Ferrari 458 Spider to debut at Frankfurt 2011

Ferrari 458 Spider will debut at Frankfurt 2011

The Ferrari 458 Italia is perhaps the best car Ferrari has ever made. And Ferrari are going to make sure they make the most of the 458′s status as the best supercar in its class by introducing the Ferrari 458 Spider at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

The big news for the 458 Spider is that it’s going to get a folding hardtop instead of the canvas roof the 430 Spider got. Which is great news for 458 Spider buyers, but it does make you wonder if it negates the necessity to have the 458 Italia. What’s the point? It’s a bit like Mercedes doing a fixed-roof and folding-roof version of the SL.

The next instalment in the 458 franchise will see Ferrari producing a hardcore 458 Scuderia. Expect to see revisions to the seven-speed ‘box, stiffer suspension and beefier brakes and some dumping of anything that weighs more than a small ant.

Between these two 458 events we can expect Ferrari to replace or update for just about everything in the Ferrari arsenal.

2012 will see the 599 GTB given a good seeing to – currently codenamed F152 – with a debut for the new front-engined V12 scheduled for Geneva in the spring.

2012 will also see the arrival of the Ferrari F70 – the successor to the Enzo Ferrari – which will showcase the future direction for Ferrari’s road cars as well as offering a halo car with outstanding performance from either a V12 with 800bhp or a turbo V8 with around 700bhp. And 2013 will see a bit of a facelift for the California.

Lots going on at Maranello.

By Cars UK