The Ferrari 458 is already a pretty zippy car, yet Ferrari has agreed to shovel the much larger Enzo-derived V12 from the 599 into its engine bay.
Apparently, one can’t just be any megastar, in order to have a bespoke Ferrari. Your career has to be game-changing and soulful, thereby eliminating Beavers, Britneys and Cyruses. And as in the article below, Ferrari interviewed Clapton, which emphasised their enthusiasm in accommodating him…
I’m guessing that a car like the 458 was not designed to with any room for a bigger engine, so i wonder how difficult it would be to fit the heavier V12. Aston had a bit of trouble when they swapped the 4.3L V8 in the Vantage V8 for the 6L V12 in the DBS to produce the V12 Vantage. I too am guessing that a front-engined supercar has more space in the bonnet for the engine to ride further back and lower as the Aston, than a midengined vehicle as with the Ferrari.
Moreover, i’m sure the V12 would alter the balance and handling of the 458 significantly, and would it really be faster given the different weight-to power ratio?
But a what a noise it is sure to make, especially if they remove the exhaust baffles! It’s conceivable from the article below.
Maybe i should try to become a pop star instead of a surgeon…
Ferrari 458 Italia in White
Riding with the King: Clapton wants a Ferrari 458 Italia… with a V12 — Autoblog.
When you’ve recorded as many platinum records, collaborated with as many big names and topped as many best-guitarists-of-all-time lists as Eric Clapton, you can get pretty much anything you want. And the ironically nicknamed Slowhand is known to have a taste for Ferraris. So much so that when he stopped by the factory in Maranello, even Ferrari couldn’t pass up the opportunity to interview him.
Neither could Quattroruote, for that matter. While speaking with the Italian car-mag, Clapton reportedly professed his love for the new 458 Italia… with just one caveat: He’s not such a fan of eight cylinders. Could he get it with V12?
According to Quattroruote, apparently he can, as Ferrari has reportedly agreed to build it for him, with the 6.0-liter V12 from the 599 GTB Fiorano. We’ll believe it when we see it, which is pretty much exactly what we said the first time we heard the guitar riff on Layla.
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