The Ferrari F8 Spider Is A Pista-Powered Drop-Top Supercar

The Ferrari F8 Tributo is now available with considerably more headroom. Just over six months on from the reveal of the 488-replacing coupe, Ferrari has lifted the lid to create the F8 Spider.

Best thought of has an evolved 488 Spider rather than an all-new car, it’s shed 20kg compared to its predecessor and gained a lot more power. 50bhp, in fact - like the F8 tin top, it’s powered by a 710bhp twin-turbo V8 derived from the one found in the 488 Pista.

0-62mph takes 2.9 seconds - an identical figure to the coupe. The 0-124mph time has suffered a drop of four-tenths to 8.2 seconds, but the top speed of 211mph hasn’t changed.

The chassis is broadly the same as the 488 Spider’s, with most of the car’s non-engine-related upgrades coming in the form of new and clever aero devices. Chief among which is the S-duct, a concept borrowed from the 488 Pista. This takes in air through the front bumper and ejects it around the windscreen via a vent in the bonnet, increasing front-end downforce by 15 per cent.

Spider buyers do inevitably lose the coupe’s cool Lexan engine cover and its F40-style louvres, but the two prominent buttresses make up for this nicely. They go together smashingly with the F8’s F355-inspired quad rear lights.

The F8 Spider’s folding hardtop roof takes 14 seconds to open and close, the same time taken by the similar arrangement used on the 488 Spider. It’s possible to operate it on the move, so long as you don’t exceed 28mph.

Pricing hasn’t been revealed, but expect £20,000 or so to be slapped on the £203,476 starting point for the F8 Coupe.

This or a McLaren 720S Spider?