hey sounded perfect, individually, each one producing a uniquely beautiful noise that echoed throughout the otherwise empty forest. But collectively they sounded like some kind of wild monster, howling its way through the woods, occasionally spitting flames, even, at anyone who got too close. Never before had the normally subdued confines of our test track sounded like they did on that day.

Then again, when a 458 Italia meets an F40 and an Enzo on straight-through pipes, the noise is going to be pretty spectacular, no matter what piece of road you choose to compare them on. Because these are surely the cars that define the way in which most of the world thinks about modern Ferraris. Between them they represent the evolution of the supercar itself: the F40 at one end of the timescale, the new 458 Italia at the other.

Of the trio, however, it's the Enzo that takes your breath away most obviously. It looks huge beside the others, for one thing, but it also seems the most contemporary in many ways, despite being almost 10 years older than the 458.