MotorMouths

But if you have that kind of money, the Italia — unlike some high-priced, half-baked exotics — is worth every penny. I declare the 458 is the best sports car I’ve ever driven, the current state of the art.

Perfect? Committed sensualists will miss some degree of adventure. Gone are the adrenaline chinchillas running up and down your spine. The 458 Italia is spooky fast without the haunting of mortality.

The new 458 Italia is so fast that you wonder how much faster cars can get before you need a special license to drive supercars. Public-road driving in the 458 is a supreme test of self-discipline, but it is surprisingly uncompromised.

The 458 Italia is looking like a raging good deal, promising Enzo performance at 60 percent off. It’s also one of the prettiest and best engineered supercars of this century.

With all its high-g grip, straight-line zoom, and denture-launching brakes, the 458 is a new benchmark for megadollar vomit inducers. The 458 has performance that race cars could once only dream of.

If there is a downside, it is that that on the road there are precious few opportunities to use all 458’s performance. Even in Italy. If you’re lucky you’ll see all of second gear, and occasionally third.

The 458 Italia is incredible. In one generation, it’s managed to improve on all the things we’ve come to expect from Ferrari, and fix all of the drawbacks as well. It’s the first Ferrari we’ve ever driven that we’d truly consider using as a daily driver.

The new Ferrari 458 Italia is a most fitting successor to the F430. On the track at Fiorano, the 458 is a treat. It feels like a race car. Response is crisp from the throttle, steering and brakes.

Ferrari has achieved something path-breaking here. The Ferrari 458 Italia is a very accommodating car with exceptional ergonomics and evocative performance

With an unparalleled combination of style, performance and agility, the 2012 Ferrari 458 Italia sets the bar for V8-powered exotics.

Make no mistake: In the 458 Italia Spider, you will be seen. Fascinating design, exquisite stick-and-rudder handling, raw power like Samson on Rogaine, the Italia is absolutely one of the two or three best sports cars in the world. Cutting the top off doesn’t make it any subtler, however.

There is no reason in this world other than a lack of funds not to lust after a Ferrari 458 Spider. This most ingenious convertible iteration of the world’s best sports car is devilishly quick and amazingly agile.