Ferrari launches upgraded 458 Challenge Evoluzione

Wed, 13 Nov 2013

Want to drive an eight-cylinder, mid-engined Ferrari? Assuming you can get your lucky little hands on one, you can drive a 458 Italia, 458 Spider or new 458 Speciale on the street. But the real action is where the road ends and the racetrack begins. Ferrari's Corse Clienti division offers versions for GT2 and GT3 racing, for Grand-Am (likely to be revised for the new United SportsCar Championship), and, of course, for its own Challenge racing series.

It's the latter version that Ferrari revealed it was upgrading last week, and now it's made its debut at the tail end of the rain-soaked Finali Mondiali event at Mugello. Although Ferrari only released limited details and just the one new photo, the new 458 Challenge Evoluzione upgrades on its predecessor as promised with obvious aerodynamic enhancements.

Those upgrades are "aimed at making the car even more driveable" for the customer racers who take part in the series, and seem to bridge the gap (at least visually) between the previous 458 Challenge and the more extreme racing versions that have to contend with more competition than its own kind. The upgrades are being rolled out as a kit that will be obligatory in the various Challenge series that will kick off around the world next year.

Gone with the wind in Mugello

Mugello, 11 November – There's been no let-up in the bad weather at Mugello, even on this post-Finali Mondiali Monday, which has seen the first test of the 458 Challenge Evoluzione, the updated version of the car used in the Ferrari one-make series. Wind and rain battered the Tuscan circuit almost all day long, making for very difficult track conditions. Thirty or so brave souls nevertheless wanted to assess the car for the first time, immediately feeling the benefit of the increase in aerodynamic downforce produced by the modifications introduced, aimed at making the car even more driveable for all Ferrari owners who want to tackle a true on-track competition.

The kit will be obligatory on cars taking part in next year's Challenge and it goes on sale in the coming weeks.

By Noah Joseph