Topless Prancing Horse, Err 720 Horses

AutoInformed.com on Ferrari 488 Pista Spyder

Enzo would be turning, well, let’s say Ferrari red…

A new “Special Series” model, the Ferrari 488 Pista Spider (track or trail) was unveiled during the world-famous Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach in California yesterday. 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 forked over billions in Lira for a car from Maranello to support Enzo’s racing addiction.

Ironically used Ferrari’s are worth more. On Sunday a Ferrari 250 GTO coupe was bid to $48,405,000 at the RM Sotheby’s sale at Monterey. This makes it the most valuable car ever sold at public auction, beating the previous record for a 250 GTO – $38,115,000 – set in 2014.

AutoInformed.com on Ferrari 488 Pista Spider Interior - Pebble Beach August 2018.

The Spider is not priced yet, but bet on somewhere north of coupe’s $350,000.

The new 488 Pista appears to have the highest performance ever in a spider given the with an unprecedented weight-power ratio of 1.92 kg/cv or horsepower. This came from a good old ‘Merican hot rod trick – stuff the most powerful Ferrari V8 engine ever.

The 3902cc twin-turbo V8 has 720 horsepower and combines that power with increasing torque at all engine speeds (decidedly not American muscle) for continuous acceleration all the way to the red line. The unique engine sound is now even more riveting thanks to the open-top configuration. Well, it still ain’t a V12 but for a V8 I’ll guess it will do.

The Ferrari 488 Pista Spider represents the natural development of the defining design of the coupé version. The Ferrari designers’ primary objective (marketing babble and styling babble alert) “was to maintain unaltered the perfect marriage of aerodynamic efficiency, order viagra online usa 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.

Inside, weight is saved by using lightweight, pared-back components. As well as the generous use of carbon-fiber, the carpets have been replaced by patterned aluminum foot plates and – a throwback -the driver’s-side door handle is now a simple strap.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 is said to 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.

There is a new lateral dynamics control system, the “Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer” (FDE), which claims to make 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-fiber wheels which offer a 20% weight reduction over the standard forged alloys.

Ferrari 488 Pista Spider Specs

Engine

  • Type: V8 – 90° twin-turbo
  • Overall displacement: 3902 cc
  • power output *: 530 kW (720 hp) at 8000 rpm
  • torque *: 770 Nm at 3000 rpm in 7th gear
  • * with 98 octane petrol

Dimensions and Weight

  • Length: 4605 mm
  • Width: 1975 mm
  • Height: 1206 mm
  • Dry weight** : 1380 kg
  • **With optional lightweight contents

Performance

  • 0-100 km/h: 2.85 s
  • 0 -200 km/h: 8 s
  • speed: 340 km/h

 Fuel Consumption/C02 Emissions

  • under homologation
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