The supercar season may well be drawing to a close – sunny / summer weather in Britain that is – but that hasn’t deterred the world’s most famous manufacturer of such vehicles from releasing a brand new variant.
Yes the 488 GTB is now available as a convertible, in the form of the Ferrari 488 Spider, which allows anyone lucky enough to be sat in the driving seat to experience a ride which is even more fast and furious.
The new release looks almost identical to its fixed-roof sibling in many ways, while the folding metal hard-top ensures that its aesthetics cannot be faulted whether the roof is up or down. Impressively, with the simple press of a button the aluminium hard-top takes just 14 seconds to fold away.
Additionally, a little tweaking of the underside of the car has seen a reduce in drag which, when coupled with the fact that the spider is 50kg lighter, results in a notable improvement in the car’s aerodynamics.
In terms of performance, the engine remains unchanged and there’s little difference in handling. Because the Ferrari 458 Spider has such excellent grip you can take corners at devastating speed, and there’s no shortage of noise – the incredible roar as you put your foot down is nothing less than you’d expect. Sounds pretty much identical to my used Mazda 2.
Some key specifications:
Price – £204,400
0 – 62mph – 3 seconds
Emissions – 260g/km
Top Speed – 203mph
Fuel Economy – 24.7mpg