Details & description
"The Ferrari 458 GT3 proved to be the perfect car for the GT3 class: easy to drive, simplicity of maintenance, and low running cost made it the preferred GT3 vehicle for gentlemen drivers aroundthe world" (Cristiano Michelotto, 2019)
The GT3 class of race cars was conceived for gentlemen drivers. The priority of this project was to keep costs down while ensuring ease of maintenance and drivability. With this in mind, Michelotto engineers took the Ferrari 458 Challenge car and studied ways of boosting its potential and, at the same time, improving its reliability for endurance racing. The aerodynamics were altered to generate more downforce, it was fitted with bigger tires to improve grip, the carbon ceramic brake discs were replaced with cast iron ones and a new electronically actuated sequential gearbox was installed. The result was a slightly heavier and more powerful car than the GT2 but with an engine more akin to the road-going version, to the benefit of less experienced drivers. Indeed, the Ferrari 458 GT3 driven by private drivers has won just about everything, most notably the FIA GT3 already in the first year, 2011, the 24H of Daytona in 2014 and two IMSA Championships. With the Ferrari 458 GT3, Michelotto took its biggest step forward in terms of output, producing on average two custom-built cars a week for a total of 110 units, and also expanded towards new markets such as Asia and Australia. It comes as no surprise that the Ferrari 458 GT3 holds the record for the number of titles won.