Car of the week: Ferrari 488 Spider

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Ferrari 488 Spider.

    The world can be a pretty depressing place at times with nothing, it seems, other than bad news, economic gloom and global crisis.

    Thankfully, there are still some things which are guaranteed to put a smile on your face and shut out the grind of everyday life, and one of them is a Ferrari.

    Okay, so not everyone is wealthy or lucky enough to be able to drive one of Maranello’s finest but you don’t even have to get behind the wheel to enjoy these iconic machines; just the sight of one is sufficient to excite and inspire boys of all ages, and more than a few women.

    People stop and stare, point, take pictures, film them, wait to hear the engine bark into life when you hit the ignition button, and generally drool over almost every work of art that comes out of the Prancing Horse stable. And the latest Italian masterpiece to create more than a little happiness is the gorgeous 488 Spider which follows in the tyre tracks of the magnificent 488 GTB, the replacement for the 458.

    I consider myself privileged in that I have driven a succession of Ferraris and I love them all so excuse me if I sound a little biased.

    20160405_124939 (Read-Only)

    They all stir the emotions like no other vehicle, thanks to the deep rooted motorsport heritage of Ferrari and their magnificent design and engineering, but I have to say that this drophead 488 is in a league of its own when it comes to an emotional driving experience.

    The 488 caused a bit of a stir with Ferrari aficionados because it has a turbo charged V8 engine which, they claim, robbed the marque of its distinctive raucous engine note that comes with the naturally aspirated powerplant.

    Ferrari have always shied away from turbo engines, although they have powered Ferraris before – take the iconic F40 for example – because of turbo lag which they believes takes away some of the pleasure of driving a supercar. The Maranello engineers have clearly done a great job because there is no detectable turbo lag in the 488 and although the occasional whinge about the engine note has some credibility, it doesn’t mean this car has lost its voice – oh no, it may not have the primeval howl of the 458 but nevertheless it is loud, emotive and definitely distinctive in the finest traditions of Maranello.

    Take the roof down on the 488 Spider – it takes just 14 seconds – and the noise is even more enthralling as you blast through the gears with a wailing crescendo coming from that twin turbo engine,  turning heads as you do so.  It is impossible not to laugh out loud when you put pedal to metal in this car with the roof down – accompanied by that slightly different but nonetheless stimulating Ferrari soundtrack.

    The Spider has a stonking 660bhp and 760nm of torque, a record for a road-going Ferrari, so clearly it doesn’t hang around. It has a 0-100kmh time of just 3 seconds and if you keep your foot in you will scream through the 200kmh mark in a little over 8 seconds and reach an exhilarating top speed of 325kmh. It is fitted with a Brembo Extreme Design braking system which provides a stopping distance nine per cent shorter than the previous Spider.

    The power is delivered to the rear wheels via a seven-speed F1 dual clutch gearbox which works perfectly in full auto mode, but even better when you use the paddleshifts. There are different drive modes which are controlled via the steering wheel mounted Manettino switch. Sport is best for everyday driving and Race is strictly for the track only.

    There is also a setting for driving in the wet and you can turn off the traction and stability controls if you’re driving skills are up to it, but probably best to keep them on, rather than risk a change of trousers incident. The chassis is lighter and tauter than the 458 Spider it replaces which means the car is super-agile and handles like a dream at all speeds.

    The aforementioned roof is a retractable hardtop taken from the 458 Spider and it folds down into a space on top of the forward section of the engine. The design of the car is clearly a visual delight and its curves and airflow channels make this the most aerodynamically efficient Ferrari Spider ever built.

    I usually say that a Ferrari has to be red to complete the full emotion but this new Blue Corsa colour is superb. This car is an adrenaline rush on wheels and frankly, represents the very best in open-top motoring which you would expect from a Ferrari that is bristling with cutting edge engineering and technology, and costs over Dh1m.

    Make no mistake, this sensational Spider will entangle you in its web. Life ain’t so bad, after all.

    Recommended