Ferrari officially took the wraps off the new 458 Spider ahead of its debut at 2011 IAA. And yes, it has a retractable hard top.

The rest of it is of course identical to the 458 coupe, with a 4.5 litre V8, seven-speed dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift transmission, and the sophisticated E-Diff and F1-Trac traction control.

So the real party piece is the new roof. And what a roof! It is a world first for a sports car with this lay-out, and before you start complaining about it ruining the handling and performance, it is made of aluminum and results in a 25 kg weight reduction. It is also pretty fast to open and close and took only 14 seconds to operate. Before this Mercedes SL’s roof was the fastest at 16 seconds.

The car also comes with an adjustable electric wind stop which according to Ferrari maintains the calm in the cabin up to 200 km/h.

Apart from the roof, the Spider is characterised by innovative forms with the buttresses designed to optimise the flow of air to the engine intakes and the clutch and gearbox oil radiators. Ferrari has also adopted new technical solutions to the chassis to make sure the car is as rigid and well-sorted as the coupe.

So, ordered a 458 coupe recently?!

458 Spider technical specifications

* With forged wheels and Racing seats

** Including 5 CV of ram effect

*** Combined cycle with HELE system (ECE+EUDC)