The fact that Ferrari will offer a convertible version for their new 458 Italiacomes as no surprise. Another thing that comes as no surprise is the fact that it will be called the 458 Italia Spider. Now, putting the obvious information aside, an interesting piece of news comes at us today from a TeamSpeed forum member. According to him, a source in Maranello reported that the next Spider model will feature the same folding hardtop as the California. The car is currently in its development stages, but it will not be revealed for at least few more years.

On the California, the hard top is made from aluminum panels and has a cast aluminum weight-bearing structure which has reduced its overall weight and the moving masses involved. The entire opening/closing cycle is completed in just 14 seconds.

Under the hood the 458 Spider will use the same 4.5 Liter V8 engine equipped with the traditional Ferrari->ke252 flat crankshaft as the coupe version. The unit produces 570 HP at a rather high 9000 RPM and sprints the car from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds on its way to a top speed of 202 MPH.

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