Ferrari 488 Spider revealed

Ferrari has revealed the new 488 Spider, the convertible version of the 488 GTB. The new drop top will be officially unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September later this year.

Like its predecessor, the Ferrari 488 Spider also comes with a retractable hard top that folds backwards in two overlapping sections. It takes only 14 seconds for this Prancing Horse to go topless or vice versa. The electric glass rear wind stop can be adjusted to one of three positions to guarantee maximum comfort when the top is lowered. The company says this is the most aerodynamically efficient Ferrari spider ever built.

The 488 Spider has a spaceframe chassis made of 11 different aluminium alloys combined with other noble metals, such as magnesium, each one used in a highly specific way. This yields the same torsional rigidity and beam stiffness figures as the coupé, improving the chassis’ performance by 23% over that of its predecessor.

Power comes from the same 3.9 litre turbo charged V8 engine that does duty in the 488 GTB. The engine develops 661 bhp at 8000 rpm and 760 N torque at 3000 rpm. The Ferrari 488 Spider goes from 0 to 100 kph in 3 seconds and has a top speed of more than 325 kph. The engine is mated to a 7 speed F1 dual clutch gearbox.

To make its dynamic behaviour even more engaging, the development team honed the car’s mechanical set-up in tandem with its electronic systems which are now fully integrated with the SSC2 Side Slip Angle Control System, resulting in 12% faster acceleration out of corners than the 458 Spider.

Ferrari has made a comeback in India with new dealerships in Mumbai and Delhi. Expect a few Spiders on our roads when right hand drive cars go into production.