What’s the first name that pops into your head when asked to name a supercar that could instantly turn all heads even if parked to a Ferrari 458 Spider? Well, one of the best answers to that question also comes from the Prancing Horse’s stable and wears the F40 name.

The 80s’ hero is one of the most loved supercars of all time and it breeds aggression in all aspects, from the exterior design to the sound of its engine. We are here now to focus on the first, giving you a video that brings an extremely rare sight: an F40 dressed in Black.

The clip, which was uploaded by Youtube user alexsmolik, offers us over four minutes of this menacing beast, with the scenes being backed by a sweet soundtrack. We also like the “F40″ in the license plate…

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Source: autoevolution.com

YouTube member NM2255 filmed this white Ferrari 458 Spider at the Monza race track in Italy. You will hear the lovely exhaust sound on the track accompanied by a start up, revving, loud accelerations, fly bys and downshifts.

The open-top prancing horse is equipped with a Ferrari patented, fully retractable hard top, a world first for a sports car with this lay-out. The 458 Spider is powered by the same naturally-aspirated, direct-injection 4.5 liter V8 as the coupe. This allows the convertible to sprint from 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds. Top speed is 320km/h making it the fastest-ever convertible from Ferrari.

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Source: gtspirit.com

Here’s something to keep you busy for the rest of the weekend, you know, if you have nothing better to do, in which case we are really sorry.

This is the online configurator for the Ferrari 458 Italia, the drop-top version of the divine 458, which comes with a folding hard-top and a different rear design as a result of that.

Traditionally, the drop-top Ferrari that follows a GT model is nowhere near as good as the coupe. But people who have tried the new Spider will tell you that for the first time you should choose the open top version, because it’s so bloody good.

That’s great, but we still think the coupe is prettier. That said, it’s like saying Charlize Theron is prettier than Cameron Diaz.

The 458 Spider’s configurator is very well designed and very feature-rich, which is interesting because most of the people who will try it are actually those who cannot afford one. The people who can afford a Spider are usually very busy and can’t be bothered to fiddle with a website for hours. They prefer to visit the showroom and have the salesman do the job.

Still, if you want to have a go, here it is: Ferrari 458 Spider configurator.

What is your favorite color for the Ferrari 458 Spider?

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Source: motorward.com

Tradition may yet reign for the next Enzo, as Autocar reports Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa said that the Enzo successor will be powered by a mid-mounted V-12 and also utilize a carbon-fiber chassis. Though previously reported that a twin-turbo V-8 might be destined for Ferrari’s next super car, it appears the Italian sports car maker will follow a formula similar to that of the last Enzo, and F50 before it.

The announcement of the next Enzo’s powerplant wasn’t the only thing recently revealed about the upcoming supercar. Speaking to Autocar at the launch of the Ferrari 458 Spider, Felisa said the Enzo successor could also make use of hybrid technology. Ferrari already announced its intention to hybridize much of its future lineup at this year’s Geneva show in March, and we’ve seen 599 hybrid prototypes undergoing testing in Germany.

Felisa also told Autocar that the lessons Ferrari learned with its Formula 1 program and the development of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) for racing applications could prove useful in production cars. Still, Felisa maintained that such a system, if employed on a road-going car, would not focus solely on performance, but efficiency as well.

The Enzo successor will sport a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis even though most of Ferraris other cars primarily use aluminum in their structure.

“The using of carbon fiber does not make sense,” Felisa told in an  interview. “If you compare what you can get with some part done in composite  [with] full aluminum, you are very close in terms of weight…but the cost difference is huge.”

In addition to the weight savings versus cost argument, Felisa also stressed the difficulty of assessing damage to a carbon-fiber chassis after a crash. Whatever technology Ferrari has in store for its next Enzo, as well as the rest of its future lineup, the automaker says it’s focused on keeping its identity intact. Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo told Autocar that an official reveal of the Enzo successor would happen by the end of 2012, but a final name has yet to be chosen.

Would you like the successor to the Ferrari Enzo have a V12 and a carbon fiber chassis?

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Source: wot.motortrend.com and rumors.automobilemag.com

Ferrari has launched the Ferrari 458 Spider convertible in Japan. Ferrari F1 drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso were present and drove in a white colored car on stage instead of red which is usually connected to the Italian automaker.
There has been many releases of new automobiles at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show including the Ferrari 458 Spider. Ferrari has stated the specifications and pricing details, and the Ferrari 458 Spider is supposed to cost around $257,000 US dollars.
The convertible is equipped with a V-8 with a displacement of 4.5 liters, yields a net output of 570hp and 398 lb-ft of torque at 6,000rpm. The Ferrari also features direct fuel injection and a seven speed dual-clutch F1 gearbox to transmit power to the wheels.
Ferrari is known worldwide for its high performance and the Ferrari 458 Spider does not disappoint in this regard. The convertible can attain a maximum speed of 198mph. The Ferrari 458 Spider also has amazing acceleration that takes 3.4 seconds flat to go from 0-62mph.
Ferrari used the launch of the new supercar to raise money for the earthquake-hit victims of Ishinomaki city in Japan. The charity was a huge success and over $911,100 US dollars was collected and the proceeds will go towards the rebuilding of education institutions that were damaged. Ferrari will be releasing the new Ferrari 458 Spider convertible for sale in other countries as well in the coming months.
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Source: speedlux.com

Ferrari  has set the price of the 458  Spider at $257,000, with U.S. sales to start in January. In Europe, the  sports car will cost 226,800 euros, or $309,000 at current exchange rate. Sales begin in October.

When compared with the 458 Italia coupe, the Spider costs about 15 percent  more. It’s a price premium that Ferrari has been charging for the last decade  for the open-air versions of models such as the 430 and 360.

Ferrari customers in Europe also usually spend the equivalent of 15 percent  to 20 percent on top of the car’s list price to purchase personalization items  from the company’s Carrozzeria Scaglietti program. These items include carbon  fiber seats ($7,800) and a rearview camera ($3,600).

The 458 Spider replaces the 430 Spider and features an aluminum retractable  hardtop instead of the canvas top offered on its predecessor. Webasto AG  supplies the 458 Spider’s roof system. The German supplier also sources the roof  system on the Ferrari California four-seat convertible.

Ferrari says its patented, fully retractable hardtop is a world first for  rear-engine sports cars. The all-aluminum hardtop solution adopted for the 458  Spider offers a number of advantages over the traditional folding canvas top,  including a 55-pound weight reduction and a deployment time of 14 seconds.

Fully integrated into the styling of the car, the hardtop was engineered to  fit neatly ahead of the engine bay without compromising aerodynamics or the  performance of the car.

Ferrari says the small space needed to house the roof enabled the designers  to include a generous rear bench for luggage behind the seats.

The 458 Spider’s powertrain is the same as that on the 458 Italia coupe–a  normally aspirated 4.5-liter V8 delivering 570 hp coupled with a Getrag  seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The 458 Spider accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in less than 3.4 seconds. Its top  speed is 198 mph.

Can you afford the new Ferrari 458 Spider?

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Source: autoweek.com

Ferrari has pulled the cover off the new 458 Spider at the ongoing 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show. This convertible is based on the 458 Italia and as we have reported before, this is the first Ferrari convertible to feature a retractable hardtop.

The retractable hardtop made from aluminum is fully automatic and takes only 14 seconds for deployment. Also, the roof and the mechanism weighs almost 25 kg less than the conventional fabric soft top. The mechanism is also compact and when retracted, the roof is stored in a dedicated storage area behind the seats, in front of the engine bay. The compact design has also allowed Ferrari engineers to incorporate the car with a luggage storage compartment behind the seats. The buttresses have been designed to optimize the flow of air to the engine intakes, the clutch and gearbox oil radiators.

The convertible is fitted with Ferrari’s award winning 4.5 liter V8 engine. The engine is coupled to a dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift transmission system and is capable of producing 570 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. The standard 0 to 62 mph sprint takes only 3.4 seconds and the rated top speed is 198 mph. The convertible is also fitted with the new HELE (High Emotion Low Emission) system, which delivers an impressive urban fuel economy of 11.8 liters/100 km (19.9 US mpg) and reduces CO2 emissions to 275 g/km.

Other than the roof, the Ferrari 458 Spider is almost identical to its hardtop sibling: the 458 Italia. The convertible is expected to carry a base price tag higher than the hardtop 458 Italia, which starts at $227,325.

The world’s first mid-rear engined berlinetta equipped with a retractable hard top debuts at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Maranello, 23rd August 2011 – The new 458 Spider joins the 458 Italia, widening the range of Ferrari’s mid-rear engined V8s and offering the same uncompromising technological solutions, handling and performance in a refined open-top configuration. It is equipped with a Ferrari patented, fully retractable hard top, a world first for a sports car with this lay-out.

The 458 Spider is powered by Ferrari’s naturally-aspirated, direct-injection 4.5 litre V8 which was nominated as the 2011 International Engine of the Year for its engineering excellence in terms of driveability, performance, economy and refinement. The power is transferred to the road by Ferrari’s class-leading dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift transmission through the sophisticated E-Diff, itself integrated with the F1-Trac traction control and high-performance ABS for maximum handling dynamics.

Certain features, such as its accelerator pedal mapping and the damping of the multilink suspension, have been calibrated to guarantee maximum sportiness and absolute driving pleasure with the top down, in line with Maranello’s exclusive spider tradition. Even the engine soundtrack has been honed to ensure that the car’s occupants are completely captivated by the drop-top driving experience.

Entirely in aluminium, the hard-top solution adopted for the 458 Spider offers a number of advantages over the traditional folding soft-top, including a reduction of 25 kg in weight and a deployment time of just 14 seconds. Fully integrated into the styling of the car, the hard-top was engineered to fit neatly ahead of the engine bay without compromising aerodynamics or the performance of the car. The small space needed to house the roof enables the designers to include a generous rear bench for luggage behind the seats.

The rear of the car is characterised by innovative forms with the buttresses designed to optimise the flow of air to the engine intakes and the clutch and gearbox oil radiators. For maximum comfort whilst driving top down the 458 Spider features a generously-sized adjustable electric wind stop. The 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.

New technical solutions adopted for the chassis guarantee identical levels of structural rigidity with the roof up or down. The result is a car that is truly exciting to drive, blending extreme performance with the responsiveness that has always characterised Ferrari’s open-top berlinettas.

458 Spider technical specifications

Dimensions
Length
4527 mm (178.2 in.)
Width
1937 mm (76.3 in.)
Height
1211 mm (47.7 in.)
Wheelbase
2650 mm (104.3 in.)
Dry weight
1430 kg (3153 lbs)*
Weight/power ratio
2.51 kg/CV (7.42 lbs/kW)
Weight distribution fr/r
42%/58%

Engine
Type
90° V8
Displacement
4499 cc (274.5 cu in.)
Maximum power
570 CV (425 kW)** @ 9000 rpm
Maximum torque
540 Nm (398 lbs/ft) @ 6000 rpm
Specific power output
127 CV/l
Compression ratio
12.5:1

Tyres
Front
235/35 ZR20 8.5″
Rear
295/35 ZR20 10.5″

Performance
Maximum speed
>320 km/h (>198 mph)
0-100 km/h
<3.4 s

Fuel consumption + emissions
Fuel consumption***
11.8 l/100 km
Emissions***
275 g CO2/km

Gearbox
Dual-clutch, 7-speed F1

Electronics
E-Diff3, F1-Trac, high-performance ABS
* With forged wheels and Racing seats
** Including 5 CV of ram effect
*** Combined cycle with HELE system (ECE+EUDC)

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Source: nitrobahn.com

The 458 Spider presented during an exclusive World Première in Fiorano under the participation of selected guests from all over the world. Amongst the protagonists: a Ferrari Spider Grand Tour 2011, who came to Maranello from Forte dei Marmi for the presentation of the first and unique Spider with V8 central-rear engine and hard top.

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Source: teamspeed.com via ferrari.com

Ferrari has officially revealed its spectacular 458 Italia Spider, three weeks before the 562-horsepower 4.5-liter V8-powered supercar is due to make its public premiere at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show. Set to go on sale in the U.S. in early 2012, the new car will compete head-on with the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.

Described by the Italian carmaker as the first mid-rear-engine supercar to feature a retractable roof, the 458 Italia Spider eschews the traditional fabric hood used by a long line of illustrious open-top Ferrari models down through the years for a contemporary hardtop.

Made from aluminum, the patented structure is claimed to automatically retract back to a dedicated stowage area behind the seats, in front of the engine bay, in just 14 seconds. Significantly, it is also said to weigh 55 pounds less than the fabric roof of its predecessor, the F430 Spider — allowing the 458 Italia Spider to retain the same 42:58 front-to-rear weight distribution as its fixed-roof sibling, the 458 Italia.

Although the official photographs generated by Ferrari do not show the new aluminum hardtop, Ferrari says it has been engineered to fit in front of the engine bay without any compromise to aerodynamics or performance over the 458 Italia. Additional domes behind the high-set seatbacks are said to help channel wind over the rear bodywork to air intakes used to cool the engine, clutch and gearbox.

The small space required to house the hardtop has enabled the addition of what Maranello insiders describe as a “generous rear bench for luggage” behind the seats. To reduce buffeting within the interior at speed, Ferrari has also equipped the 458 Italia Spider with an electrically operated wind stop it says allows normal conversation between occupants at speeds up to 124 mph.

The rear-wheel-drive 458 Italia Spider runs the same highly strung 4.5-liter V8 engine as the 458 Italia. Mounted behind the space used to stow the new hardtop, it provides a solid 562 horsepower at 9,000 rpm along with 398 pound-feet of torque at 6,000 rpm. Detailed modifications have been made to the exhaust to provide the open top with a slightly different exhaust note than the coupe.

The direct-injection unit is mated to Ferrari’s latest seven-speed double-clutch F1 gearbox and sophisticated e-diff electronically operated differential. Other features include the F1 Trac traction control system and high-performance brake system.

Despite carrying 110 pounds more than the 3,152-pound 458 Italia (modifications were made to the convertible’s chassis to offset the loss of rigidity brought on by the lack of a fixed roof), the new 458 Italia Spider is just 0.1 second slower over the standard 0-62-mph sprint, with an official time of 3.5 seconds. Ferrari puts the new open-top two-seater’s top speed at 198 mph — or 3 mph down on the fixed-roof coupe, which is claimed to run to 203 mph.

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Source: insideline.com

Ferrari will replace two of its five core models, the 430 Spider and the 599 GTB Fiorano, in the next two years, while adding a sportier variant to its  best-selling model, the 458 Italia.

Here is a look at Ferrari’s future product plans:

458 Italia: U.S. shipments of Ferrari’s best-selling model began in June last year. A freshening is planned in 2014. Ferrari is adding a sportier  variant, the 458 Scuderia, in 2013.

458 Spider: At the Frankfurt show in September, Ferrari will debut the 458 Spider, which will replace the 430 Spider. The powertrain will be unchanged,  while a retractable hard top will replace the canvas top offered on the 430. Sales in Europe begin in September. U.S. shipments follow in the first quarter of 2012.

California: A freshening for the Ferrari  California is planned for 2013.

599 GTB Fiorano: In 2012 Ferrari will replace the 599 GTB Fiorano with a redesigned model still known by its code-name, F152. The new car will remain a two-seat coupe with rear drive and a direct-injection V12 longitudinal  engine mounted in the front. The model will debut in March at the Geneva auto show, with European sales to begin in the summer and U.S. shipments by year end.

FF: The first all-wheel-drive Ferrari debuted in March at the Geneva show, went on sale in July in Europe and will arrive by year end in the States. Ferrari is building 800 units a year of the four-seat FF coupe; production is sold out until the end of 2012.

The FF, which stands for Ferrari Four, replaced the company’s 612 Scaglietti  flagship. The FF is marginally bigger and roomier but at 3,946 pounds weighs the  same as the Scaglietti despite adding awd.

The FF is powered by a new 660-hp, 6.3-liter V12 direct-injection engine that takes the car to 208 mph.

Limited-edition car: The successor to the Enzo limited-edition  supercar is set to go on sale in 2012. The all-carbon fiber model will be  powered with a new, normally aspirated V-12 and will herald weight-reduction and  fuel-saving technologies that Ferrari plans to adapt to its entire range by the  end of decade.

It is unclear how many units Ferrari plans to build. The company built 399 units of the Enzo, launched in 2002, and 349 units of predecessor, the 1995 F50.

Are you excited to see what new Ferraris are coming out in the next two years?

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Source: autoweek.com