Ferrari 488 Spider convertible revealed

Baptised as the 488 Spider, Ferrari has given us an elaborate peek into their topless variant of the 488 GTB in a discreet fashion through their website this week. The car is due to have its official premiere at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

As expected, there are not many surprises in terms of design sans the retractable hard top. However, Ferrari claims that the 488 Spider will be the company’s “most powerful mid-rear engine V8 car with a retractable hard top”, and also the “most aerodynamically-efficient Ferrari Spider ever built.” The car will also feature a blown spoiler and an underbody that incorporates vortex generators which should help increase stability at higher speeds.

The 488 Spider boasts similar specs to that of the GTB. It comes with the same 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged, flat-plane crank V8 making 661 hp and 760 Nm of torque. Furthermore, all that power and torque will be tamed by Ferrari’s 7-speed dual-clutch transmission powering the rear wheels, thus allowing the Spider to hit the 100 kph mark in 3.2 seconds, and subsequently 200 kph in 8.7 seconds.

The 488 Spider also possesses a new aluminium spaceframe which helps increase the car’s torsional rigidity by over 23-percent. This should translate to sharper cornering and better handling. The car will also feature an electric glass rear wind-stop that could be adjusted in three positions; aiding as a wind blocker or as an exhaust sound enhancer. The top can be stowed in 14 seconds.

The price for the 488 Spider has not been published, but we’re hoping to get more news on the car when it officially breaks cover at Frankfurt this September.