Freakish Ferrari 458 adds the eeeee to Speciale

The 458 Speciale will make its New Zealand debut at the Speedshow. Picture / Supplied

Speedshow rolls into town again this weekend and brings with it some serious machinery.

One particularly tasty bit of kit to make its New Zealand debut at the show is the Ferrari 458 Speciale, a limited edition version of one of the company's most well-regarded machines built in recent years.

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The Speciale is considered the most high performance Prancing Horse V8 ever produced by Maranello, with a 445kW eight producing 540Nm all the way to a heady 9000rpm redline. This beast will hit speeds of up to 325km/h, getting to the legal limit in just three seconds and dispatching the quarter mile in only 10.7 seconds.

The car is the demonstrator imported by Newmarket-based Continental Car Services, and carries a sticker price of $549,000 -- plus options. The demand for the tin-top and cabrio versions of the 458 - already incredible machines in "standard" guise - was incredible, says the New Zealand dealer.

There are only a handful in New Zealand, including this beautiful machine, which takes something special to a whole new level. We'll be showing off more of Speedshow's wares this week and over the weekend, after it opens first thing on Saturday morning.

The two-day event at ASB showgrounds has everything cool on two or four wheels and live action to offset static displays.

The 458 Speciale will be one of the first cars to be unveiled on Saturday.

One event well worth watching is the Right Karts Challenge, which was run for the first time last year, in the live action arena. It will pit motorsport stars against each other for bragging rights and includes Fabian Coulthard (who has apparently been getting some practice) and midget star Brad Mosen.

There are dozens of top machines, many rarities and a few one-of-a-kind vehicles, stunt shows and a whole heap more.

For more info visit speedshow.co.nz - and we'll see you there.