New Ferrari 488 Spider revealed
carphile.co.uk look at the all-new Ferrari 488 Spider revealed ahead of its official launch at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show in September.
Ferrari say the new 488 Spider is the most powerful mid-engined V8 convertible the company has produced. Beneath the engine cover sits the same 3902 cc turbo-charged V8 that debuted a few months ago in the 488 GTB. Producing 660bhp, enough to propel the 488 Spider from 0-62mph in 3 seconds and on to a top speed of over 203mph.
The big change from 488 coupe to Spider is of course the retractable hard top. Like this cars predecessor, the 458 Spider, the new car features Ferrari’s (patented) retractable hard top, folds back electrically in two sections to sit flush on the engine bay in just 14 seconds. Ferrari claim the roof is 25kg lighter and offers better comfort compared to a fabric soft-top.
What losing the roof doesn’t effect though is rigidity. The 488 Spider’s spaceframe chassis is made from 11 different aluminium alloys to deliver the same torsional rigidity and beam stiffness figures as the 488 coupé. That said, the 488 Spider is slightly heavier than the 488 GTB (1420kg vs 1370 kg (dry).
With the roof down, an electric glass wind stop can be raised or lowered into one of three positions to provide maximum comfort and allow driver and passenger to experience the sound from the engine to different degrees. The wind stop can also be lowered with the roof closed to offer up extra engine noise regardless of the weather.
Maranello claim this is the most aerodynamically efficient Spider ever built, thanks to a series of incredibly clever aero solutions designed to produce maximum downforce while also reducing drag.
No word on the price yet, word is that the this will be revealed at the world premiere at the 2015 Frankfurt International Motor Show in September.
