Dial in the sunlight, or drop the top-fast
Posted 11.08.2005 at 2:00 am 0 Comments

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Ferrari claims that the roof on its Superamerica converti-coupe will open in 10 seconds. We timed it at a hair over 6. The glass hardtop is hinged just behind the cockpit; flick a switch, and two electric motors flip it back 180 degrees to nest atop the rear hatch. The roof's other trick: It works like an LCD TV to change the level of tint. Tiny crystals suspended in liquid sandwiched between layers of hardened glass change their positions in response to electric current, so it goes from dark to clear and anywhere in between with the turn of a dial.

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