Australian Touring Car Legend John Bowe has had his first taste of the Ferrari power he hopes will take him to victory in the upcoming Bathurst 12 hour race.

Bowe took to the wheel of the Il Bello Rosso 458 GT3 at the Phillip Island circuit in warm and fine conditions, the multiple Aussie Champ delighted at what he’d seen so far.

“It’s incredibly impressive, with massive amount of grip compared to the Mustang so really, it’s like ‘wow’!” he said.

Bowe, who has previously raced an early model Ferrari in the days of The Nations Cup, said that there was considerable difference between the Italian supercars then and now.

“The 458 has a much nicer gear change than the previous Ferrari, a nicer brake feel, and it’s got a lot more gizmos to work around, and so far I’ve only done a very limited amount which lends to a lot more to come.”

Bowe completed 20 laps of the 4.4km Island circuit, and the experience left him confident of the cars chances at Mount Panorama in February.

“There’s always some areas that I think we can improve on in terms of stability, but nothing drastic as overall it’s an amazingly well prepared car which I’m definitely looking forward to driving at Bathurst.”

Bowe will join Alan Simonsen, Dominik Farnbacher and local driver Peter Edwards, in the car at Mount Panorama on February 26.