A magnificent Ferrari drop-top

published 7 August 2012

The Ferrari 458 Spider is the "most usable and modern of all the supercars", says Jeremy Clarkson in The Sunday Times. But it's still plagued by the sort of faults that would be unacceptable in a Nissan hatchback. The windscreen wipers bash hysterically into the window frame on every sweep. The radio is incapable of finding a signal. The steering wheel is like a game of Bop It, with all the main controls operated from buttons on the wheel something you can get used to "in the same way that you can get used to having arthritis".

As a car, then, it's too silly and too expensive, says Clarkson. "But as a thing. As a celebration of man's ability to be happy": it's in a class all of its own. "As I write now, there are shivers and I'm not kidding running up and down my spine as I recall the way it felt on roads near my home. The lightness. The savagery. The noise. The beauty A modern Ferrari feels like no other car on the road." And this Ferrari is "the best of the lot".

It's a mighty presence on the road, says Erin Baker in The Daily Telegraph, and the cabin is a pleasant place to be. But it's the way the car moves that makes it so different. "The engine roars into life with suitable Ferrari theatricals, but you can pull on the right paddle behind the steering wheel to select first gear and simply trickle away at low revs with no drama whatsoever. No lurching forward, stalling, or generally embarrassing yourself while onlookers smirk Pick up speed and nothing goes wrong; in fact, things just keep on getting better." It is magnificent. "Make mine a red one."