Ferrari 458M spy pics

THIS IS the latest version of the Ferrari 458M that is expected to be shown at the 2015 Geneva motor show this March. A car that looks stunning even when covered in painters’ drop-sheets, this car sports the new headlamp clusters and bumpers, but the visuals of the 458M are bit players – the real news is the new engine that’ll make one of the world’s best supercars even faster.

Following the lead of the Ferrari California that, in 2014, became the California T (meaning turbocharged), the 458 will see its naturally-aspirated 4.5-litre V8 replaced with a more potent version of the 552bhp 3.8-litre twin-turbo engine from the California.

The current 458 makes 425kW, so expect beyond the current car’s power figures to be pushed to around 485kW, ensuring that in typical fashion, Ferrari can be sure that it has “more power than” the McLaren 650S with its 478kW.

The trend to supercar turbocharging follows not only Ferrari’s own California, but also the Porsche 911 that’s been confirmed as an all-turbo line-up (apart from the hero GT3) come its update of the current 991-model later this year.

Mercedes-AMG also released its alternative to the 911 and 458 in the form of the AMG GT in 2014, a smaller SLS-based coupe that uses a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 instead of its predecessors gurgling 6208cc naturally-aspirated V8.

That leaves the Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 as the odd-man out, with its V8 and V10 engines both breathing through their own lungs and not a turbo in sight, and that means that the Audi R8 that shares its platform and mechanicals with the Lamborghini will also be available with ‘atmo’ powerplants in its range.

Of course, you could always pick up Lamborghini’s Aventador, the Ferrari FF or the brilliant F12 Ferrari if you’re turbo-phobic, too, with all three offering time-honoured V12 propulsion.

The Ferrari 458M is expected to be shown at the Geneva motor show in March, before arriving in Australian showrooms in late 2015 from an estimated $550,000.