Year, Make, Model: 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista Spider
Top Line: The Ferrari 488 Spider receives the hardcore treatment from Maranello and becomes the 50th convertible from the adored Italian brand.
What’s New: The 488 Pista Spider now boasts the same tweaks as the fixed-roof Ferrari 488 Pista. The Spider’s 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 makes 710 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque, compared to the standard Spider’s 660 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque. It also features the lowest power to weight ratio ever in a convertible Ferrari, producing approximately one horsepower 4.28 pounds. Ferrari lists the dry weight as 1,380 kilograms, or roughly 3,042 pounds when outfitted optional lightweight components.
Ferrari’s biggest challenge was to ensure that the aerodynamics of the Spider matched those of the traditional model, so they’ve used a racing stripe that runs the length of the car to represent the airflow as it moves through the vehicle. The stripe ends at the rear spoiler where the airflow creates rear downforce before leaving the body.
To save even more weight the 488 Pista Spider uses lighter bodywork and interior components. Alcantara and carbon fiber are used generously throughout the cabin, the carpets have been replaced with aluminum, and the driver’s side door handle is just a strap.
A new stability control system, the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer, has been installed to make driving on the limit be more controllable and predictable. Lastly, optional one-piece carbon fiber wheels will be available, which offer a 20-percent weight reduction over the standard alloys.
Quotable: “The Ferrari 488 Pista Spider is the 50th drop-top model from the Prancing Horse and a premiere in the US was a natural choice given that, ever since the 1950s, North American clients have always been keen connoisseurs of high-performance convertibles,” read a statement released by Ferrari.
“In terms of engineering, the Ferrari 488 Pista Spider is directly derived from the 488 Pista which encapsulates all the racing experience gathered on world’s circuits with the 488 Challenge and the 488 GTE. As a result, the new Spider offers the highest level yet of technological transfer from the track to a road-legal drop-top car.”
What You Need to Know: The Ferrari 488 Pista Spider matches the performance of its fixed-roof sibling while incorporating a power-retractable hardtop for open-air driving. The Spider weighs roughly 200 pounds more than the coupe but maintains the same zero to 62 time of 2.85 seconds and a top speed of 211 miles per hour.
