Like the coupe that originated it, this convertible also uses a turbo V8 engine located in the rear, bringing Ferrari a little closer to the end of the atmospheric engines.
With its 670 hp and 760 Nm of maximum torque at 3,000 rpm, the 488 GTB Spider is the fastest and most powerful convertible ever manufactured by Maranello. It only it takes three seconds to get from zero to sixty, and can reach 200 km / h in just 8.7 seconds. At full acceleration and without using the brakes, it may mark a top speed of 325 km / h. Its consumption is 11.4 liters per 100 kilometers, exactly the same as the coupé version.
However, this record performance for a Spider is not due only to the new turbo mechanics. There are other critical factors such as its design or its manufacturing method. Ferrari states that this is “the most efficient aerodynamics convertible ever built.” If the promises made by the brand came true, we will understand why Maranello has called its latest creation “a vehicle sculpted by the wind”.
On the other hand, the technology and innovation that has always distinguished Ferrari have also been instrumental in the performance and sporting experience on board this Spider. For example, the brand claims to have eliminated the traditional delayed reaction of turbocharged engines with a throttle response of only 0.8 seconds.
And to make it a real convertible, once more Ferrari resorts to the retractable hardtop— as in the 458 Spider which this one replaces— which helps to lower the vehicle’s weight and offers better cabin comfort as opposed to canvas hoods. With the push of a button, the roof retracts into two overlapping sections, which for a more compact size remain folded on the engine— in an operation that takes just 12 seconds.
The Ferrari 488 GTB, which in the first official pictures is shown in a dazzling electric blue, will be presented in a few weeks at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which opens September the 17th. By then we will be able to hear the “music” of its engine, an improved and personalized roar thanks to solutions such as longer exhaust pipes, with equal length pipes and flat crankshaft. Driving on open roads, the engine sound is more important than ever in a Ferrari. ■