A keen eye will notice that on one side the 20-inch Forgiato wheels are black and the other a dark annodized blue

derived from GT race machines, something I experienced firsthand when I spent time with Kato at Okayama Super GT when he was surveying many of the cars, hunting for little styling cues with camera in hand. The kit itself modifies almost every panel of the body, adding a new front bumper, front wings, side skirts, rear fenders, and distinctive ducktail rear spoiler, without distracting from the original lines that the car left Maranello with. The bolton fenders complement the sleek, refined lines almost perfectly, while adding the unmistakable shock factor that makes the Liberty Walk cars so well known around the globe.

That shock factor the build carries is beyond anything I have ever experienced in real life. The fact that it’s a Ferrari is totally irrelevant, as are the 20-inch Forgiato Dieci-C wheels in anodized blue — what makes this particular creation so incredible are all the details infused into the bodywork, making the front flow into the rear with the kind of seamless precision that only a true master could pull off.

The front over-fenders have been styled to melt into the lines of the front arches while pulling the shoulders out for additional width, and the front bumper has enhanced lines with a larger central opening for the brake ducts. And, in true Kato style, the front lip hangs out like an underbite, suspended by three adjusters.

But the best seat in the house when viewing this car is behind it. The rear fenders stretch the car’s hips, with everything curving into the undeniably Japanese-inspired rear spoiler. With this 458, there was only ever one option when it came to the finishing touch, and that was a near-vertical carbon ducktail spoiler. Now that, my friends, is how you make a statement.

The paint hue is an ice blue, which is hugely different to the typical red, black, and yellow we are used to seeing on a Ferrari. Those 20-inch Forgiato wheels were originally obtained in black, but, to complement the body colour, Kato-san had them coated in a dark anodized blue to set the hue off perfectly.