I think 458 spider will be a hard top

Sounds tricky. Hardtop would have to fold in front of the engine. It would be extremely cool if Ferrari could pull it off and still make the car look good.

 

not to mention the weight factor .. It might work with the Cali but I seriously doubt they could pull it off for the mid engined (and more hard core) F458.

 

There are 2 types of hardtops....self retractable ..and "manual".

If you tell me just one car that have 2 versions -one coupe and another-retractable hartop....I'm going to run naked on streets!

THere is no logic creating a new model that is CC (coupe-cabrio) when you already have a coupe. I think it will be a classic spider.

 

I'm guessing it'll be a soft top spider, because of weight, packaging, marketing and perception issues. I'm hoping for a targa version. [Please Enzo,...El Commendatore...um Sir!, would you make a targa?]

 

now that is a great idea +10

I tend to dislike the look of the baby carriage/pram afterthought/slapped-on-at-the-last-hour design of most soft tops; ruins the body lines when top is up.

 

x 2

 

I would expect a soft-top, for the reasons stated by some earlier posters. If done right, it can be quite attractive. I've often thought that the F355 Spider looks meaner with the top up! Fred

 

I don't think there will be spider or something top less anytime soon.

I just want my 458 ASAP!

 

see BMW 3 series

 

BMW has only cc...for this generation...The past one had a soft top and hard top..but only manual retractable....

 

Targa's don't sell in today's market. If they did, they'd be in production today.

It will be a soft top for sure. the question is will the lines of the car be screwed up in doing so.

 

I think that the most difficult part of the transformation from coupe to spyder will be the "flap" that surrounds both sides of the backlight. From a front 3/4 view, you could be left with an ungainly peak if the upswept line is continued and then abruptly cut off. If you change that part of the body design too much, you lose the essence of the 458. I don't doubt that PF can pull it off, but I wonder how different from a 360/430 spyder it will be. In the final analysis, convertibles and station wagons are more generic looking than their coupe counterparts. Fred

 

I hope it will be a soft-top.

Whilst hard-tops might be very practical, I love the charm of soft-tops.

 

Similar or shared lines are often used to visually link the models in a line. I agree that it
would be a pretty difficult trick to place that folded roof on top of the engine without
giving it as high a rear as the California! And hopefully, Ferrari will not go there again!

 

what i meant is that the current 3 series comes as a coupe and as a convertible with a metal folding roof, which brings me to the conclusion that there must be a demand for a metal folding roof when there is also a proper coupe on offer. so speaking of ferrari, it might not be absolutely unlogical considering that probably not every ferrari owner is a die hard ferraristo who wants to own either a coupe or a convertible.

 

Yes, but BMW engine is in the front and there is a trunk in the back. There is no way Ferrari can built a 458 Spider with a hard top convertible. Only a removable top or a soft top. Unless they stretch the car 12"" but then it's not going to be 458 Italia anymore.

 

what about a SuperAmerica type roof, that would be light, if done in glass, or some transparent material, the engine bay would still be visible.
that would be best in my opinion

 

i hope it doesnt become hardtop...love the canvas top look

 

Man if that happened all of a sudden id be excited about Ferraris again !

Id be drooling over the day a pre-owned 458 targa was within my reach !

 

removable (non-folding) hardtops have fallen out of style.

pretty much nobody is making these. i know some cars have but they are much rarer than they used to be. only cars i can think of that currently employ this are low-volume, like the lotus elise (i believe), and the carerra gt of course did. i say the chances of ferrari making a 458 version like this is about zero.

a folding hardtop, like others pointed out, would be technically difficult due to the mid-engine layout. and because ferrari already has a "softer" car whose folding hardtop is practically the selling point, i don't see this being a wise business move by ferrari even if the technology was there.

i mean i think it's almost certain the 458 spider will be a folding softtop, but the targa idea is definitely interesting.

i've never been a fan of convertibles (coupes are faster and cheaper ), so i'm not too well-versed on ferrari's history of convertible setups.....but have they ever made a targa model? i know porsche made a lot of targas for a while.

 

+1

 

I like the targas because they retain the silhouette/lines of the car. Mid-engined spiders loose that necksnap look-at-me appeal. Based on recent history of the 348/355/360/430, I reluctantly expect the 458 will be a soft top spider. I'd like to know the business case for Ferrari offering all three types; berlinetta, spider and targa. (All three types were available with the 348/355). Are global targa sales really that low? Are spider sales higher because they're a push-button affair, whereas targas have to be removed and stowed manually?

Maranello, are you listening? I want a targa!

 

Maybe they won't build a spider version and simply direct customers to the 'California' option.
CH