Ferrari, Ferrari 458, Frankfurt Motor Show

We recently told you about a report from German car magazine Auto Motor und Sport saying that Ferrari is planning to hold the world premiere of the open-top 458 Italia Spider at next month's 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

While the report stated that the Spider would get a "soft top", Darren from Teamspeed came in contact with Carscoop and told us that the Italian exotic will definitely feature a retractable hardtop and that they have seen the car "first hand".

Well, it won't be long before we find out, but in the meantime, scroll down to check out the artist renderings of the 458 Italia Spider.

PHOTO GALLERY

Ferrari to Drop the Top on New 458 Italia Spider at Frankfurt Motor Show?

Emerging from the rumormill are talks about Ferrari getting ready to reveal a convertible version of its new 458 Italia supercar at next month's 2011 Frankfurt auto show.

In a new report from Germany's Auto Motor und Sport magazine, sources close to Maranello say that like its predecessor, the 458 Italia Spider will be offered with an electrically operated cloth convertible top that disappears behind the front seats.

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Ferrari Unleashes 458 Italia Grand Am

Italian sports carmaker Ferrari has set its eyes on the North American Grand Am series, which it plans to compete in with the new 458 Italia Grand Am that was given its track baptism today at the Fiorano circuit completing several laps in the hands of Maurizio Mediani and Jaime Melo.

Developed in cooperation with Michelotto Automobili, the racing model is based on the European GT3 version of the 458 Italia but features less efficient aerodynamics as well as a detuned V8 delivering 500-horses due to the different regulations in the American series.

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D'oh! Ferrari 458 Italia Driver Starts Drag Race with Dodge Viper in…Reverse!

Before you watch the following video, take a minute to ponder this: You are sitting behind the steering wheel of an exotic, brand new Italian supercar, getting ready to drag race a V10-powered Dodge Viper on the quarter mile strip in front of a crowd of 100, or perhaps even more people. But when the race begins you start rolling backwards…

Oh yes, that’s right; the owner of the Ferrari 458 Italia that you’re about to see in the clip and who was pitted against a Dodge Viper at the ICAR motorsports complex situated just outside of Montreal in Canada, paddle shifted his car’s dual clutch auto transmission into reverse!

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Videos: Ferrari 458 Italia Crashes, Tractor Comes to the Rescue

The bashed up 599 GTO we showed you yesterday wasn’t the only Ferrari to bite the dust at this past weekend's Trofeo Ferrari Club Italia event at the Vallelunga racetrack near Rome.

The same fate awaited this red 458 Italia when its driver apparently lost control of the exotic supercar in a corner sending it straight onto the protective barriers. In a somewhat unfitting end for the Ferrari, a tractor had to be called in to carry away the car. Watch the incident unfold in the video after the jump.

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Video: Fifth Gear Pits McLaren MP4-12C against Ferrari 458 Italia

The 458 Italia, Ferrari's V8 supercar, is the default choice in its category. Sexy, with a fabulous design and the latest in automotive technology, it is a pure driver’s car to be enjoyed by anyone who can afford it.

Yet McLaren plans to spoil Ferrari’s party claiming that its own brand-new supercar, the MP4-12C, can beat it. On paper, little separates them. But the question for car fanatics remains: which one is better?

To find out, Channel 5's Fifth Gear presenters Tiff Needell and Jason Plato decided to pit the Ferrari against its new challenger from Britain. Their verdict? To find out, just follow the jump and watch the video…

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Second Trailer for Top Gear Season 17 Airs Online

We’ve been patiently waiting for the new season of Top Gear to come to our screens, but the time is almost here as the first episode of the series will air on Sunday.

Following last week’s release of the first teaser of season 17, BBC has now aired a second video highlighting the antics of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

Among the other cars featured in the trailer are a McLaren MP4-12C taking on a Ferrari 458 Italia, a BMW 8-Series Coupe compared to a Mercedes CL, the rally version of the Mini Countryman and a Chevrolet Corvette from the early 1990s. You can check out the trailer for the new season of Top Gear after the break.

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Aussie Supercar Buyers Paying More than Anyone Else

In today’s economy, AU$1.0 will get you US$1.06, but it seems Australia’s overseas automakers have yet to acknowledge this. A Lamborghini Aventador, for example, costs a hefty AU$754,600 – or more than twice the price you would pay for one in the U.S. of A. And its 51% pricier than a V12 powered Lamborghini Diablo was ten years ago. This was tolerable when the Aussie dollar was worth 64 U.S. cents a few years ago, but those days are over.

While TV’s, computers and mobile phones have all become more affordable, supercars have not. It’s so bad that one prospective Lamborghini buyer, businessman Ra Hazouri, has flat out refused to pay.

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Too Much? Graf Weckerle-Tuned Ferrari 458 Italia

It seems that there is a tune for just about everyone and everything these days, from subtle to extreme, and all points in between. We do not know where exactly this Ferrari 458 Italia from German tuning firm Graf Weckerle fits in that spectrum, but those odd-looking alloy wheels are sure to catch the attention of every passerby. Read more »

Ferrari Opens Shop in India, Cheapest Model Costs Half a Million Dollars

The first ever Ferrari dealership in India opened its doors today in the heart of New Delhi. The Grand Opening, which was hosted by Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari Commercial and Marketing Director Enrico Galliera, and Ashish Chordia, Chairman of the Shreyans Group, the official Ferrari importer for India, was devoted to the members of the local and international press. India is the 58th country where Ferrari is present in the world. Read more »

Want a Ferrari 458? Why Not Take Two?

In Australia and indeed the world, Ferrari waiting lists are notoriously long. At one point the average wait time for a Ferrari 575M Maranello was as much as three years, as demand rapidly stripped out the brand’s relatively small production capacity. Whatever is a cashed up Ferrarista to do?

Well, you could just buy whatever’s available and drive that until your hot pink Ferrari 458 with the diamante-encrusted wheel arches and baby seal leather interior arrives. I mean, who cares about depreciation when you can lay down half a million on a factory fresh Ferrari? You’d be surprised how many Ferrari customers in Australia are doing this exact thing.

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Ferrari Explains to 458 Italia Drivers what to do with all those Switches and Controls

When Ferrari released the 458 Italia back in 2009, the Italian supercar surprised the world not only with its performance (after all, it's expected from a new Ferrari to set the bar high), but with its high-tech gadgetry as well.

Using Formula 1 expertise, Ferrari put almost all of the car's controls on the steering wheel, including the indicator switches, windshield wipers, long beam, horn, engine start button, Manettino switch, suspension de-coupling, gearshift paddles, audio volume and track selection system.

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On Board Video from a Ferrari 458 Challenge at the Monza Circuit

You’ve probably heard about Ferrari’s track-alicious 458 Italia Challenge, the latest in a line of racers to emerge from Maranello’s production cars. Revealed to the public for the first time at the Bologna Motor Show last December, the Italian company has produced a new video of the hardcore supercar hot lapping the Monza circuit in the hands of the Stefano Gai, World Champion in the Trofeo Pirelli Italia 2010, with breathtaking footage from two in-car cameras.

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Ferrari 458 Black Carbon Edition by Anderson Germany Goes to the Dark Side

Challenging the notion that a true Ferrari has to be red, Anderson Germany has whipped up a murdered out 458 Italia with both styling and mechanical upgrades. Starting with the visible modifications, Anderson Germany's Ferrari 458 is finished in a black color and features a carbon fiber package that includes a pair of vents on the front hood, spoiler lips, rear diffuser and exterior mirrors. The German tuner also tinted the Italian supercar’s windows, headlamps and taillights. Read more »

Ferrari’s Website Celebrates Italy’s 150th Anniversary with Special Wallpaper

Internet users visiting Ferrari’s official website today were greeted by a modified home page with a special wallpaper featuring a green FF, a white 458 Italia and this year’s F1 race car in red, which combine to make a motoring version of the Italian flag. This is Ferrari’s online way of celebrating the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification. In addition, the automaker said that the window displays in the forty Ferrari Stores spread around the globe were decked out in the colors of the Italian flag.

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1965 Shelby Cobra 427 vs 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia in a $400,000 ¼ Mile Race Bet; Can You Guess Who Wins?

A no-nonsense, classic American muscle car from the 1960s going head to head with a high-tech, thoroughbred Italian supercar in the ultimate quarter mile race. What more could you ask to make this battle more interesting? Well, how about a $400,000 wager?

The story has it that Dan Bilzerian, owner of a ‘tricked-out’ 1965 427 Shelby Cobra, placed a bet that his American muscle car can beat his friend Tom Goldstein's 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia in a quarter mile race.

On March 9, 2011, the two men brought their cars down to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway racetrack and put their money where their mouth is. And no, we won’t spoil the surprise by telling you who won the bet. Video follows after the break.

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Geneva 2011: Mansory's Ferrari 458 Italia-based Sicilian, the Siracusa

Mansory's products are always eye-catching (if not necessarily attractive), whether they be a clear coat carbon Aston Martin named Cyrus or that silly pink Bentley. Beauty, after all, is in the eye of the beholder. That being said, allow me to introduce you to the Siracusa. Rant and rave in the comments below.

Underneath all the new and revised carbon fiber body panels (now with more louvers!) is a Ferrari 458 Italia. Named after a Sicilian raceway, the Siracusa has received a respiratory performance boost to 590 horsepower / 434 kW and 560 Nm / 413 lb-ft representing gains of + 20 hp and + 20 Nm / 15 lb-ft over the standard model.

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Ferrari to Show Greener 458 Italia with HELE System in Geneva

The new Ferrari FF won't be the only model from Maranello to make its world premiere at the 2011 Geneva Salon, as Carscoop has learned that the Italian supercar maker will also introduce a greener version of the 458 Italia equipped with the company’s HELE (High Emotion, Low Emission) technology, which improves CO2 emissions and reduces fuel consumption.

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Geneva Preshow: Novitec Rosso Gives the Ferrari 458 Italia 39 More Ponies

Upgrading a Ferrari is a tricky job, but the guys at Novitec Rosso seem to be pretty good at it, judging from their latest interpretation of Ferrari's thoroughbred sportscar, the 458 Italia. The German aftermarket specialists offer a complete package that includes engine tuning, aerodynamic tweaks and styling upgrades, inside and out.

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VIDEO: New McLaren MP4-12C Beats the Snot Out of Ferrari 458 Italia and Porsche 911 Turbo in Drag Race

Even before McLaren released the final specifications on the brand-new MP4-12C, we knew that the British firm's supercar was fast, but if we are to believe this video that mysteriously popped up on Youtube, then the MP4-12C has a serious speed edge over some of its most famed rivals - at least in a straight line race. The video shows the McLaren MP4-12C clearly beating both the Ferrari 458 Italia and the Porsche 911 Turbo MkII [997] in a drag race believed to have taken place at the Portimao Circuit in Portugal. You can watch the short clip along with a couple more fresh videos released by McLaren right after the jump.

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