Ferrari has released details of the most powerful convertible it’s ever produced — the 488 Spider.
Already 12 to 15 Kiwis have ordered the 488 GTB that is priced at $449,888, with the first cars to be delivered in New Zealand in December.
Essentially, a 488 GTB with a folding metal roof, the Spider uses that car’s 492kW/760Nm V8 turbo engine. The Spider is 50kg heavier than the GTB but can still accelerate from 0-100km/h in three seconds and reach a top speed of 325km/h.
This is also the most aerodynamically efficient Ferrari spider ever built, with aero solutions designed to guarantee optimal downforce while reducing drag.
The rival McLaren 650S Spider matches the Ferrari’s time and is 1.6km/h faster. However, the Ferrari’s roof folds away in 14sec while the McLaren’s needs 17sec.
The 488 Spider’s roof (like its chassis) is made from aluminium to help keep weight down. Ferrari claims it’s 25kg lighter than the roof of its last car with a traditional soft-top, the F430 Spider, because that required 14 electric motors.
In addition, the new car’s vertical glass rear window acts as a wind deflector when the roof is folded away. And it can be lowered independently of the roof so that you can better hear the engine when the weather isn’t good enough to allow open-top motoring.
In other respects, the 488 Spider is very similar to the GTB which had its Australasian debut last week in Sydney.
-Telegraph Group Ltd