European Automotive Imports Pty Ltd
Media
OFFICIAL FERRARI AND MASERATI IMPORTER AUSTRALIA & NEW
ZEALAND
THE FERRARI 458 SPIDER MAKES IS AUSTRALIAN
DEBUT AT THE MELBOURNE GRAND PRIX AHEAD
OF MID-YEAR LAUNCH
The Ferrari 458 Spider has made its Australian public debut at the 2012 Melbourne
Grand Prix leading a parade of Ferraris old and new to celebrate the 60th
Anniversary of Ferrari’s arrival in Australia.
Leading a parade of 64 Ferraris, the Ferrari 458 Spider was driven by Ferrari
Formula One Team Test Driver, Marc Gene, who was last seen in action in
Melbourne celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Ferrari itself by driving a Ferrari
Formula One Car along Melbourne’s Lygon Street. The Australia Grand Prix
parade was the debut event to launch a year of celebrations of Ferrari’s 1952
arrival in Australia.
Following in the footsteps of its award-winning hard top counterpart, the 458 Spider
makes no compromises in terms of performance, handling or roadholding to
achieve its open top design. It is, therefore, just as much the benchmark against
which other supercars must be judged as the 458 Italia, with the added benefit of
being able to fold its roof and offer the visceral experience of open top motoring.
Nor is the roof design conventional. It has taken a decade develop and uses a
Ferrari patented design that enables it to offer the benefits of a metal – aluminium
in this case – folding roof that is unusually compact and light allowing it to not only
avoid the normal compromises on luggage space, fuel tank capacity and ease of
use, it is also actually the first ever folding metal roof available on a rear mid engine
car. Such is the technology in the design of the roof; it is actually lighter by 25 kg
than a similar fabric soft top and enables 458 Spider to offer additional luggage
space behind the seats.
Another unique feature is that it is possible to open the rear window without
lowering the roof, allowing a fuller appreciation of magnificent sound of the engine.
This rear window also doubles as the ‘wind stop’ that allows the roof to be lowered
in a wider range conditions and does away completely with the ‘wind stops’ used by
other cars that require manual installation and take space within the car when not in
use. When in use it is so efficient that roof down at 200 kmh – where the law
permits – it is still possible to hold a conversation with in the 458 Spider at normal
conversational volume.
EUROPEAN AUTOMOTIVE IMPORTS PTY LTD
Street Address: 862 – 874 Elizabeth
Street, Waterloo, Sydney, NSW
2017,Australia.
A.B.N. 79 115 107 189
Postal Address: Locked Bag 5018,
Alexandria NSW 2015, Australia
Telephone: + 61 2 85778000
Direct Telephone +61 2 8577
8015
Fax: +61 2 8577 3555
Mobile + 61 407 913 244
E-mail: erowe@ateco.com.au
European Automotive Imports Pty Ltd
- 2 The 458 Spider is powered by Ferrari’s naturally-aspirated, direct-injection 4.5 litre
V8 which was nominated as the 2011 International Engine of the Year for its
engineering excellence in terms of driveability, performance, economy and
refinement. The power is transferred to the road by Ferrari’s class-leading dualclutch F1 paddle-shift transmission through the sophisticated E-Diff, itself
integrated with the F1-Trac traction control and high-performance ABS for
maximum handling dynamics.
Certain of the car’s features, such as its accelerator pedal mapping and the
damping of the multilink suspension, have been calibrated to guarantee maximum
sportiness and absolute driving pleasure with the top down, in line with Maranello’s
exclusive Spider tradition. Even the engine soundtrack has been honed to ensure
that the car’s occupants are completely captivated by the drop-top driving
experience.
Entirely in aluminium, the hard-top solution adopted for the 458 Spider offers a
number of advantages over the traditional folding soft-top, including a reduction of
25 kg in weight and a deployment time of just 14 seconds. Fully integrated into the
styling of the car, the hard-top was engineered to fit neatly ahead of the engine bay
without compromising aerodynamics or the performance of the car. The small
space needed to house the roof enables the designers to include a generous rear
bench for luggage behind the seats.
The rear of the car 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. For maximum comfort whilst driving top down the 458 Spider
features a generously-sized adjustable electric wind stop. The design was
perfected to slow and diffuse the air in the cockpit, enabling normal conversation to
be held even at speeds over 200 km/h.
New technical solutions adopted for the chassis guarantee identical levels of
structural rigidity with the roof up or down. The result is a car that is truly exciting to
drive, blending extreme performance with the responsiveness that has always
characterised Ferrari’s open-top coupe.
The Ferrari 458 Spider has a recommended retail price in Australia of $590,000
excluding statutory charges, dealer costs and delivery. Expressions of interest in
the Ferrari 458 Spider have ensured that approximately the first 18 months of
production are already spoken for and the first customer cars will arrive in the
middle of 2012.
458 Spider technical specifications
Media
OFFICIAL FERRARI AND MASERATI IMPORTER AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
European Automotive Imports Pty Ltd
- 3 -
Dimensions
Length
Width
Height
Wheelbase
Dry weight
Weight/power ratio
Weight distribution fr/r
4527 mm (178.2 in.)
1937 mm (76.3 in.)
1211 mm (47.7 in.)
2650 mm (104.3 in.)
1430 kg (3153 lbs)*
2.51 kg/CV (7.42 lbs/kW)
42%/58%
Engine
Type
Displacement
Maximum power
Maximum torque
Specific power output
Compression ratio
90° V8
4499 cc (274.5 cu in.)
570 CV (425 kW)** @ 9000 rpm
540 Nm (398 lbs/ft) @ 6000 rpm
127 CV/l
12.5:1
Tyres
Front
Rear
235/35 ZR20 8.5”
295/35 ZR20 10.5”
Performance
Maximum speed
0-100 km/h
320 km/h (198 mph)
<3.4 s
Fuel consumption + emissions
Fuel consumption***
Emissions***
11.8 l/100 km
275 g CO2/km
Gearbox
Dual-clutch, 7-speed F1
Electronics
E-Diff3, F1-Trac, high-performance ABS
* With forged wheels and Racing seats
** Including 5 CV of ram effect
*** Combined cycle with HELE system (ECE+EUDC)
(ends)
For further information, please contact
Media
OFFICIAL FERRARI AND MASERATI IMPORTER AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
European Automotive Imports Pty Ltd
- 4 Kevin Wall
General Manager, European Automotive Imports
Official Ferrari importer Australia & New Zealand
Tel: +61 2 8577 8000
Fax: +61 2 8577 8069
E: kwall@ateco.com.au
Tel: +61 2 8577 8000
Edward Rowe
Public Relations Manager
Fax: +61 2 8577 8069
European Automotive Imports
Mob: +61 407 913 244
Official Ferrari importer Australia & New Zealand
E: erowe@ateco.com.au
EUROPEAN AUTOMOTIVE IMPORTS PTY LTD
Street Address: 862 – 874 Elizabeth Street, Waterloo, Sydney, NSW 2017 Australia.
Postal Address: Ateco Automotive, 862 – 874 Elizabeth Street, Waterloo, Sydney, NSW 2017,
Australia
A.B.N. 79 115 107 189
EAI Media web site: Australia: http://media.ateco.com.au/
New Zealand: http://media.ateco.co.nz/
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Release Number: Ferrari_630
Date of Issue: 16 February 2016. Time of Issue: 09:47:34
Media
OFFICIAL FERRARI AND MASERATI IMPORTER AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND