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Italy - A poll of 4500 Ferrari fans have named the all-time top 5 greatest V8 Ferraris with the 458 Italia in first place.
Thousands of prancing horse devotees have overwhelmingly declared the Ferrari 458 Italia to be the greatest V8 from Maranello.
Pitched against everything from the tax-break 208 to the current 488GTB, the 458 mopped up a landslide 42% of the vote, more than twice the support for its nearest rival.
4500 votes received
The poll was conducted on behalf of Enzo, the new quarterly magazine dedicated exclusively to Ferrari, and a total of more than 4000 votes were received.
The 458 Italia claimed a commanding victory ahead of the F355 and Ferrari’s latest offering in this field - the 488GTB.
The top 5 greatest ever V8 Ferraris:
1. Ferrari 458 Italia
Image: Newspress
Having taken its bow at Frankfurt in 2009, the successor to Ferrari’s 430 stayed in production until just a couple of years ago and was mobbed with plaudits and awards from day one. With a mid-mounted 4.5-litre V8, it revs to a mighty 9000rpm, boasts more than 410kW, propelling it to 100km/h in 3.4 seconds and on to a top speed of over 321km/h.
2. Ferrari F355
Image: Newspress
Following on from the less popular 348, the F355 was the darling of 1990s Ferraris and, with a capacity increase and the introduction of a new cylinder head, it was considered a real return to form. The longitudinal 3.5-litre V8 pumped out 279kW for 0-100km/h in 4.7 seconds and over 289km/h. Built in record numbers for a Ferrari at the time (over 11 000 were manufactured), it garnered some 20% of the vote.
3. Ferrari 488GTB
Image: Newspress
With just under 10% of the votes, the GTB was the first 488 variant to be introduced when it went on sale in 2015. Performance from the 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 is spectacular with the 0-100km/h dash being completed in just 3 seconds and the 488GTB topping out at 329km/h. If you have £180 000 burning a hole in your pocket, you could barely spend it in a more thrilling way.
4. Ferrari F430
Image: Newspress
Just pipping a perennial favourite to fourth place with 6% of the vote is the car that bridged the gap between the 360 and the 458. Having been first shown at Paris, it was in production from 2004 until 2009 and was powered by a 4.3-litre V8. Mid-mounted, of course. Kept honest by the E-Diff, it was a brilliant cross-continent sports car capable of a 3.9-second 0-100km/h and just shy of 321km/h.
5. Ferrari 308
Image: Newspress
Unquestionably the benchmark Ferrari that set the template for the company’s modern era, Leonardo Fioravanti’s svelte masterpiece may not have been the first V8 middie built by Ferrari – that accolade belongs to the Dino-badged 308GT4 – but it remains the most recognised and revered. Performance may be blunt by modern supercar standards, but 0-100km/h in 6 seconds and a top speed of 244km/h was plenty in 1975!
