Me, too. The vents even have the same mesh as those on the 246 GTS sail panels. Three vents on the Dino hood and GTS sail panels, three vents on the 458 Spider engine cover. You gotta love tradition! Fred
I don't think the rear deck /capote is going to appear bloated. But we will see more videos and have more first hand reviews soon enough at the Frankfurt show in September. Also the privileged customers who have already seen the car did not comment about a problem with the aesthetics.
The rear light panel is exactly the same as the coupe and the rear deck finishes at a similar height to the bulkhead window in the coupe as shown in this first pic. The second pic shows that the new "spine" section that runs up the rear deck isn't steeply raked at all. It's the steeply falling side sections of the deck that feed air to the radiators that may be giving you the impression of a high rear as they looked pronounced in some of the angles that the pics have been taken. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
As the roof is probably aluminium, the heat dissipates very fast... so in the time elapsed in the closing it should drop some heat out. I dont know what kind of damage can get the roof paint from the heat of the engine or the leather in the inside... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ferrari 458 Spider - colour palete: http://www.czechferrari.cz/clanek/fe...-paleta/26368/ I hope those aren't the only ones. Note no silver or titanium.
The rearward visibility may be better than the coupe, especially with the top down (I'm thinking about the roof line cutting off the view in the rear view mirror on the coupe). I do wonder about the heat dissipation. The coupe has a lot of space around the engine and the two large mesh sections along the side of the glass hatch - and it still gets plenty hot in there.
You can get any Ferrari in any colour you like. It might be expensive, but they will match any paint sample for you, if you want. Onno
Plus, those colours you see in the czech page are not Ferrari's range for the 458 Spider, they're just someone's renderings in a variety of colours.
my goodness. the 458 is just stunning in every iteration. to me it is the high mark in automotive history to this point. One of those true instances of automotive perfection. There have been a few others IMO, but the 458 is the best of the lot.
Fully agree. It's the modern 308 in terms of looks, which is the highest compliment one can ascribe to a Ferrari. At least the 458 is original; the 360's front end looks like it was pilfered from the Mclaren F1
If it's hot and the heat isn't dissipated, well, see what can happen. Seriously, it will be interesting to see what Ferrari did to insulate the roof when stowed, where I'll bet it will be a lot of the time. The way the roof stows certainly explains why they couldn't put a clear cover on the engine bonnet, like the coupe's. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I agree with you the 458 is the first Ferrari since the F355 that I lust for. The other cars were nice and the performance was great, but the styling left me cold. I think the 458 is very beautiful and the 458 spider is the most beautiful open car Ferrari has made in a very long time.
I guess we have to wait until next month to see the 458 with the top up from all angles. I knew it would look good top down, many of the photoshopped coupes turned Spyder showed us that already. What I really have to see is what it looks like with the top up, since myself and many in the cooler wetter climates have to drive it that way much of the time.
I am told by my dealer who was at the factory that the top is not aluminum but is some form of fiberglass/plastic which is tinted.
Not according to the Ferrari press release - "Entirely in aluminium......." THE NEW FERRARI 458 SPIDER The worlds first mid-rear engined berlinetta equipped with a retractable hard top debuts at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Maranello, 23rd August 2011 The new 458 Spider joins the 458 Italia, widening the range of Ferraris mid-rear engined V8s and offering the same uncompromising technological solutions, handling and performance in a refined open-top configuration. It is equipped with a Ferrari patented, fully retractable hard top, a world first for a sports car with this lay-out. The 458 Spider is powered by Ferraris naturally-aspirated, direct-injection 4.5 litre V8 which was nominated as the 2011 International Engine of the Year for its engineering excellence in terms of driveability, performance, economy and refinement. The power is transferred to the road by Ferraris class-leading dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift transmission through the sophisticated E-Diff, itself integrated with the F1-Trac traction control and high-performance ABS for maximum handling dynamics. Certain features, such as its accelerator pedal mapping and the damping of the multilink suspension, have been calibrated to guarantee maximum sportiness and absolute driving pleasure with the top down, in line with Maranellos exclusive spider tradition. Even the engine soundtrack has been honed to ensure that the cars occupants are completely captivated by the drop-top driving experience. Entirely in aluminium, the hard-top solution adopted for the 458 Spider offers a number of advantages over the traditional folding soft-top, including a reduction of 25 kg in weight and a deployment time of just 14 seconds. Fully integrated into the styling of the car, the hard-top was engineered to fit neatly ahead of the engine bay without compromising aerodynamics or the performance of the car. The small space needed to house the roof enables the designers to include a generous rear bench for luggage behind the seats. The rear of the car is characterised by innovative forms with the buttresses designed to optimise the flow of air to the engine intakes and the clutch and gearbox oil radiators. For maximum comfort whilst driving top down the 458 Spider features a generously-sized adjustable electric wind stop. The design was perfected to slow and diffuse the air in the cockpit, enabling normal conversation to be held even at speeds over 200 km/h. New technical solutions adopted for the chassis guarantee identical levels of structural rigidity with the roof up or down. The result is a car that is truly exciting to drive, blending extreme performance with the responsiveness that has always characterised Ferraris open-top berlinettas.
+1 The 360 and 430 had me more interested in Aston Martins (not a bad line on those cars) IMHO. This latest iteration is the best since the 328 and 355.
I alluded to this in an earlier text, but it's amazing to me how much the Italia Spider exudes 246 Dino...and I find that to be a WONDERFUL thing! For me, it captures the essence of what has always made the Dino so mesmerizingly sexy to me! I have never been more excited about a Ferrari in the past 20 years!
