Ferrari 488 Spider, car review: 'Open-air hedonists' will be very happy indeed

You can’t fool the figures - the new 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 in the new 499 Spider produces a whopping 100bhp more than its predecessor

Autocar,Graham Scott

Friday 23 October 2015 12:23 BST

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Everyone seems to be having to move to turbochargers for their new engines, and Ferrari are no different. The concern is that a boosting block might lack some of the charisma of a big naturally aspirated big V. But you can’t fool the figures. The new 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 in the new 499 Spider produces a whopping 100bhp more than its predecessor.

While 660bhp is mighty impressive, even more so is the torque figure and how it is delivered. The monumental 560lb ft of torque is controlled by a Variable Torque Management system which doles it out depending on which gear you’re in.

Coupled with a quicker shifting seven-speed double-clutch gearbox (as in the GTB), that torrent of torque is delivered in a series of waves tailored to each gear, and the result is sensational. So much so that actually you often don’t end up chasing that redline, instead short-shifting to stay in the 4000-6000rpm bracket and ride the next wave.

Handling is simply sublime. The chassis wonderful, the steering is light and has loads of feedback and you can slingshot out of corners with outrageous pace. All this is impressive considering that there is no carbon tub to anchor everything together now the roof is not part of the stiffening structure.

They have had to beef up the chassis to cope, which has added about 50kg. It was worth the weight. The roof pivots up and away in 14 seconds and, despite being a solid structure, it’s really light. If they fitted a material hood instead, like on the F430 Spider, they’d have actually added weight, about 25kg.

Beneath the roof the cabin is focused, sharp and pretty perfect. You get a tremendous aural barrage with the roof down and then with the windows down. Naturally you can hear those turbos building, and perhaps the whole experience is not quite as visceral, but in dealing with the by-products of a turbo engine and a retractable hard top, they’ve actually made a better vehicle all round.

Ferrari are very aware of the desires and drives of people who buy such a vehicle as this 488 Spider. They call them “open-air hedonists”. They’ve just made them very happy.