We all knew the Ferrari F8 Spider was coming and the
Italian car manufacturer has just taken the covers of its latest mid-engined
droptop. Powering the F8 Spider is the same twin-turbocharged 3.9-liter V8
engine as the F8 Tributo coupe to pump out a hearty 711 and 770 Nm of torque. Ferrari says the F8 Spider accelerates to 100 km/h in just
2.9 seconds, hits 200 km/h in 8.2 seconds, and continues through to a
top speed of 340 km/h.
The engine itself is very similar to the unit that
powered the Ferrari 488 Pista, hence why it produces the same amount of grunt.
Ferrari also uses exhaust manifolds for the F8 Tributo and F8 Spider made from
lightweight Inconel. Ferrari quotes a dry weight with all the available carbon
fiber trimmings of 1400 kg which is a touch heavier than the F8
Tributo.
Like the 458 Spider and 488 Spider, the
Ferrari F8 Spider uses a retractable hardtop. It takes just 14 seconds to
deploy or retract and can be operated at speeds of up to 45 km/h.
The overhauled design of the F8 from the older 488
translates into better cooling in the Spider as well as greater downforce. The
marque says the new car is 10 per cent more aerodynamically efficient than the
488 Spider.
Like its coupe sibling, the F8 Spider incorporates
Ferrari’s Side Slip Control 6.1 system as well as the latest Ferrari Dynamic
Enhancer system (FDE+). This system uses Ferrari software to adjust brake
pressure at the calipers during corners, while exiting corners, and also in low
grip conditions.
