More satisfying than any alternative drop-top supercar, if ultimately and inevitably less precise than the 488 Pista coupé
A few months ago, I polled some car people on what their dream three-car garage would be. The answers were satisfyingly eclectic, but after a raft of spaces taken up by Range Rovers, Audi RS6 Avants (because we all need something like those) and Porsche 911s various (because ditto), there was a notable standout model: the Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta.That’s an exotic, mid-engined, low-volume V8 supercar with an open top and a naturally aspirated engine that revs to the heavens. This is its successor, the Ferrari 488 Pista Spider, which is a mid-engined, low-volume V8 supercar with an open top. But with turbochargers.Mechanically, it’s all but the same as the 710bhp 488 Pista coupé, which I’d say is the best of today’s supercars, although with a 100kg weight penalty as a result of fitting a hardtop that electrically whizzes up and down, even when you’re driving at up to 30mph.The 488 Pista coupé is up to 90kg lighter than a regular 488 GTB, depending on options, which the folding hardware then offsets. We weighed a fully fuelled 488 GTB at 1555kg, so think similar here (Ferrari’s claim is 1485kg) – respectable for a car with a 3.9-litre twin-turbo engine, a dual-clutch automatic gearbox and a folding roof.
Source: Autocar
