It is a Ferrari tradition almost that when a new mid-engined Ferrari is launched it is joined a couple of years later by a spider variant and the 458 Italia is no exception.

The 458 Italia is a stunning example of Ferrari engineering and this is carried over now to a car which has the option to be driven as a coupe or as an open top spider. The reason for this is that Ferrari have opted to give the 458 Italia Spider a folding hard top roof and they must have been working hard on this one as it is a World first for this vehicle layout.

The power and drive train technology will be familiar to 458 Italia owners as the Spider retains the award winning 4.5 litre V8 and the excellent dual cluth F1 style paddle shift gearbox. Handling is enhanced by Ferraris stunning E-Diff technology which when married to the F1-Trac traction control system and ABS give you a car with handling characteristics that you will find hard to beat.

The most stunning feature of the 458 Spider though has to be the roof. The engineers have really gone to town this time by developing a folding aluminium roof that stows away in front of the engine bay in less than 14 seconds. Not only does the design not spoil the aerodynamics of the car but it also saves weight over the outgoing soft top mechanism. Not a small amount of weight either, a full 25kg. The space saving design even allows Ferrari to offer a useful luggage bench behind the seats.

Another useful feature of the Spider is the electrically adjustable wind stop which is so effective that a normal conversation can be held in the car at speeds of well over 120mph.

Along with engineering features for the chassis that mean the car is as exciting to drive with the top up or down, Ferrari have once again come up with a masterpiece and I think their order books will be full for quite a while