Ferrari 488 Pista Spider unveiled at Concours d’Elegance, Pebble Beach
Ferrari 488 Pista Spider – The 50th drop-top model
Ferrari has unveiled a new drop top iteration of the 488 Pista, the 488 Pista Spider. The drop-top supercar was unveiled during at the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach in California. The 488 Pista Spider marks the 50th drop-top model to come from Ferrari.
The convertible is powered by what is called the most powerful Ferrari V8 engine ever, a 3902cc twin-turbo V8 that churns out 710bhp and 770Nm. It also sets a new benchmark for spider performance with a power to weight ratio of 1.92 kg/cv. It can sprint to 100kmph in 2.85 seconds and has a top whack of 340kmh. The 488 Pista Spider has a dry-weight of around 1380kgs which is almost a 100kgs heavier than the 488 Pista.
The Ferrari designers have stayed true to their objective, which is to unalter the perfect combinations of aerodynamic efficiency, purity of form and racing spirit. The body work features livery that runs down the centre of the car, from the front to the rear wing. Ferrari says that these stripes denote and replicate the movement airflow.
The new Pista Spider features new diamond-finish 20-inch alloy wheels with a novel 10-spoke star-effect interpretation of Ferrari’s traditional mid-rear engine berlinetta-style rims. Ferrari also offers optional one-piece carbon-fibre wheels which offer a 20 percent weight reduction over the standard forged alloys.
Read the full press release:
The 50th drop-top model from the Maranello marque
Maranello, 26 August 2018 – The Prancing Horse’s new Special Series model, the Ferrari 488 Pista Spider, has been unveiled during the world-famous Concours d’Elegance® at Pebble Beach in California.
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.
The new car sets a new benchmark for Ferrari for spider performance with an unprecedented weight-power ratio of 1.92 kg/cv. A result made possible by the adoption of the most powerful Ferrari V8 engine ever, which was recently named Best Engine in the world for the third consecutive year at the 2018 International Engine of the Year Awards. The 3902cc twin-turbo V8 unleashes 720 cv and combines that power with increasing torque at all engine speeds for continuous and unending acceleration all the way to the red line. The unique engine sound is now even more riveting thanks to the open-top configuration.
The Ferrari 488 Pista Spider represents the natural development of the defining design of the coupé version. The Ferrari designers’ primary objective was to maintain unaltered the perfect marriage of aerodynamic efficiency, purity of form and racing spirit.
This concept is underlined by the characteristic central livery which runs the whole length of the car, expanding towards the rear where it finishes at the end of the rear wing next to the spoiler. This continual expansion of the stripe recalls the movement of the airflow and exalts the lines of the car.
The philosophy that imposed an uncompromising choice of materials for the bodywork is also revisited in the interior solutions, with weight being saved by the use of lightweight, pared-back components. As well as the generous use of carbon-fibre and Alcantara® throughout, the carpets have been replaced by patterned aluminium foot plates and the driver’s-side door handle is now a simple strap.
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.
The vehicle dynamics honed for this Special Series 8-cylinder convertible deliver a seamless combination of razor-sharp acceleration, braking efficiency, lightning-fast gear shifting, precision steering, grip, stability and superb handling. The result? A completely captivating and unprecedented driving experience. This was achieved thanks partly to the new lateral dynamics control system, the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer (FDE), which makes on-the-limit driving more intuitive, controllable and predictable.
The car features new diamond-finish 20” alloy wheels with a novel 10-spoke star-effect interpretation of Ferrari’s traditional mid-rear engine berlinetta-style rims. Also available are the optional one-piece carbon-fibre wheels which offer a 20% weight reduction over the standard forged alloys.
