Wednesday 24 August 2011

Ferrari 458 Spider


Frankfurt preview: Ferrari 458 Spider

Ferrari will be debuting the world’s first mid-rear engined berlinetta equipped with a retractable hard top at the Frankfurt show next month – the 458 Spider is set to join the 458 Italia in the company’s lineup.
Power comes courtesy of a naturally-aspirated, direct-injection 4.5 litre V8 offering 570 cheval vapeur (CV) – which works out to 562 hp – at 9,000 rpm and 540 Nm at 6,000 rpm. This is mated to a dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift seven-speed transmission with E-Diff, which integrates F1-Trac traction control and high-performance ABS.
The hard-top is made entirely of aluminium – the company says this 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 fits neatly ahead of the engine bay without compromising aerodynamics or performance, or even space – there’s still a generous rear bench for luggage behind the seats.
Styling-wise, the rear of the car – which sits on 20-inch wheels and 235/35 front and 295/35 rear rubbers – is characterised by buttresses designed to optimise the flow of air to the engine intakes as well as the clutch and gearbox oil radiators.

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