Cars & Coffee: Symbolic Edition

Here are some visuals from this weekend's Cars & Coffee event from Symbolic. Symbolic is a Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce dealership in La Jolla. Symbolic brought over a few examples from each of their brands and together with cars from private owners there was a good selection of cool cars to check out. The highlight of the show was definitely the Bugatti EB110 in its signature light blue paint. It's not very often that you get to see a Bugatti, even more so one that's not a Veyron. The event was also the first time that I saw a Rolls-Royce Wraith in real life and I was pleasantly surprised about its design after absolutely hating its roofline in all the photos I have seen. Likewise I liked the design of the brand new M3, the M specific design elements looked pretty good in black. You can tell that it has the M treatment but they are not overdone.

Ferrari 458 Italia

Ferrari has released a batch of photos of its latest creation, the 458 Italia. The Italia is the replacement for the F430. Unlike the California, the 458 Italia is a pure performance machine. Like the California, the 458 also gets a direct injection V8, that's put in front of the rear wheels like it was in the F430. Ferrari says that the 458 is a "massive leap forward" from the F430. The massive leap forward begins under the huge glass rear window, where the new V8 is good for 562 horsepower and 398 pound feet of torque. Significantly better than the F430's 490 hp and 343 lb-ft. Thanks to direct injection the fuel economy is also improved and C02 emissions fall 24%. The new V8 gives the Italia almost identical engine specs to its nearest competitor, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP-560. However, the Gallardo's power figures are probably very conservative based on its 130 mile per hour quarter mile trap speed. Nevertheless, the 458 Italia should be able to keep up with the Gallardo and Ferrari quotes 0-62 mph in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph. The 458 also takes a giant leap forward with styling, breaking away from the F430 and the 360 Modena. The 458 might remind many of the Enzo, especially form the side and the rear. Compared to the F430 the Italia has smaller air intakes upfront while the headlights have been squished form the sides and feature LEDs. At the rear two lights replace the 4 seen on the F430. The tailpipes migrate to the center and there are three of them. Ferrari states that a lot of the design of the Italia comes from aerodynamics. While this is good for downforce, the design isn't as good looking as the F430. However, if you were not a fan of the F430 you will likely appreciate the Italia more. Still, the 458 promises to raise the bar on performance and that's what Ferrari should really be about in the first place.