2012 Ferrari will be the first mid-engined car to be fitted with a retractable hard top.
Ferrari has released the first details and pictures of its 458 Spider, which is due to make its first public appearance at the Frankfurt motor show in September.
The roadster version of the 458 Italia is the first mid-engined road car to be fitted with a retractable hard top, which you can see in action in the video below.
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Ferrari's first retractable hard top was fitted to the California, but the roof of the 458 Spider is a different design which rotates about its rear edge and then stows upside down under the rear deck lid. By contrast the California's roof splits into two, stacks itself, then stows the right way up above the boot space.
The 458 Spider is said to have retuned damping and accelerator pedal mapping "to guarantee maximum sportiness and absolute driving pleasure with the top down". The buttresses behind the head restraints are said to be designed to optimise air flow to the engine air intakes and cooling radiators.
An adjustable electric wind stop is provided, which is said to allow normal conversation inside the car even at 200km/h (125mph).
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