Ferrari 458 Spider

Posted on September 04, 2011 11:11 AM

The new 458 Spider which joins the 458 Italia range is the supercar maker’s second model with a retractable metal top after the California. However, it is special in that it is a world’s first for a car with a mid-rear engine layout. With the California, stowing the hardtop was not a problem since the engine is in the front compartment.

Ferrari 458 Italia

Fully integrated into the styling of the car, the hardtop was engineered to fit neatly ahead of the engine bay without compromising aerodynamics or the performance of the car.

Made entirely of aluminium, the hardtop (patented by Ferrari) is said to offer a number of advantages over the traditional folding soft top. These advantages include a reduction of 25 kgs in weight and a deployment time of just 14 seconds.

The small space needed to house the roof enables the designers to include a generous rear bench for luggage behind the seats.

While not offering specifics, Ferrari says that new technical solutions have been used for the chassis to guarantee identical levels of structural rigidity with the roof up or down. This is important as convertibles are structurally more vulnerable to flex and reinforcements are needed in areas such as the A-pillars to overcome this issue.

The 458 Spider is powered by Ferrari’s naturally-aspirated, direct-injection 4.5-litre V8 which was among the recipients of the 2011 International Engine of the Year for its engineering excellence in terms of driveability, performance, economy and refinement. Its 570 bhp (5 of the bhp come from ram-air effect at high speeds) and 540 Nm are transferred to the road by Ferrari’s own dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift 7-speed transmission through the sophisticated E-Diff, itself integrated with the F1-Trac traction control and high-performance ABS for maximum handling dynamics.

Certain of the car’s features, such as its accelerator pedal mapping and the damping of the multi-link suspension, have been calibrated to guarantee maximum sportiness and absolute driving pleasure with the top down, in line with Ferrari’s exclusive spider tradition. Even the engine ‘soundtrack’ has been specially tuned to ensure that the car’s occupants are completely captivated by the topless driving experience.

The rear of the car is characterized by innovative forms with the buttresses designed to optimize the flow of air to the engine intakes and the clutch and gearbox oil radiators. For maximum comfort whilst driving with the top down, the 458 Spider features a generously-sized adjustable electric wind stop. This feature is designed to slow and diffuse the air in the cockpit, enabling normal conversation even at speeds over 200 km/h (it has a claimed top speed of 320 km/h).

The price of the 458 Spider has not been announced and is unlikely to be revealed before its debut at the Frankfurt Motorshow in the middle of this month. However, rumours are that it would cost at least the equivalent of RM1.9 million in some countries.