Ferrari 488 Spider

The cockpit of the 488 Spider remains unchanged from the GTB. Previously, Ferrari interiors were mostly made of plastic, however, that’s not the case in the 488 Spider. The Spider features top quality materials and a vast range of customizations are on offer too. The steering wheel mounted controls may take a bit of time to get accustomed to, but in general, the ergonomics are excellent. The seats are supportive, maintains a good posture while driving and are super comfortable. The Spider does offer an electronically operated metal roof that gives the cabin a far more open feel. There’s not much space in the front trunk, but the Ferrari luggage set does make the most of the restricted cargo area.

It is designed to be the most ergonomically efficient Ferrari ever to be designed. Several innovative devices, including a blown spoiler and an aerodynamic underbody incorporating vortex generators were incorporated to enhance the ergonomics of the 488 Spider. The car features Retractable Hard Top, which weighs 25 kg less than an equivalent soft-top setup. The folding unit puts away in two overlapping sections, with the entire assembly wedged between the mid-mounted engine and the seats. It occupies only 100 litres of space when folded. The retraction or deployment of the RHT only takes 14 seconds, and it can be opened or closed at speeds of up to 45 kmph. Also unique to the Spider is a small rear window that offers three stages of operation when the top is lowered to reduce wind buffering.

The handling of the 488 Spider is very impressive. Adaptive dampers and a well-honed SCM 3 magnetorheological suspension control system make the 488 Spider perform exceptionally, both on a race track and along the coastline. The steering has a very quick ratio and the engine is also very responsive. The drive and ride quality is not much affected even as you ride with an open top.

Powering the 488 Spider is a 3,902cc, 3.9-litres, twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 670PS at 8,000rpm and 760Nm of peak torque at 3,000 rpm. Drive is sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The 488 Spider sprints from 0 to 100kmph in just 3 seconds flat and from 0 to 200kmph in 8.7 seconds. This is also an exceptionally efficient engine as it is not only 100PS more powerful than the previous naturally-aspirated V8, but also has lower CO2 emissions. The turbo V8 engine delivers increasing levels of power across the rev range and eliminates the traditional turbo lag. The throttle response time is just 0.8 seconds.

Braking setup consists of dual-discs at both ends with ABS. Other safety features include stability control, front-impact airbags, side impact airbags, ability to anticipate and /or detecting unwanted vehicle intrusion, ignition disable device etc.

The best features from the 488 GTB have been adopted in the 488 Spider, plus the open-topped driving option. The engine and chassis are still one of the sharpest combinations around and only a few rivals can come close to it. If you have this hefty amount of cash to spend, go for it.