British Porsche tuner
Oakley Design has unveiled and delivered its customer
the first
finished example of its recently announced tuning programme for the
Ferrari 458 Italia while also announcing that the limited run
of these unique sports car conversions will be raised from 5
to 7 units.The
quota of conversion programme has been raised "due to
early demand and confirmed orders" claims Oakley Design,
while adding that there is also now the possibility of
customers ordering a Ducati 1198 superbike with a
"carbon edition" design to compliment the sale of each
car to make the "Italian package" complete.
The 458 Italia tuning
by Oakley Design comes following a string of upgrades
for Porsche models from the tuner including the GT2, GT3 and
Panamera. Wind tunnel testing proved, says the company, that the new
carbon-fibre front spoiler lip adds 25kg of downforce
over the front axle at 150mph (240km/h, benefiting
aerodynamics. Further internal airflow management is
seen in the radiator air exit ducts beside the
headlamps, which receive carbon-fibre inserts and
improved ducting from the radiators. Deeper, wider side
sills improve airflow control down the cars flanks, as
well as helping to optimize the flat-bottom effect. The
longer but 10kgs lighter carbon-fibre rear diffuser has
deeper boundary layer fencesto improve directional
stability. Finally, a new rear spoiler with Gurney flap
adds 23kg of downforce over the rear axle at 150mph says
Oakley Design. This works together with the underbody
diffuser to reduce the Italia’s overall drag by
smoothing out the separating airflow.
The
only exterior alterations made for cosmetic reasons,
claims the tuning company, are the use of a "signature"
Oakley Design carbon-fibre roof panel (though from the
images seen so far it is unclear if it is a full roof
panel section or just a carbon fibre layover), mirror
covers and engine cover insert below the rear window
glass. These are matched in the engine bay by carbon-fibre
panels covering the inner wings and rear bulkhead.
Lower kerb weight automatically improves performance and
puts less stress on the suspension, tyres and brakes.
The complete titanium exhaust system with triple outlet
pipes and no bypass valve shaves, claims Oakley Design,
a huge 32 kg from the Italia’s aft section, where it
counts the most.
At
half the weight of cast alloy equivalents, the new
lightweight Forged HRE wheels used on the project save a significant 5.0kg
of unsprung weight per corner. Their adjusted offset
keeps the wheel centre line the same as the original
factory 458 Italia to compensate
for the half-inch wider footprint at each corner. Oakley
Design will offer 9.0J x 20-inch and 11.0J x 20-inch
wheels with 245/35ZR20 and 295/35ZR20 tyres, as well as
one-inch diameter smaller 9.0J x 19-inch and 11.0J x
19-inch HRE Racing wheels shod with the New Pirelli
Trofeo tyre in sizes 245/35/19 and 325/30/19 that meets
the latest EU regulations for street legal trackday
rubber.Apart from lower back-pressure in the new exhaust
system, the improved throttle response and output,
Oakley Design claims, is down to the incorporation of a larger carbon-fibre
air intake box as well as larger ram air feeds and larger diameter
white silicon pipes with Oakley Design logos connecting
the air boxes to the intake.
With an ECU remap
optimising the fuelling and ignition curves, these
changes account for an approximate 10 percent power gain
from the standard 570CV to a claimed 623bhp, while
torque is up five percent from 540Nm to a claimed 573Nm.
Carrying around a claimed 65kg less and with more power
on tap, the factory 3.4 sec 0-100km/h time drops to a
reported 3.0sec, while the company says that top speed
has been recorded at over 335km/h.
As
reducing the sprung weight has the effect of stiffening
the suspension, the car is undergoing extensive testing
in this form. A bespoke suspension kit for hard-core
trackday drivers is also underway at Intrax, Oakley
Design’s suspension and development partner.
