The TopGear guys finally got their (greedy little British) hands on a Ferrari 458 Italia, the latest hottest supercar from the Italian legend maker. Now, even if the car alone is more than enough to draw attention, even hidden in some storage somewhere in a corner, a little review made by show host Jeremy Clarkson doubles the interest.

The 458 Italia on TopGear, finally

Good thing we got a little video right here for you people that missed the show or don’t care much for cable TV. TopGear’s Jeremy makes a quick review, but the video also includes a comparison to the Ferrari 308, the Red Devil star of the late 70s. We actually had a good laugh at Jeremy’s remarks about putting basic-function buttons on a steering wheel – see that for yourself.

[ See the fantastic Ferrari 458 Italia in an intriguing Photo Gallery ]

The video also features a race with the Stig, of course. And a drag race with James May’s personal Ferrari F430 See the video below with Top Gear’s take on the extraordinary patriotic-named Ferrari 458 Italia.

[Source: BBC via YouTube]

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The French borrowed some of Napoleon’s vanity, so from now on, the well known VW Golf GTI will get a new GTI rival, but coming from France: the new Peugeot 308 GTi. Let’s see if the duel is worth to watch.

Not long time ago, some rumors about the reviving of the sporty GTI logo from Peugeot wondered around the web, after it was “kept in the drawer” for too much time, according to the fans that remember the 80′s little 205 GTi. And now, the compact Peugeot 308 model has the honor to wear this logo again.

When you first see the car, the new Peugeot 308 GTi looks almost like a normal 308. Actually, it looks almost unchanged compared to 308 THP, which was, until now, the most powerful stock 308.

Turbocharged 1.6-liter engine and 200 HP

And if you expect that the GTi logo (that occurs a bit to discreet on the car) to rival directly with the VW Golf GTI logo, again the Peugeot fans will be a little disappointed: this because under the hood it will not be a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, but a turbocharged 1.6-liter, the same on Peugeot RCZ.

The power of the small turbo engine (developed with BMW) is of 200 HP @ 5,500 – 6,800 rpm, so a minus of 10 HP if compared to Golf GTI. Unfortunately, the torque is almost as high as the one of the German model, the maximum value of 203 lb-ft being provided on a wide range of revs, between 1,700 and 4,500 rpm (Golf GTI: 207 lb-ft @ 1,700 – 5,200 rpm).

The gearbox is manual, with six speeds, the main aspects highlighted by the French automaker being the low CO2 emissions and the good fuel efficiency: average mileage of 34 mpg (32 mpg for the Volkswagen Golf GTI).

The New Peugeot 308 GTi

Regarding the dynamic performances, Peugeot 308 GTi is situated behind Golf GTI: acceleration from 0-60 mph is done in 7.7 seconds (compared to 6.9 seconds for Golf GTI), and the top speed is 147 mph (Golf GTI reaches 149 mph).

So, the new Peugeot 308 GTi is not the sportiest car, leaving this role to its coupe brother, RCZ – to mention that 308 GTi is offered only in the five-door version, so it is clear that the accent is put on the practical aspects of the car and low fuel consumption.

Returning to the car’s looks, the most important thing that will tell the viewers that it is not just a simple 308 is the 18″ set of wheels, with a technical design, wearing wide tires, of 225/40 R 18. The five spokes let us see the bing brake discs, 16.9 inches in the front and 11.4 inches in the rear, and the car’s suspension is lowered 10 mm.

Small aesthetic changes for Peugeot 308 GTi

Actually, seen from the front 308 GTi is not too much different form the 308 THP inferior mode, but seen from the back there are some serious changes: a bigger spoiler and a pair of exhausts in the left, and… nothing more. Oh, let’s not forget about the “GTi” logo, very small, present on the front doors, but also on the trunk.

Inside, Peugeot 308 GTi has an aluminum feet rest in the left side, a gear-shifter nut also made of aluminium, sports steering wheel dressed in leather and piano-black accents.

To highlight is the “Sound System” technology that makes 308 GTi sound sporty, which is practically a vibrating membrane, with a sound delay system and a special acoustic tube, for obtaining different notes from the exhaust. So, the engine’s sound becomes sporty.

The first market that will get the Peugeot 308 GTi will be, obviously, the French one, where the car will have a starting price of 26,900 Euros (about $33,000).

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Peugeot prepares to launch, in the fall, the sports version of the 308 model, expected to revive the name of GTI. The model will adopt a 200-horsepower engine.

Peugeot tries to offer their models the brilliance of old times along with revival of old fashioned GTI particle, which betray the sporting ambitions in the 80′s on representative names like 205 and 309. The French automaker plans to release a 308 GTI on the market, thus enlarging the compact’s range with a sporty version that fans and wanted a long time.

Scheduled to officially debut at the Motor Show in Paris this fall, the new compact standard will adopt the French PSA 1.6-liter engine with 200 HP, also found on the more exclusive RCZ. The new 308 GTI will be available only in the five-doors version, for economic reasons, this being the best-selling until now version on the Old Continent.

The Specialists expect that the exterior look of the car to receive numerous aesthetic changes, which then will be found on the facelift scheduled at the half of the 308′s life cycle.

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