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"This is Ferrari&amp;#039;s fabulous 458 Italia reimagined as a weekend circuit warrior for those adrenaline junkies that actually need more than the regular car can serve up\u2014and the other 90 per cent of guys who merely think they do. Spiritual successor to the 430 Scuderia, the 458 Speciale is lighter (down 198 lbs to around 3060 lbs including fluids), more powerful (up 35 hp to 597 hp), and even faster than the standard car. Zero to 62 mph takes 3 seconds dead (down 0.2 seconds), and it&amp;#039;ll lap Ferrari&amp;#039;s Fiorano track in 83.5 seconds, 1.5 seconds quicker than the Italia.  Aero mods developed in the same wind tunnel that&amp;#039;s sculpted Kimi&amp;#039;s next ride include a fully active rear diffuser and subtle winglets on the rocker panels, while a new bit of in-house software for the traction control system. Some hot new Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber mean its almost impossible not to feel like a hero, no matter how ham-footed you are behind the wheel. Photos: Ferrari LaFerrari Nurburgring Spy Shots  Imagine a 458 that feels even tighter at the front end,even more stable at the rear and sounds even more savage as it homes in on that number 9 on the central tach. No, we couldn&amp;#039;t either, until we&amp;#039;d driven the Speciale. A crazy 14:1 compression ratio, new intake runners, special pistons and hotter cams help bump power to 597 hp, giving a turbo-like 133 hp per liter, more than any other naturally aspirated engine on sale, and a throttle sharp enough to shave with.  Does that sound a little scary? It isn&amp;#039;t. The new Side Slip Control, basically a super-clever bit of traction control software, designed to help ordinary drivers do extraordinary things in their 458 in complete safety, and available in Race and CT-off modes. The multitude of sensors providing info are the same as before, but now the ECU compares your current slip angle with what it thinks is acceptable for that curve given other data gathered, then tweaks the amount of differential locking action to suit.   What that means is less time-sapping ESP intervention and the chance to pull off some Fangio-style four-wheel drifts through scary-quick fourth gear corners, even for non F1-grade drivers.  The Speciale is so good, it&amp;#039;s in danger of rendering the standard car obsolete. The downshifts are an absurd 44% faster than the already fleet shifts in the stock 458. The Spider does almost everything the Italia coupe does, plus a little more, leaving the Speciale for guys that really want to drive.  You do lose the carpets, and even the glovebox, but the Speciale is barely any less usable than the Italia. There is the still-weird ergonomics and button-laden steering wheel to contend with, however. PHOTOS: Ferrari F40  Hit some lumps in the bitumen and you only have to hit the damper button on the steering wheel to relax the body control just enough to ensure the rear wheels never lose contact with the ground.  Predictably, you pay for the privilege: almost $300,000 for the Speciale, compared with $234k for the Italia, and $257k for the Spider. If you&amp;#039;ve got, it, spend it, we say. This is an incredible bit of kit. But the most incredible part is this: the arrival of the Speciale means Ferrari is well down the road to developing the 458&amp;#039;s successor. And quite how they&amp;#039;re going to make a quantum leap over this thing, we can&amp;#039;t possibly begin to imagine. 2014 Ferrari 458 Speciale  Price (as tested): $298,000 POWERTRAIN: : 4.5 V8, 597bhp@9000rpm, 398lb ft@6000rpm,  0-62mph: 3 second (mfr) Top Speed: 202+mph (mfr)  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a5991/2014-ferrari-458-speciale-first-drive/>