Ferrari 488 Pista Spider is the company's 50th convertible
The topless 488 has 710 horsepower and will crack 211 miles per hour.
Ferrari has chopped the roof off its 488 Pista supercar, giving the new model the Spider suffix in the process. The 488 Pista Spider is the 50th convertible Ferrari has ever introduced.
Visually, the Spider looks a whole lot like the Ferrari 488 Pista coupe that was introduced earlier this year. A wide, purposeful body hugs the ground, with massive air intakes up front, more inlets on the rear fenders and buttresses behind each seat. A central color block that runs down the length of the car is said to symbolize the movement of air over the convertible's body. To keep weight low, Ferrari installed aluminum plates instead of carpeting and replaced the driver's-side interior door handle with a fabric strap.
The interior of the car is as purpose-driven as the coupe, with a minimalist center stack featuring only a few controls. Ahead of the driver is a giant yellow-faced tachometer bookended by color displays. The car's steering wheel features, as ever, the engine stop-start switch, drive-mode controller and even the turn-signal switchgear.
Power comes from a twin-turbo 3.9-liter V8, and as in the regular 488 it's rated for 710 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 568 pound-feet of torque. Ferrari says the Spider will reach 62 miles per hour in 2.85 seconds -- the same figure as is quoted for the coupe -- and go on to a top speed of 211 miles per hour. At 3,042 pounds, the Spider's dry weight is 220 heavier than Ferrari's dry weight for the coupe.
Braking and handling componentry all carries over from the coupe, and the Ferrari 488 Pista Spider likewise benefits from the "Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer" software that uses brake intervention to help promote more agile handling at the limit. Among many options, buyers can elect new carbon-fiber wheels that are 20 percent lighter than the equivalent alloy units.
