Tom Evans, content manager for MSN Cars (left), presents the MSN Cars Car of the Year 2010 award to Matteo Torre, Regional Manager of Ferrari North Europe Ltd.

Sleek, sexy and jaw-dropping bodywork – it’s hardly a surprise that nearly one in four British motoring enthusiasts have voted the powerful new Ferrari 458 Italia as winner of MSN Cars sixth annual Car of the Year 2010 awards. With a maximum speed of 202 mph and the ability to go from 0 to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds, all £143,000’s worth of Ferrari’s latest model has been crowned 2010 champion in MSN’s annual poll, which this year received over 41,000 votes.

MSN attracts more than 465 million unique users worldwide per month. With localised versions available globally in 42 markets and 21 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering programmed content experiences to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. Windows Live, a new set of personal Internet services and software, is designed to bring together in one place all the relationships, information and interests people care about most, with enhanced safety and security features across their PC, devices and the Web. MSN and Windows Live are being offered alongside each other as complementary services. According to independent data from comScore media Metrix for December 2009, MSN Cars is one of the UK’s most popular motoring websites with 802,000 unique users and 18 million page impressions per month.

The 458 Italia trumped Mercedes-Benz’s new supercar, the SLS AMG, which skidded into second place with 13% of the votes, and also fended off competition from the new Vauxhall Astra, which achieved 12% of the votes.

Tom Evans, Content Manager of MSN Cars commented: “I’d like to offer huge congratulations to Ferrari for coming first in this year’s poll.  It is a truly gorgeous car to look at, and the joy continues when you get behind the wheel and scream the car up to its 9,000 rpm red-line.  Any Ferrari is a dream car for millions of people, and the 458 Italia continues the tradition.  It is no surprise at all to see this car succeed worthy previous winners like the Audi R8, Aston Martin DB9 and Bugatti Veyron.” Ferrari’s California model came third in 2009’s poll, with 11% of the votes, while the Nissan GTR won the title last year.

*41,696 people surveyed