The coachbuilt Ferrari Superamerica 45 special commissioned by American billionaire Peter Kalikow has arrived at the Villa d’Este for the Concorso D’Eleganza contest. Not surprisingly, a by-passer took advantage of the occasion and filmed the car’s roof mechanism in action at its first outing under the sun. This is the first time we see the supercar’s rotating top on the move and we have to admit it’s pretty fast.
Like the limited-edition Ferrari 575 Superamerica before it, the 599 GTB-based 45 Superamerica has a carbon fiber roof that flips opens automatically in about six seconds, way faster than any other convertible system on sale today. Unlike the Renault Wind’s rotatable top which stows away under the boot in around 12 seconds, Ferrari chose a far more simple solution with the roof placed above the boot lid.
Even though the car costs a fortune, wouldn’t it be possible for volume manufacturers to adapt this simple solution for their series produced open top model? It’s fast, it’s safe, and, most of all, it doesn’t affect boot space.
Scroll down to watch the videos and compare the coachbuilt Ferrari’s roof opening system with that of the 575 Superamerica.
By Dan Mihalascu
VIDEOS