spider vs coupe: my experience of tradeoffs

This is a well thought out first hand review. So it started off with you hating the spider and then you soon realized that the car was actually very good and have decided to keep it? I will be happy to help you with the less than satisfying exhaust note

 

Randy and I have discussed the "cowl shake" on the spider and it is certainly there with the top down. What is interesting my 2008 430 spider had no cowl shake so I think Ferrari missed the boat on that. As for sound I agree with Randy I hate that the sound does not start till 2800 rpm in race mode and 4000 in Sport mode what were they thinking. Once the sound comes on it is awesome so I just keep the RPMs up. I have not driven a coupe but it is way ahead of my 430 spider. The turn in and transmission performance is amazing. I have been a Porsche guy for years with over 7 conv and 3 coupes. I have never experienced cowl shake with any of my Porsches they felt they were carved out of one metal block but there was a significant trade off there. I currently have an 89 Porsche turbo conv and that does not shake at all. The Ferrari is light on its feet the Porsche drives heavy so there are a lot of compromises made. I had Porsche Turbo S conv modified with a chip for over 550 HP. No matter what, it only compared in acceleration the Ferrari is a much better car. So I am willing to sacrifice some cowl shake and tradeoffs for and all around better car. Randy did a great job identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the Spider

 

If you end up not liking it I will gladly take it off your hands

 

I always enjoy reading honest appraisals and opinions by experienced owner-drivers. There is always something new or a nuance that I haven't seen before, whether positive or negative, or whether I agree or not. It beats almost all "professionals" hands down.

 

+1

Very informative and helpful. Thank you for your time and insight. I just can't wait to finally be an owner of one of these beautiful machines! 5 weeks and counting until my "anticipated" build date.

 

Randy,

Bang on points in your summary, you and I have exchanged a number of views on the Spider, killer aesthetics aside, it is much more rigid when the roof is in place, no question.

Why they didn't introduce the sliding rear window on the Italia I'll never know. It's a beautiful aural experience into the mechanical noises, whirrs and the breathing of the engine, stirring stuff when you venture past 2800rpm and keep it going...wow.

 

I completely agree with you on not having "the sliding rear window" on Italia. I had driven my friend's MY13 Spider, brand new -just at 200 km-, and tell you the truth I didn't notice any body/chassie flex. I drove it top-up and rear window down. That simple thing changed everything. I speed up to 190 km/h with rear window open and no wind noise or anything except exhaust/intake/engine noise which I can't clearly hear in my coupe evenif the side windows are open.

I used to prefer Italia looks over Spider but if there was a body design for Italia with Spider looks but fixed roof and rear window, I would choose to have my Italia like this. That little window effects all the driving aura much higher than I expected.

 

Interesting. My Cali had less cowl shake than the 458.

 

+1 Thanks for taking the time to write this. Having lived with several very different convertibles, I suppose I am very used to some degree of cowl shake. As such, it doesn't bother me so much as just being part of the feedback from the car as it interacts with the road.

Some convertibles are worse than others in terms of flex and shake, of course. Probably the most "flexible" (a rather charitable term) I've driven was a 1999 M Roadster. Only by adding aftermarket bracing was it tolerable, as the stock chassis would wind up with loading and provide more unpredictability than helpful feedback. I guess after being subjected to that for several years, I find all Ferrari spiders/convertibles rather solid!

 

I can vouch for the spider rear window. in the down position there is no wind noise just beautiful sounds from the engine/exhaust. there is no wind with the rear window down...won't muss the most finicky woman's hair. Rain does not get in either.

i do not notice any difference in chasis stiffnes with the top up or down. Have not taken it to the track, but it is much stiffer than my 360 Spider and I had no trouble tracking that car.

Unless i am in the twisties, the bumpy road setting is on + race mode. In the twisties i like more road feel and feedback. I notice no cowl shake and i drive 90+% with the top down. Seems like you are going faster so less need for speed and fewer tickets (none so far in the Spider).

Life is good.
Life is better driving a Ferrari.
Life is best driving a 458 Spider with the top down. (top up with r window down is great but slightly less involving than top down)

 

Actually top down made too much wind noise after 120 km/h, so I closed it and open the rear window which solved the wind noise issue
Personally, I would prefer the rear window.

 

Thanks for the excellent review, posts like this are very informative and helpful. I personally like the coupe looks more than the spider's, but as you said, this is a matter of personal taste.

 

Just got around to looking at my new Forza No. 128 October, 2013.

The cover story: 458...Top Up, Top Down--Top Gun!

Matt Stone's article is about his driving experiences in L.A.

On page 27

Retractible or Fixed: The 458 Dilemma

...So how do the Spider and Italia compare on the road? Frankly, it would take a very skilled professional driver to discover any meaningful performance differences between the open and closed 458s. Ferrari says that track-day enthusiasts will opt for the Italia, which makes sense, but in spite of an unavoidable reduction in chassis rigidity, the Spider didn't display any loss of handling precision or high-speed stability. Scuttle shake was non-existent, as well.

So which 458 would I rather have? For my money it's the spider all the way. The open car is more enjoyable and involving to drive, not only because you get to feel the wind and sun, but because the Spider offers a bit more road feel and feedback than I remember in the berlinetta--a welcome change. In addidtion, you can
hear so much of the motor magic taking place just behind you, something that is a little less visceral in the closed car. M.S.

All of this magic comes at a price, of course. The 458 Spider starts at $260,000, and this particular example stickered at an impressive $357,000. The aforementioned front suspension lifter cost $4,600, while the hi-fi sound system added $5,500. Interior leather and carbon-fiber treatments came in at more than $15,000, the parking sensors and reaview camera added $6,000 and the forged diamond-polished wheels cost $7,500. I don't know the paint's price tag (Rosso Fiorono), as it was buried in a $27,000 charge for "Special Features," but if any color is worth that much dough, it's this one.

All that, as they say, is the price of exclusivity--and given the wide array of available options, and the relatively low build numbers, it's unlikely there will be two indentical Spiders built. After spending a few days in this one, I think it's worth every penny--even if all you do is live and drive in L.A.

The End