When the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance hit last week, we were pretty stoked about Audi’s new electric supercar – but we somehow forgot about the new Ferrari that was just announced.
The 488 Pista Spider is the legendary Italian sportscar maker’s latest creation, a 710-horsepower beauty that also happens to be the company’s 50th convertible model. In our opinion, it’s also one of their most beautiful, and when you think of all the attractive vehicles they have produced over time, that is quite a compliment.
This convertible rendition of the ultra-fast Pista coupe is still powered by a 3.9l, twin-turbo V8 and is pretty much the same as the powerful supercar, capable of the same 211 miles an hour when the roof is up. Ferrari hasn’t confirmed top speed with the roof down – which would theoretically change the aerodynamics – but we imagine it isn’t too shabby.
At about 3053 pounds, it’s about 60 pounds lighter than the standard coupe version and has also got one of the best power-to-weight ratios ever found on a Ferrari. This ultra-light weight is achieved in the details, such as tons of carbon fiber trim, optional one-piece carbon wheels, aluminum foot plates inside, and many of the same tricks and details found on the hard top (like S-ducts); it doesn’t even have the coupe’s carbon fiber engine cover.
Thanks to this reduced weight, you can get this bad boy from 0-60 MPH in as little as 2.8 seconds. (Add the powered hardtop and it’s 220 pounds, and the car will take just a bit longer to accelerate – though we don’t think it would really ruin the fun). The 710 horsepower create a 568 lb-ft of torque, and Ferrari says it can reach 8000 rpm.
The white-and-blue racing stripes are now complemented by 20” diamond-finish alloy wheels, which are reminiscent of classic Ferraris and their traditional Berlinetta-style rims.
While exact prices have yet to be announced, we imagine this beauty will run you somewhere between a quarter and one-half a million, based on the 488 Pista’s $280,000 base price.
