2012 Ferrari 458 Spider review and pictures

Filed under: Ferrari, European, Supercars, SuperSport, Cabriolet,
Posted Thursday, 25 August 2011 , 11:08:27 by:Alina

The Ferrari 458 Spider is what they are calling "the world's first mid-rear engine berlinetta equipped with a retractable hard top". Joining the 458 Italia, this car offers a top performance configuration and a fully retractable hard top, never used until now on a sport car with this design.

This car has a direct-injection 4.5 liter V8 engine with dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift transmission, E-Diff integrated with the traction control, named F1-Trac, accelerator pedal mapping, multilink suspension. All this are guarantying a maximum sportive power, hided under an aluminium cover, slowing and diffusing the air in the cockpit, so that the sound to be kept as low as possible, even at high speeds such as 200 km/h. the engine provides 570 HP at 9000 rpm and a torque of 540 Nm at 6000 rpm. The front tires have 8,5 inches and the rear ones have 10.5 inches. The Ferrari 458 Spider consumes 11.8 liters per 100 km and emits 275 g CO2/km.

Ferrari 458 Spider high resolution wallpapers

Ferrari 458 Spider review:

The world's first mid-rear engined berlinetta equipped with a retractable hard top debuts at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The new 458 Spider joins the 458 Italia, widening the range of Ferrari's 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 Ferrari's 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 Ferrari's 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 Maranello's exclusive spider tradition. Even the engine soundtrack has been honed to ensure that the car's 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 Ferrari's open-top berlinettas.

458 Spider technical specifications

Dimensions

Length 4527 mm (178.2 in.)
Width 1937 mm (76.3 in.)

Height 1211 mm (47.7 in.)

Wheelbase 2650 mm (104.3 in.)

Dry weight 1430 kg (3153 lbs)*

Weight/power ratio 2.51 kg/CV (7.42 lbs/kW)

Weight distribution fr/r 42%/58%

Engine

Type 90? V8

Displacement 4499 cc (274.5 cu in.)

Maximum power 570 CV (425 kW)** @ 9000 rpm