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The 458 Spider, Ferrari’s new 8-cylinder,
has made its Greater China debut at the 2011
Guangzhou International Auto Show. The 458
Spider is a mid-rear-engined two-seater
featuring a fully retractable aluminium
hard-top, a world first for a sports car
with this layout. |
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The 458
Spider, Ferrari’s new 8-cylinder, has made its Greater
China debut at the 2011 Guangzhou International Auto
Show. The 458 Spider is a mid-rear-engined two-seater
featuring a fully retractable aluminium hard-top, a
world first for a sports car with this layout.
The premiere of the 458 Spider at Guangzhou underlines
the importance for Ferrari of the Greater China region
which, in the first nine months of 2011, became
Ferrari’s second largest market worldwide.
The sports car manufacturer also recently signed a
three-year agreement that will ensure the permanent
presence of Ferrari in a large exhibition area inside
the Italian Expo hall in Shanghai. Furthermore next year
will mark the 20th anniversary since the first Ferrari
car was ordered in China.
458 Spider Greater China
debut
Mr. Edwin Fenech,
President and CEO of Ferrari Greater China, attended the
press conference and unveiled the new 458 Spider which
joins the 458 Italia, widening the range of Ferrari’s
mid-rear engined V8s and offering the same
uncompromising technological solutions, handling and
performance in a refined open-top configuration.
The 458 Spider's new hard-top is not only 25 kg lighter
than a traditional folding soft-top, but is also quieter
and thermally more efficient when raised. Aside from
taking 14 seconds to open or close, the hard-top was
engineered to occupy a small space when stored so that
the designers were able to include a decent rear bench
for luggage behind the two seats. The rear windscreen
doubles as a wind-stop which is electrically adjustable.
When the hard-top is folded away the wind-stop opens to
the height that guarantees the most efficient
aerodynamics, reducing buffeting in the cockpit.
The 458 Spider is powered by Ferrari’s 570 CV 4,499 cc
V8 which was named International Engine of the Year
2011. This is coupled with Ferrari’s dual-clutch F1
paddle-shift transmission which delivers 0 to 100 km/h
acceleration in under 3.4 seconds and a maximum speed of
320 km/h. The all-aluminium chassis incorporates new
alloys and castings, also adopted on the coupé, which
ensure the 458 Spider already conforms to 2020 safety
legislation.
Its performance aside, the new car also boasts
class-leading fuel consumption and emissions levels.
Thanks to the HELE (High Emotion Low Emission) system,
in fact, fuel consumption on the combined urban cycle
stands at 11.8 l/100 km with CO2 emissions of 275 g/km.
Mr. Edwin Fenech, President and CEO of Ferrari Greater
China, underlined that, “Ferrari is proud to announce
its first-ever Greater China regional premiere of a
brand new model at Guangzhou International Auto Show in
recognition of the importance that the southern Chinese
market signifies for the Prancing Horse brand.” In
commenting of Ferrari’s achievement, Mr. Fenech added,
“Today, Greater China is already Ferrari’s second
largest market worldwide, indicating how an increasing
number of Chinese car enthusiasts embrace our brand
values and DNA”
FF’s first
official appearance in Southern China
FF, Ferrari’s first
ever four-wheel drive four-seater, was also officially
shown to the public at Guangzhou auto show for the first
time in Southern China. Equipped with Ferrari patented
4RM system, FF is the most powerful and versatile GT car
with a mid-front V12 Ferrari has ever built.
The engine is the first GDI V12 to be coupled with the
seven-speed F1 dual-clutch gearbox. The V12 offers 660
CV at 8,000 rpm, and maximum torque of 683 Nm at 6,000
rpm with 500 Nm already available at just 1,000 rpm.
This ensures the performance figures of a sports car,
with the 0-100 km/h sprint covered in 3.7 seconds and a
top speed of 335 km/h. Efficiency has been boosted too,
with fuel consumption now standing at just 15.4 liters
per 100 km, and CO2 emissions at 360 g/km, a 25 per cent
reduction compared to the previous V12s, thanks in part
to the HELE (High Emotions- Low Emissions) System which
incorporates Stop& Start technology.
Uniquely, the FF also claims to guarantee very good
performance on terrains with low grip coefficients,
thanks to Ferrari’s own patented 4RM four-wheel drive
system. The FF intelligently distributes torque to each
of the four wheels individually, thanks to the fact that
all of the dynamic vehicle controls (E-Diff, F1-Trac and
PTU) have been integrated into a single CPU.
Styled by Pininfarina, the FF’s lines aim reflect a
balance of sportiness and versatility. It can
accommodate four passengers. As the rear seats fold down
independently, the 450 liter boot can be extended to 800
liters, which means the FF offers more luggage space not
only than any other car in its category, but also many
four-door saloons, too. Lining up alongside the 458
Spider and FF on the Ferrari booth in Guangzhou are the
458 Italia the California.
ItaliaspeedTV:
Ferrari 458
Spider @ Guangzhou Auto Show
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