.
I for one am not celebrating the march of the modern supercar. For me the relationship between man and machine is now clouded behind a raft of electronics and sensors. Are these cars faster? Yes they are but are they more fun? I would say the jury is out on that one.
The Ferrari 458, is a great diver’s car, but comes with a huge caveat; I will explain based on my recent drive.
Little real skill is required to drive the 458 quickly. Your ham-fisted driving is kept under control by a computer 1000's of times more powerful than the one that put men on the moon. The slower less computer controlled Porsche GT3 RS is actually more fun to drive, just ask Chris Harris from EVO magazine.
The DSG gearbox is an amazing thing to use, but requires no finesse or skill. Yes it is very quick, but that is not the be all and end all. I love being able to use a manual gearbox well and have honed my heal and toe gear changes over the years.
As I said before the 458 is a great car, but to truly find out how interfering the electronics are, switch them off at a track and then try and drive as fast as you were before. Like the Euro fighter jet which is so unstable that it cannot fly without computer assistance, the 458 turns into a complete animal when you turn the electronics off. My lap times at Silverstone dropped by nearly 6 seconds with them off. When you turn them back on again you can really feel them working away in the background. It’s like your inputs are being translated by a committee of computers who then decide ultimately what the car needs to do on your behalf.
I am not being a Luddite here; I know progress has to continue. Cars are becoming quicker, safer and cleaner and that is to be applauded. But as the super car war continues manufactures will have to continue to add more electronics to these cars to stop the less skilled drivers from killing themselves.
The fun I get from driving fast is not about chasing that last 10th of a second here or there but its the feeling and feedback that a car gives me. One of the best drives I ever had was driving a 60's Lotus Elan with about 100bhp. To this day only a few cars I have driven have come close to having steering and feel that was a good as that car.
I am not trying to put the likes of the 458 down, I think it is a landmark car. It just feels like it has it has now turned into a computer game.
So looks aside that is why great as the 458 is it would not have a place in my fantasy garage"
So if the car is virtually undriveable with the electrontics turned off, what will it be like with your huge power increase?
Ok so you drive with the computers engaged, will the performance be reigned in by the electronics trying to keep the car on the road?
Or have you just built a point and squirt car here?
Please don’t take offence to my comments as I mean none, your workmanship looks to be of the best quality, I just really what too know if on anything other than a drag strip of a freeway, would this car be faster than a standard 458
Last edited by streetrod454; 01-01-2011 at 01:38 PM.
#29
01-01-2011, 01:49 PM
^^No offense, but who cares? It's awesome. 
I see your point, but I don't think that's really the point with this car. There are still plenty of cars that require focus, effort and skill from the driver. For some people, speed is what they want and they don't care if it's computer assisted. I like both.
In for videos.
I see your point, but I don't think that's really the point with this car. There are still plenty of cars that require focus, effort and skill from the driver. For some people, speed is what they want and they don't care if it's computer assisted. I like both. In for videos.
