Motor Trend executive editor Edward Loh drops the top on Ferraris new 2012 458 Spider.
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00:00 [ENGINE REVVING]
00:07 Hey, everybody.
00:08 So I'm here in Italy with Ferrari's
00:10 all-new 458 Spider.
00:12 What am I doing just standing here?
00:14 Good question.
00:15 Let's go for a drive.
00:16 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:31 So what exactly do we have here?
00:33 Merely another topless Italian?
00:35 Not quite.
00:36 The 458 Spider is the world's first hardtop,
00:39 convertible, mid-engine sports car.
00:41 In just 14 seconds, the 458 Spider
00:44 can drop, flip, and stow its two-piece aluminum
00:47 roof under a deck lid between the seats and engine.
00:50 But does losing its roof negatively impact the Spider?
00:52 Ferrari says the Spider gives up roughly 30%
00:55 in structural rigidity to the 458 Italia,
00:57 while gaining just over 100 pounds
00:59 and losing a bit of aerodynamic efficiency.
01:02 This means that on Ferrari's Fiorano test track,
01:05 the Spider laps about half a second behind the Italia.
01:08 But you know what?
01:09 None of that matters.
01:10 [ENGINE REVVING]
01:12 What you're listening to is the Spider's 557 horsepower,
01:16 4.5 liter V8, blow through the gears of its seven-speed dual
01:20 clutch transmission.
01:21 It doesn't sound nearly this good in the coupe.
01:24 So does that make the 458 Spider a better car
01:27 than the 458 Italia?
01:28 Not if you put pure performance above all else.
01:32 But if you like the feel of the wind in your hair,
01:34 sun on your face, and this sound in your ears,
01:38 there just isn't anything better.
01:40 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:45 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:48 (rock music)