Haute Autos: The New Ferrari 458 Spider

The new Ferrari 458 Spider will make its world debut at the 2011 Frankfurt International Motor Show in September. The model will be the world’s first mid-engine supercar that features a folding hard-top roof that is lighter than a conventional fabric hood.

The Ferrari 458 Spider is a refined open-topped version of the Ferrari 458 Italia and offers some uncompromising technological solutions, handling and performance. The 458 Spider is equipped with a Ferrari patented, fully retractable hard top and powered by Ferrari’s direct-injection 4.5 V8 that was nominated as the 2011 International Engine of the Year. To guarantee maximum driving pleasure and sportiness, certain of the car’s features have been calibrated such as the accelerator pedal mapping and the damping of the multilink suspension. In addition, to completely captivate the car’s occupants, the engine soundtrack has been honed.

The hard-top is entirely made out of aluminum offering a number of advantages over the traditional folding soft-top such as reducing 25kg in weight and reducing deployment time to just 14 seconds. The hard-top has been specially engineered to neatly fit ahead of the engine bay without compromising aerodynamics or the performance of the car. For maximum comfort, the 458 Spider features a generously sized adjustable electric wind stop designed to slow and diffuse the air in the cockpit enabling normal conversation to be held even at speeds of over 200 km/hour.

Source and Photo: Prestige Way