Ferrari has announced its new 458 Spider will cost $257,000 when the supercar's U.S. sales start in January 2012. European sales of the 458 Spider, which is a derivative of the 458 Italia two-seat coupe, start next month at 226,800 euros.
When compared with the 458 Italia coupe, the Spider costs about 15 percent more. It's a price premium that Ferrari has been charging for the last decade for the open-air versions of models such as the 430 and 360.
Ferrari customers also usually spend the equivalent of 15 percent to 20 percent on top of the car's list price -- in this case that would be about $61,000 -- to purchase personalization items from the company's Carrozzeria Scaglietti program. These items include $7,800 carbon fiber seats and a $3,600 rearview camera.
The two-seat 458 Spider debuted earlier this month at the Frankfurt auto show.
Ferrari created a new styling for the rear of the 458 Spider
The 458 Spider replaces the 430 Spider and features an aluminum retractable hardtop instead of the canvas top offered on its predecessor. Webasto AG supplies the 458 Spider's roof system. The German supplier also sources the roof system on the Ferrari California four-seat convertible.
Ferrari says its patented, fully retractable hardtop is a world first for rear-engine sports cars. The all-aluminum hardtop solution adopted for the 458 Spider offers a number of advantages over the traditional folding canvas top, including a 25kg weight reduction and a deployment time of just 14 seconds.
