It seems that not only German carmakers like Porsche and BMW have trouble keeping a lid on their USB ports, as images of an upcoming car have managed to leak out of Maranello as well. These spine-tingling official shots of the upcoming Ferrari 458 Italia Spider come from the guy at Teamspeed, and while they have some really talented renderers, we’re sure this is the real convertible supercar that will bow at this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show, scheduled to take place in less than a month.
The Internet strikes again! The images are done in the same style as those of the regular 458 Italia and show exactly what we’ve all been waiting to see - there’s no fabric in sight on this car, as the soft-top has been replaced with a lightweight retractable hardtop.
In addition, there’s a bunch of quills to help the engine breath a little. This is the first time since the 355 Spider that the engine has not been visible through a clear engine cover, though this car is such a performance model that people are likely not to mind.
Other than that, the only major change is that you can’t see the engine anymore, as it’s been covered up by that metallic cover that hides the top’s mechanicals.
We can’t wait to see the hard-top mechanism in action and are curios if the rear window is vertical. Look for this baby to cost set you back about $40,000 more than the coupe. Worth every cent though!
autoevolution will be attending the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, so stay tuned for some real up close and personal shots of the vehicles, as well as for first-hand details of the motorized contraptions presented at the event.
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