493kW Ferrari 488 Spider unveiled

Ferrari 488 Spider front quarter

Ferrari has officially unveiled its 488 Spider, which will make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Said to be the most powerful ever mid-rear-engined V8 Ferrari to feature a retractable hard top, the 488 Spider is propelled by a 3902cc turbocharged V8 that debuted just a few months ago on the 488 GTB. It produces 493kW (670 PS) at 8,000rpm and 760Nm of torque at 3,000rpm matched with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, enabling the drop top to dash from 0-100km/h in a just 3.0 seconds. 200km/h comes up in a mere 8.7 seconds.

Ferrari 488 Spider rear quarter roof down

As with all Ferraris, the 488 Spider’s soundtrack has been carefully engineered using solutions such as exhaust headers with longer, equal-length piping and a flat-plane crankshaft.

Ferrari also says the 488 Spider is the most aerodynamically efficient Ferrari Spider it has ever built, courtesy of an aerodynamic underbody incorporating vortex generators and a blown spoiler that promises to guarantee optimal downforce whilst reducing drag.

Ferrari 488 Spider interior

The 488 Spider has a spaceframe chassis made of 11 different aluminium alloys combined with other noble metals, such as magnesium, each one used in a highly specific way. This yields the same torsional rigidity and beam stiffness figures as the coupé, improving the chassis’ performance by 23% over that of its predecessor. The two-piece roof takes just 14 seconds to fully retract or deploy.

To make its dynamic behaviour even more engaging, the development team honed the car’s mechanical set-up in tandem with its electronic systems which are now fully integrated with the SSC2 Side Slip Angle Control System, resulting in 12% faster acceleration out of corners than the 458 Spider.

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