That a roofless version of Ferrari’s mid-engine 458 Italia will exist is a foregone conclusion—we referred to the car as “inevitable” in last year’s 25 Cars Worth Waiting For feature. Now, the first photos of what appears to be the final version of the 458 Italia Spider have sprung up on CheersandGears.com. The car should be unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show.
Assuming the images are real—and not some Photoshop junky’s hoax—they don’t yet confirm what kind of roof the car will utilize. Ferrari’s California has a retractable hardtop, but it takes up a considerable amount of space when folded (just look at the California’s huge posterior), so a cloth roof is a distinct possibility here. That’s because the ostensible 458 Spider’s rear deck looks to be the same height as that of the coupe’s, and the top of the 458’s mid-mounted V-8 would be just inches below the Spider’s dual rear cowl. It would require some creative engineering to fit a folding hardtop in such a shallow space. Cut lines in the rear deck are for a flip-up tonneau cover; we’ll undoubtedly find out soon what it’s hiding.
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