Ferrari 458 Spider Priced, Shown With Top Up

Few things define exotic like Ferrari, and for the most part the latest Ferrari is the greatest (aside from classics of course). That's why there was a lot of anticipation surrounding the 458 Spider, which debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Pricing information has been released for Europe and the United States, for an on-sale date of January 2012.

As always, the Spider costs more than the "standard" coupe, to the tune of 15 percent. That means 226,800 euros (about 197,243 GBP) and $257,000 here in the US. Automotive News says that buyers usually spend another 15 or 20 percent on top of MSRP for customization options through Ferrari's Carrozzeria Scaglietti program. Not to mention there is quite a few dealers out there who will slap a hefty markup on that price, especially in the beginning.

The 458 Spider features a patented aluminum retractable hardtop, ditching the canvas cover of the 430 Spider. The system is produced by German company Webasto AG and it weighs 55 pounds less versus a canvas top, while taking just 14 seconds to deploy. It has been designed to fit into the 458 Spider's engine bay to save luggage space. Stylistically it works beautifully with both the top down You can check out our gallery of the 458 Spider below.