FERRARI at the recent Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach, Caifornia, unveiled the new Ferrari 488 Pista Spider, the 50th drop-top model from the sports car maker. Ferrari explained it chose to introduce the 488’s convertible version in the US because its clients there, since the 1950s, have been “keen connoisseurs” of high-performance convertibles.
According to Ferrari, the 488 Pista Spider sets a “new benchmark” for performance among the brand’s convertibles as it gets an unprecedented weight-to-power ratio of 1.92 kilograms per unit of cavallo vapore. This is largely due to the car’s engine — a 3.9-liter, twin-turbo V8 that outputs 720 cv (or 710 hp). This power plant, Ferrari noted, has bested its category at the International Engine of the Year Awards in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
The 488 Pista Spider’s design is a natural evolution of that marking the model’s coupe version; Ferrari said its designers’ primary objective was to keep unaltered the car’s “perfect marriage of aerodynamic efficiency, purity of form and racing spirit.” Underlining this is a livery which runs the whole length of the car, expanding towards the rear. This, the car maker said, evokes the airflow and “exalts the lines” of the 488.
In the cabin, the 448 drop-top has been fitted with plenty of lightweight, pared-back components such as carbon-fiber and Alcantara. The car’s carpets were replaced by patterned aluminum foot plates, while the driver’s door handle has turned into a strap, to save weight.
Footwear for the 488 Pista Spider are new diamond-finish, 10-spoke, 20-inch alloy wheels, which recall Ferrari’s traditional mid-rear engine berlinetta-style rims. Also available are one-piece carbon-fiber wheels that are 20% lighter than the standard forged alloys.
