In view of CEO Luca di Montezemolo’s departure at least partly as a result of his desire to limit Ferrari production to 7,000 units annually, one has to wonder whether the new 458 Speciale A (as in Aperta, or open in Italian) will really be limited to 499 cars. Whatever the production run, nothing can diminish the desirability of a cabriolet as racy as the 458.
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In the more mundane practicality department, Ferrari says the retractable hard-top takes but 14 seconds to retract, faster, as in everything Ferrari, than comparable convertibles. The company also claims that the multiple roof panels are completely made of aluminum so that the A’s curb weight is only 50 kilograms more than the coupe, important considering that Ferrari claims that the Aperta’s performance is not diminished in its quest for alfresco motoring
2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale A
Handout, Ferrari
Indeed, Ferrari’s 4.5-litre flat-plane crankshaft V8 hasn’t been diminished for open-air motoring, pumping out 597 brake horsepower at a screaming 9,000 rpm, making it the most powerful Prancing Horse convertible ever. Maranello claims it romps to 100 kilometres an hour in three seconds, just a tenth of a second slower than the coupe and takes only 6.5 more seconds to pass 200 km/h. Even its best lap time time around Ferrari’s Fiorano test track — 1:23.5 — is said to be virtually identical to the hard-top’s.
If it’s all true, it may be the most alluring 458 ever. Now that Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has taken over the reigns, maybe we’ll see more than just 499 examples of perhaps the most desirable car in Ferrari’s lineup.
