IAA 2011: Ferrari 458 spider makes its official public debut in Frankfurt

If you love your cars open topped you’re spoiled for choice at Frankfurt. But there’s only one that everyone is looking at (including the boys from McLaren it seems) and that’s the Ferrari 458 Spider. In case the name doesn’t clarify what it is – it’s a 458 with a rather clever folding roof. So clever, in fact, that Ferrari took a patent out on it. It’s now got some very pointy buttresses to support the all-aluminum roof, which is 55lb lighter than a folding soft top. The roof itself hides behind the 458’s engine bay – and when the roof is up you can use the space for storage. Really flat, roof-shaped storage.

A smart wind deflector keeps the cabin quiet, so occupants can have a hushed conversation at speeds in excess of 125mph. 60mph comes and goes in the same amount of time as the Italia, but the top speed is lowered by 4mph to 198mph.