Ferrari 458 "Hard-Top" Spider Officially Revealed

At next month's Frankfurt International Motor Show, Ferrari will be unleashing the 458 Spider to the world and will feature a hard-top retractable roof.

Ferrari's previous hard-top convertible is the California, however that was a four-seater grand tourer with the engine at the front. The 458 Spider will be the world's first mid-engined two-seater sports car with a retractable hard-top.

The 458 Spider's previous incarnation, the F430 Spider included a retractable soft-top which saved as much weight as possible. With the inevitable advance in materials engineering since the release of the F430, the roof of the 458 Spider is made from lightweight aluminium, making it 25kg lighter than an equivalent soft-top solution. Overall, the 458 Spider is approximately 50kg heavier than the Italia.

The hard-top can be retracted in a blistering 14 seconds and it has been packaged in such a way that it does not have an adverse effect on the vehicle's aerodynamic performance. Ferrari has stated that the hard-top will fit in ahead of the engine compartment, allowing for enough room for a luggage shelf behind the seats.

One of the clever design features are the buttresses behind each seat. The purpose of this design feature is to divert the airflow to the engine intake system and clutch and gearbox oil radiators in such a way that it benefits the performance of the car. Importantly, the structural integrity of the vehicle has not been jeopardised by having this feature.

Another design feature which differentiates it from the Italia are the ducts at the rear, making it look slightly more aggressive from behind, which is definitely an added bonus.

The Spider will use the same 4.5 litre 562bhp V8 bellowing beast that powers the Italia and will maintain the same 0-60mph acceleration. The top speed is slightly down on the Italia at 198mph, which can be explained by aerodynamic drag at high speeds when the roof is down.

Aesthetically, hard-tops are most certainly better looking than soft-tops, with many soft-tops destroying the utter beauty of certain cars. The Italia was widely acclaimed as being a stunning car to look at, and the public will most definitely share the same sentiment when they first lay their eyes on it in Frankfurt next month. For those who cannot wait that long here is a teaser video to whet your appetite.