MARANELLO: Ferrari has just revealed the 488 Spider, its most powerful ever mid-rear-engined V8 car to feature the patented retractable hard top.
Ferrari was the first car maker to introduce the RHT (Retractable Hard Top) on a car of this particular architecture. This solution ensures lower weight (-25 kg) and better cockpit comfort compared to the classic fabric soft-top.
Just like all previous spider versions of Ferrari’s models, this is a car that is aimed squarely at people looking for open-air motoring pleasure in a high-performance sports car with an unmistakable Ferrari engine sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=1TPOcbDnquY
Ferrari said the car has been designed to set new technological benchmarks for the sector: from the aluminium spaceframe chassis and bodyshell to the new turbo-charged V8, aerodynamics that reconcile the need for greater downforce with reduced drag along with the specific cabin air flow demands of an open-top car, and vehicle dynamics that render it fast, agile and responsive.
Beneath the engine cover throbs the 3902cc turbo-charged V8 that debuted just a few months ago on
The car uses the same 3.9 litre engine as the recently introduced 488 GTB. The engine produces peak output of 660hp combined with maximum torque of 760Nm at 3000 rpm send the 488 Spider sprinting from 0 to 100 km/h in 3 seconds and from 0 to 200 km/h in 8.7 seconds.
This is also an efficient engine as it is not only 99hp more powerful than the previous naturally-aspirated V8 but also has lower CO2 emissions.
The turbo V8 has a unique character, delivering increasing levels of power right across the rev range, and eliminating the traditional turbo lag with a throttle response time of 0.8 seconds.
In line with Ferrari tradition, this model has its own soundtrack created using solutions such as exhaust headers with longer, equal-length piping and a flat-plane crankshaft. It was also improved by an in-depth study of harmonics and tonality at different engine speeds. Ferrari boasts that the sound is “seductive but never invasive when the top is dropped, with both volume and clarity increasing as the engine instantly responds to the accelerator pedal and revs rise, reinforcing the sensation of massive performance”.
The 488 Spider will debut be at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September.
