The New Ferrari 458 Spider

"Clean. Lithe. Purposeful. Poised, gleaming, and red. It is everything you could wish,” Top Gear’s Tom Ford gushes as he steps out from a test drive. The new Ferrari 458 Spider is certainly a motorhead’s wet dream; the chivalrous gentleman’s Batmobile.

Fitted with a direct-injection 4.5-litre V8 engine (previously a nominee for 2011 International Engine of the Year) and the world’s first fully retractable hard top on a super car, the Ferrari 458 Spider promises driveablility, performance, economy and refinement. A F1 paddle-shift transmission through a sophisticated E-Diff integrated with F1-Trac traction control delivers power. The damping of the multilink suspension and exquisite accelerator pedal mapping guarantees absolute driving pleasure in complete maneuverable ease, without any bumpy discomforts.

As for the revolutionary hard-top, it comes 25kg lighter than its soft-top cousin with a deployment time of just 14 seconds. Engineered entirely with aluminum, its design retains the original aerodynamicism and structural rigidity of the Spider, top down or not. The sun and fresh air are no longer prohibitive as the engine soundtrack is suitably monitored by an adjustable wind stop – you can now sing along to your favourite car tunes or audibly lament about the demise of your adopted football team with the top down, even at 200km/h.

This 1.5 ton speedster possesses a maximum torque of 540Nm@6000 rpm, capable of reaching speeds of 320km/h. Taking just 3.4s to hit 100km/h, the Ferrari 458 Spider not only economises on velocity but ecology too, with a HELE fuel system that reduces petrol consumption while decreasing emissions.

Ital Auto, the exclusive distributor of Ferrari, is now accepting orders for this moving masterpiece, and prices start from S$998,000 (without a Certificate of Entitlement).

Ferrari 458 Spider Specifications
Engine: 4.5-Litre V8, fuel injected
Maximum power: 570HP@9000 rpm
Maximum torque: 540 Nm@6000 rpm
Acceleration: 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds
Top speed: 320km/h
Fuel consumption: 11.81 litres/100km
Price: From S$998,000 (without a Certificate of Entitlement)
Agent: Ital Auto Pte Ltd, 30 Leng Kee Road, Tel: 6475 1118

www.ferrari.com