Forced by previous Internet leaks to take the wraps off its latest Prancing Horse, Ferrari today officially released initial details, images and video of the world's first mid-rear engined berlinetta equipped with a retractable hard top, which is set to make its public debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show next month.
Joining the 458 Italia in the Ferrari’s mid-rear engined V8s range, the new 458 Spider will come fitted with a naturally-aspirated, direct-injection 4.5 litre V8 engine coupled with a dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift transmission through the E-Diff, itself integrated with the F1-Trac traction control and high-performance ABS for maximum handling dynamics.
The sports car will reportedly be sprinting from naught to sixty in just 3.4 seconds, while being capable of reaching a top speed of 320 km/h (198 mph). It also comes with an adjustable electric wind stop, whose 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.
Also, the hard-top was engineered to fit neatly ahead of the engine bay without compromising aerodynamics or the performance of the car. It has a deployment time of just 14 seconds.
Certain features, such as its accelerator pedal mapping and the damping of the multilink suspension, have been calibrated, as was the engine soundtrack.
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.
Joining the 458 Italia in the Ferrari’s mid-rear engined V8s range, the new 458 Spider will come fitted with a naturally-aspirated, direct-injection 4.5 litre V8 engine coupled with a dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift transmission through the E-Diff, itself integrated with the F1-Trac traction control and high-performance ABS for maximum handling dynamics.
The sports car will reportedly be sprinting from naught to sixty in just 3.4 seconds, while being capable of reaching a top speed of 320 km/h (198 mph). It also comes with an adjustable electric wind stop, whose 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.
Also, the hard-top was engineered to fit neatly ahead of the engine bay without compromising aerodynamics or the performance of the car. It has a deployment time of just 14 seconds.
Certain features, such as its accelerator pedal mapping and the damping of the multilink suspension, have been calibrated, as was the engine soundtrack.
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.