Ferrari 458 Italia Spider: The Very First Mid-Rear Engine V8 With a Retractable Hard Top
The Ferrari 458 Italia Spider made its debut online in August and will be officially released at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany.
In line with Maranello spider tradition, the new Ferrari has been calibrated to guarantee superior sportiness and absolute driving pleasure either with the top up or down. The engine soundtrack has been also improved to ensure that occupants are completely captivated by the top down driving experience. The 458 Spider accelerator pedal mapping and damping on its multilink suspension, for instance, have been calibrated to pursue maximum sportiness and driving pleasure.
The 458 Spider boasts excellent fuel efficiency with low CO2 emissions, 275 g/km. A result made possible thanks to a series of revolutionary engineering solutions incorporated into the HELE (High Emotions, Low Emissions) system, such as:
- Stop & Start, which reduces consumption by 10% on the urban cycle- Pulse Width Modulation controlled brushless fan and low-pressure fuel pump, which reduce consumption by approximately 6%- Electronic variable displacement A/C compressor
The 458 Italia Spider’s performance are guaranteed by Ferrari’s class-leading dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift transmission, the refined E-Diff combined with the F1-Trac traction control and high-performance ABS for maximum handling dynamics.
Entirely in aluminum, the 458 Italia Spider hard-top implies several advantages over the traditional folding soft-top, such as a 25kg weight reduction and a deployment time of just 14 seconds. Fully integrated into the styling of the car, the hard-top fits ahead of the engine bay without compromising aerodynamics or the performance of the car. The reduced space needed to house the roof enables the car to offer an exceptional internal storage space: the new 458 Italia spider features in fact a rear bench that can hold a bespoke set of luggage or a golf carry bag.
458 Italia Spider SpecsDimensionsLength 178.2 inWidth 76.3 inHeight 47.7 inWheelbase 104.3 inDry Weight 3,153 lbs*weight/Power Ratio 7.42 lbs/kWWeight Distribution 42% Front / 58% Rear
* With forged wheels and Racing seatsEngineType V8 – 90Displacement 4499 cc (274.5 cu in.)Max Power 570 HP (425 kW)** @ 9,000 rpmMax Torque 540 Nm (398 lbs/ft) @ 6,000 rpmSpecific Power Output 127 CV/lCompression Ratio 12.5:1** Including 5 HP of ram effect
TiresFront 235/35 ZR20 8.5″Rear 295/35 10.5″
PerformanceMaximum Speed 198 mph0-62 mph <3.4s
Fuel Consumption & EmissionsFuel Consumption*** 11.81/100 KmEmissions *** 275 g CO2/Km
*** Combined with HELE system (ECE + EUDC)
GearboxDual-clutch, 7-speed F1
ElectronicsE-Diff3, F1-Trac, high-performance ABS