It never fails: whenever Ferrari introduces a new model, people begin speculating on a more hardcore version. Ferrari, of course, is hesitant to comment on the prospect, eager instead to showcase what it's latest model can do. But just as the F430 became the 430 Scuderia and the 599 GTB Fiorano was transformed into the 599 GTO, so will the 458 Italia inevitably lead to a lightened and more powerful version. The only questions are what it will be called, when it will debut and how much more power it will get. Here we just might have our best idea yet.

A Dutch visitor at the harrowed halls of Ferrari HQ in Maranello recently tweeted that he overheard discussions of the hardcore 458 getting the name Monte Carlo and packing as much as 620 horsepower. If there proves to be any truth to the rumors, the power bump would be even more than its predecessors got. The 360 Modena produced 400 horsepower, but the 360 Challenge Stradale was bumped to 420. The F430 that followed packed 483 hp, and the 430 Scuderia channeled 508. Those both represented a power bump of about 20 horsepower, but these latest rumors peg the 458's increase to nearly 60.

Along with it we could expect the car to be lightened up thanks to a stripped-out interior and other parts, together with a tighter suspension and possibly upgraded brakes to keep it all in check. The name refers to the city where the venerable Monaco Grand Prix is held, and could hint at the glamorous location Ferrari might choose to unveil the new supercar. Then this could all prove to be mere conjecture and amount to naught, but even if this is what Ferrari has planned, we wouldn't put it past the company to go with a different name just to shake things up.