Ferrari 458 Italia

A Ferrari has never taken the top prize in our annual test of the greatest drivers’ cars – but the Italian manufacturer has broken its duck in fine style this year.

Here is a model that really lives up to the promise of its heritage. The 458 Italia looks the part, sounds like a Ferrari should and delivers earth-shattering performance. How fast is it? Well, it took only 3.3 seconds to blast from 0-60mph in Anglesey, beating the official claimed figure, and hit 100mph in 6.6 seconds. That’s faster than the Lotus Elise could sprint from a standstill to 60mph!

But the Italia is about more than straight-line speed, as its sharp responses, precise steering and incredible dual-clutch gearbox all combine to thrilling effect. The surefooted Ferrari is easy to drive quickly and still enjoyable at lower speeds, where its smooth ride and characterful 562bhp V8 come into their own.

The Manettino switch that is located on the steering wheel only serves to add to the driving experience, rather than detract from it, and the seemingly endless degree to which you can tune both the Italia’s dynamic set-up and the appearance of the dashboard gives the supercar a truly split personality.

One moment it is a hard-edged track machine that can even tell you what temperature your tyres are, and the next you can trundle along comfortably and quietly, cosseted by the beautifully executed cabin – as we discovered on our epic drive to Italy. This ability to mix driving thrills with everyday usability is what sets the thrilling Ferrari apart in this test.

Spurred on by McLaren’s race to join the supercar elite, the legendary Italian marque has undoubtedly come up with the goods. The 458 is one of the finest machines it has ever produced and emerged as the clear winner of our shoot-out.

When we totted up the results it topped the score sheets of all of our judges – and is a thoroughly deserving and popular winner of our Performance Car Of The Year trophy.