It seems there can be no greater honour for a manufacturer than to receive Top Gear’s seal of approval. This time the duties lie with BBC’s Top Gear Magazine who nominated the 458 Italia “Supercar of the Year”, but also, for the very first time for Ferrari, the title of “Car of the Year”.

To what extent any Ferrari buyer would value such an accolade is a mute point, but it puts the Ferrari brand in the spotlight and may just tempt a few of those RBS bankers to recapture tradition and spend their bonuses at the house of Enzo.

In electing the Ferrari 458 Italia as their “Supercar of the Year”, BBC Top Gear Magazine underlined how it had established “the new benchmark in getting from A to B as rapidly as possible.” They also described the 570-hp V8-engined Berlinetta as “a game-changing car.”

When nominating the car for the overall top award as “Car of the Year”, BBC Top Gear Magazine described how it became “our winner because the scope of its abilities is absolutely breathtaking”, concluding that the Ferrari 458 Italia “isn’t just a worthy winner, it’s off the scale!”

Cue some gratuitous pictures to remind you what they’re so excited about.