What Not to Do with a Rented Ferrari 458

There are cars, and there are supercars. The Ferrari 458, powered by a 4.5litre V8 engine that churns out a colossal 562bhp, is a supercar. With a top speed of in excess of 200mph, this beautiful machine can take from a standstill to 60mph three seconds, and that’s the sort of performance that needs an experienced driver at the wheel.

The woman who rented a gleaming red Ferrari 458 in Wenling, China, was naturally excited at the prospect of driving such a delectable car, and promptly posted a video of herself at the wheel describing how amazing it felt. We believe her, as driving a Ferrari is always an experience to savour. Moments later, the car spun on the wet road, colliding with oncoming traffic; the result – a lot of money’s worth of damage, and one very embarrassed lady driver.

Traction Control

Like many such supercars, the Ferrari 458 is an engineering masterpiece. It is fitted with numerous gizmos such as traction control and ABS. These are there to help keep the power on the road, in the right direction, especially in wet conditions. You can turn the traction control off, if you are experienced and confident enough to handle a rear-wheel drive supercar with so much power.

This woman appears to have done exactly that, yet without the relevant experience! It took her just a few seconds to lose control, and should be thankful the result was not serious injury to herself or others. A BMW X3 – not in itself an inexpensive car – took the brunt of the collision, so the insurance claim is going to be a big one.

The red Ferrari 458 is repairable, albeit with a lot of work needed, but the woman’s ego will be dented for good. The moral of the story is this: don’t turn off the traction control in a Ferrari 458, especially in the rain!