Ferrari is set to unveil the new 458 Spider at the forthcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. Ferrari claims that the new car is the world's first Berlinetta equipped with a retractable hard top.
The Spider is fitted with the same 4.5-litre V8 used by the Italia, producing 562bhp and revving to 9000rpm. The power is fed to the rear wheels via Ferrari's dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift gearbox and a sophisticated E-Diff.
The Spider's folding metal roof can be deployed in fourteen seconds and is made entirely out of aluminium to save weight. Adding weight is normally a detrimental side-effect of removing a car's roof but thanks to the skill of Ferrari's engineers, the Spider weighs only 50kg more than the hardtop.
The Spider is also fitted with a wind stop to reduce air noise which, Ferrari claims, makes normal conversation in the Spider possible at speeds of up to 120mph.
Ferrari has not revealed any information on pricing or when we can expect to see the 458 Spider in Ferrari showrooms.
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