Last week the Ferrari 458 Italia made its debut on North American soil at a party hosted by the Italian automaker in Southern California. The guest list was limited to celebrities and Ferrari’s top clients, all of whom got their first peek at Ferrari’s F430 replacement.

As part of the event, the very first 458 Italia designated for the U.S. was auctioned off for charity to the highest bidder with 100% of the proceeds going to benefit Haiti through the CMBB (Catholic Medical Mission Board) and the William J. Clinton Foundation. The guests were in a particularly giving mood, and a top bid of $530,000 took the car home. In addition to the 458 Italia, Ferndando Alonso’s F1 racing suit and two Scuderia Ferrari team member trips to the Canadian Grand Prix in June raised an additional $72,000.

There’s still no word on when the common folk will get to see the 458 Italia here in the United States. Ferrari will not be among the exhibitors at the New York Auto Show, but we fully expect Ferrari to bring the cars to Monterey during the Pebble Beach weekend.

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It won’t be long before Hamann does it’s thing on the new Ferrari 458 Italia with a full-blown performance and styling package, but for now, the well-known German tuner has announced the launch of two new 21-inch alloy wheel designs for the Italian prima donna.

The first set, called “Edition Race”, is a deep-dish split-rim with titanium screws while the second set, named “Unique Forged”, is descirbed by Hamann as an “ultra-light forged alloy wheel” with a cross-spoke design in a flat black finish. More photos after the jump.

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Taking pride of place at the Ferrari stand in Geneva is the new 599 GTB Fiorano HY-KERS “vettura laboratorio” or to put in plain English, a prototype version of the Italian firm’s supercar fitted with a hybrid powertrain. According to Ferrari, it’s supposed to show us how the company is approaching the development of hybrid technology without losing sight of the performance traits and driving involvement.

The hybrid system found in the 599 GTB prototype comprises of an electric motor coupled to the rear of the dual-clutch 7-speed F1 transmission and a set of flat lithium-ion batteries positioned below the floorpan of the car inside the aerodynamic underbody.

Weighing about 40 kg or 88lbs, the compact, tri-phase, high-voltage electric motor of the HY-KERS produces over 100HP with Ferrari claiming that it achieved its goal of offsetting every kilogram increase in weight (including the batteries) by a gain of at least one hp.

Under braking the electric drive unit acts as a generator, using the kinetic energy from the negative torque generated to recharge the batteries.

Ferrari says that this phase is controlled by a dedicated electronics module that manages the power supply and recharging the batteries. The module also powers the engine’s ancillaries (power steering, power-assisted brakes, air conditioning, on-board systems) via a generator mounted on the V12 engine when running 100 per cent under electric drive.

According to the Italian maker, the prototype is not only slightly faster than the stock 599 GTB but at the same time it also emits 35 per cent less CO2 in the combined EU cycle.

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Most people look at a Ferrari and think, “Wow.” Others think, “It needs two more superchargers.” That was the case when Novitec Rosso saw the Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano.

At the Geneva auto show, the German tuning firm will debut the Race 848, a twin-supercharged version of the 599 that’s reportedly good for 848 hp and 621 lb-ft of torque. According to Novitec Rosso, that’s enough for 0–62 mph sprints of 3.4 seconds and a top speed of over 210 mph. The Race 848 treatment improves upon the NR-tweaked Ferrari we heard about nearly two years ago. A stock Ferrari 599 manages a sedate 611 hp and 448 lb-ft of torque.

Engine mods are comprised of the twin superchargers—limited to 7 psi of boost—a pair of intercoolers, a computer retune, high-flow fuel injectors, a new air filter, and a stainless-steel exhaust system.

Outside are a new front splitter, rear diffuser, and side skirts all aimed at smoothing the 599’s aerodynamics at high speeds; the skirts also channel cool air to the rear brakes. The entire car rides on a Novitec Rosso suspension and wheels measuring 20 inches front, 21 inches rear. Tires are Pirelli P Zeros, nine inches wide up front, 12.5 inches wide out back. Behind the wheels are Brembo 16-inch brake discs clamped by six-piston calipers.

The Race 848 sports a two-tone color scheme: matte white for the body, gray for the roof and hood. All the exterior lights are dark tinted, too. Inside you’ll find aluminum pedals, a leather and carbon fiber steering wheel, and elongated shift paddles made from carbon fiber.

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Ferrari is back into the business of coachbuilding as the Italian supercar maker unveiled the second one-off special after the P4/5 it built for American collector (and millionaire…) James Glickenhaus back in 2006. The new Ferrari P540 Superfast Ferries Aperta was created for Edward Walson, son of John Walson, the inventor of cable TV.

The wealthy American approached Ferrari in 2008 to produce a modern reinterpretation of the gold-coloured 1965 Ferrari 250GT NART Spyder featured in a 1968 Fellini short film called “Toby Dammit”.

“I had always dreamed of designing sports cars,” Walson explains, “and when I saw this film the decision came of its own accord: one day I would have ‘my’ Ferrari.” And well, he did.

In case you didn’t notice, the Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta is based on the 599 GTB Fiorano. The car was designed by Pininfarina and built in Maranello, with Ferrari claiming that Walson was directly involved in each stage of its development.

According to the Italians, while considerable effort went into strengthening the chassis after the roof was chopped off, the increase in weight was kept down to just 20 kg or 44 pounds by employing carbon-fibre extensively.

Ferrari said that from the initial sketches to the final, road-legal car, it took just 14 months to complete the project.

Those of you with a strong memory may remember that we first showed you the P540 Superfast Aperta earlier this year, though then, we didn’t know any details about the one-off Prancing Horse model.

Technical specifications

Length 4731 mm

Width 1954 mm

Height 1300 mm

Wheelbase 2750 mm

Front track 1690 mm

Rear track 1620 mm

Engine

65° V12

Displacement 5999 cc

Maximum power 456 kW (620 CV) at 7600 rpm

Maximum torque 608 Nm (62 kgm) at 5600 rpm

Transmission

F1 6-speed gearbox

Tyres

Front 245/35 20″

Rear 305/35 20″

Fuel consumption

Combined cycle 17.9 l/100 km

CO2 emissions

Combined cycle 415 g/km

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