Naza Italia, the distributor of Ferrari and Maserati in Malaysia, has unveiled the Prancing Horse’s latest supercar – the 458 Italia – at a Ferrari party with some 400 guests, including the Scuderia’s two Formula 1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. The glitzy party was held at the company’s facility in Petaling Jaya.
Ownership of the 458 Italia starts from RM2 million, and Naza Italia already has 14 names in its order book for the car. That’s a big number, considering that the company has only sold about 23 Ferraris since it was given local rights to the brand back in March 2008.
The 458 Italia, which made its world debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, is powered by a mid-rear mounted direct injection 4.5-litre V8 producing 570 bhp (at a screaming 9,000 rpm!) and 540Nm of torque (80% available from 3,250 rpm). With the F1 dual-clutch gearbox and a low weight of 1,380 kg, it completes the 0-100 km/h sprint in under 3.4 seconds on to a top speed of over 325 km/h.