458 Spider

I guess the 355 spider is chopped liver to you?

It's about time this played out dog has bit the dust. Lambo copied it. Audi copied it. When Chevy copies it, you know it's time to move on. Frankly, I'm happy it's gone in favor of something far more practical than a soft top.

But, each to their own.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I think so. I'm not saying the spider isn't gorgeous because I think it is however, IMHO it does not look better than the coupe with the roof up. Roof down is another story.

 

I must say that personally I too think its time & the right direction to be going.
I get the feeling that things are getting far too fashion statement- ish, I love the new direction even if some details are not as I would design, that’s probably why I don’t design Ferraris .
I love it & I do not want a lotus...Sorry. Can’t please everyone I suppose.

 

The 355 is a great looking car, my father had one for several years that I drove regularly, but I just personally like to see the engine on display. It doesn't bother me that other car manufacturers did the same thing, because IMO Ferrari did it best. It all comes down to personal preference in the end.

I guess I just got over excited by the 458 coupe, it has the window so I assumed the Spider would have it too. I'm a Spider guy.

 

When the 458 Italia was released I thought there was no way Ferrari could top it in terms of a design and engineering stand point, at least not within a few years.

I actually think the Spider is better looking than the coupe. That's not even factoring in the fact that it doubles as a coupe itself, and looks just as good doing it.

I for one am glad to see the lack of a glass engine window. As someone said, it's played out and has been copied by almost everyone. To me, the rear of the car looks like a modern day Dino 246. I love it.

 

Over excited you say? LOL isn’t that part of the real Ferrari experience? Of course it is sir,
You don’t need to apologise for that at all, “au contraire”...It’s so rare these days, you should be proud to be moved by a car.
Ps: yes the 355 is still a great car.

 

sorry last message was for SUPPERBIKE 81

 

The 458 Spider looks nothing short of spectacular IMO.
Ferrari did a wonderful job.

 

You're talking as if the glass has gone It hasn't, it's just not on the spider. I dare say it will still be on all future coupes for the foreseeable future.

 

i'm with you on this .

 

Yes i see your point this time but i did have difficulty seeing where you were going with your lotus story. However i am with you on this statement .Gone but maybe not forgotten?
Watch this space !

 

Yes, but that's a whole different story. In the coupé the glass doesn't serve just as a styling gimmick.

 

tell us more this sounds interesting...

 

It looks like a Lotus with the roof up from the rear. What don't you you get?

 

I don’t get the fact that you seem to have the whole issue back to front. Why “when it’s obvious that Lotus have copied half a dozen bits of half a dozen other cars to make their range” do you insist on saying the Ferrari looks like… when the terrible news is that actually it’s the Lotus that looks like.. Well frankly every other supercar on the market but in the original kit form … yes I have built a Lotus in my youth.
I do see what you are saying but you do not seem to have the correct perspective on Lotus. That’s it . smile

 

+1

As I posted before, on the coupe the rear window serves an aerodynamic streamlining purpose and is glass because you have to see through it. As a result, you also see the engine.

As proof that the rear glass on the coupe is functional, note that Ferrari's claimed top speed drops from 325 km/h for the coupe to 320 km/h for the spider. Not much but enough to drop the top speed below the 200 mph mark.

 

All the clues are in your answer but you still don't get it. Yes, these days Lotus styling is derivative, 'low rent' even. The 458, on the other hand, is one of the great statements of automotive art (and I choose those words carefully). Shame then that so many are seeing a resemblance to Lotus in the alterations Ferrari made to achieve the spyder. It's unbecoming that Ferrari, who's very purpose is to give us the very best, could do no better than design something that resembles something else so common.

 

Maybe the 458 Spider will cause the California used prices to drop! I think having two hardtop Ferrari roadsters will make used prices on F-cars interesting in the next few years as Cali owners dump their cars for the hotter 458 roadster!

 

I don't think so. The cars are pretty much apples and oranges. The price difference is huge and the wait will be long to get a spider.

There is probably more pressure on 458 coupes but I still think a lot of coupe buyers won't see the advantage of spending all that money for a few nice days if you live in the wrong climate.

That being said, the introduction on any new model impacts the market for all those before it.

 

Bob, why aren't you driving!!!!!

 

When you say Lotus, do you mean the Elise?

Apart from the fact both cars have sail panels (or flying buttresses), the difference in execution is miles apart.

With the roof closed, the Lotus' top looks like it's sitting on the sail panel, with a step down to the sail panel - this is accentuated by the fact that the roof is cut straight across as it spans from the windsheild to the sail panel. With the roof open, the step is still there, but now it exposes a basket handle roll bar.

The Spider, OTOH, has no roll bar, with the roll-over structure contained in the B-pillar. The thick B-pillars are probably to blame for the thickness of the sail panels, but at least with the top down there is no exposed roll-over structure like in the Lotus or 430 and the sails panels are not that different from those two cars. The thick sail panels don't look like they affect rearward vision as the rear window is wider than the space between the head rests and probably not any smaller than the coupe's rear window.

Also, with the roof closed on the Spider, the roof profile flows cleanly into the sail panels, with coupe-like cut to the top of the side windows.

As has been mentioned by others, I also think that the Spider rivals the coupe in design and I usually prefer coupes over Spiders.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

OK, I’ll put it clearly for you as you seem determined to be headstrong before adversity.
ITS LOTUS WHO HAS COPIED WHO IN YOUR POINION TO ACHIVE THEIR DESIGNS? YOUR ANSWER IS …. GOOD YOU SEE AT LEAST ONE THING CLEARLY!
2. Why then have you harped on about Ferrari looking like lotus.
Now if you had read more carefully you would have I feel sure understood that I said I told you exactly that….
THAT’S WHY THE ANSWERS ARE IN THE ANSWERS…
THE ONLY CONCLUSION THAT YOU CAN OFFER ABOUT YOUR OWN STATEMENTS IS YOU HAVE GONE FULL CIRCLE AND HAVE JUST CONFIRMED WHAT I SAID TO YOU
AND IT IS YES IS YOU WHO IS USING THE WRONG REFERENCE…
STOP WITH LOTUS, THEY MEAN NOTHING!

 

Thanks for your input sir.

 

good point & it gets even better... i live on a hill, so i will get back over 200 ...

 

May i just say that the UK traditionally buys more convertible cars than any other EU country but it also has one of the lowest sun hours per year.
I agree with you on price vs coupe buyers though.