Car Review | The new Ferrari 458 Spider

The new Ferrari 458 Spider: the world’s first mid-rear engined berlinetta equipped with a retractable hard top debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The new 458 Spider joins the 458 Italia, widening thenbsp;range of Ferrari’s mid-rear engined V8s and offering the same uncompromisingnbsp;technological solutions, handling and performance in a refined open-topnbsp;configuration. It is equipped with a Ferrari patented, fully retractable hard top, a worldnbsp;first for a sports car with this lay-out.
The 458 Spider is powered by Ferrari’s naturally-aspirated, direct-injection 4.5 litre V8nbsp;which was nominated as the 2011 International Engine of the Year for its engineeringnbsp;excellence in terms of driveability, performance, economy and refinement. The power isnbsp;transferred to the road by Ferrari’s class-leading dual-clutch F1 paddle-shiftnbsp;transmission through the sophisticated E-Diff, itself integrated with the F1-Tracnbsp;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 ofnbsp;the multilink suspension, have been calibrated to guarantee maximum sportiness andnbsp;absolute driving pleasure with the top down, in line with Maranello’s exclusive spidernbsp;tradition. Even the engine soundtrack has been honed to ensure that the car’snbsp;occupants are completely captivated by the drop-top driving experience.
Entirely in aluminium, the hard-top solution adopted for the 458 Spider offers anbsp;number of advantages over the traditional folding soft-top, including a reduction of 25kg in weight and a deployment time of just 14 seconds. Fully integrated into the stylingnbsp;of the car, the hard-top was engineered to fit neatly ahead of the engine bay withoutnbsp;compromising aerodynamics or the performance of the car. The small space needed tonbsp;house the roof enables the designers to include a generous rear bench for luggagenbsp;behind the seats.
The rear of the car is characterised by innovative forms with the buttresses designed tonbsp;optimise the flow of air to the engine intakes and the clutch and gearbox oil radiators.nbsp;For maximum comfort whilst driving top down the 458 Spider features a generouslysizednbsp;adjustable electric wind stop. The design was perfected to slow and diffuse the airnbsp;in the cockpit, enabling normal conversation to be held even at speeds over 200 km/h.nbsp;New technical solutions adopted for the chassis guarantee identical levels of structuralnbsp;rigidity with the roof up or down. The result is a car that is truly exciting to drive,nbsp;blending extreme performance with the responsiveness that has always characterised.