Red-letter day for red sports car debut – this is Ferrari 488 Spider in South Africa
Red-letter day for red sports car debut – this is Ferrari 488 Spider in South Africa
Red-letter day
It is a red-letter day in any car enthusiast’s diary when a certain open-top red sports car makes its debut – the most high performance 8-cylinder drop-top ever – this is Ferrari 488 Spider.
Red-cover engine
This car is the latest chapter in the Prancing Horse’s illustrious history of V8 open-top sports cars, and for the first time in an open Ferrari, the V8 is turbo-charged. As heard at the debut event, it fortunately keeps that characteristic Ferrari V8 sound, and, as the host said so well: “You can let the exhaust talk” as the turbo engine creates pops and burbles through the exhaust.
A Ferrari engine has to be able to rev screamingly high, and the engineers at Maranello in Italy ensured the turbo does not restrict the free-revving nature of a Ferrari V8 (as turbo’s do in many other cars). This 3902cc V8 power-peaks at 8000 r/min, by which time 492 kW is in your control. The full torque of 760Nm is available at 3000 rpm, in top gear. As per Ferrari tradition, the engine covers are painted in a coarse red paint.
Performance?
Of course a Ferrari will be quick, but this is now big supercar fast. The Ferrari 488 Spider will sprint the 0-100 km/h in 3.0 seconds flat. The really rapid doesn’t stop there – the 0-200 km/h time is just 8.7 seconds. The 1km sprint? 18.9 seconds. Compare this to most other cars, and you’ll see even performance cars do mid-20s for the 1000m run. Maximum speed: > 325 km/h.
At a kerb weight of 1525 kg, this gives the Ferrari 488 Spider (complete with its lightweight folding hardtop and mechanisms) a power:weight ratio of 323 kW/ton.
Consumption, even if just for statistics, needs the HELE (High Emotion Low Emissions) package at R 42 266, which will see the Ferrari reduce its use to 11.4 l/100km and emit 260 g/km in the combined test cycle.
The only available gearbox, now that even Ferrari stopped making the classic metal-gate manual gearbox, is the 7-speed F1 dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Retractable hardtop
That engine is still mounted mid-rear as per V8 sports car tradition, so there is no space for a full big hardtop – the Ferrari 488 Spider is an open car, allowing you to have open sky above you and letting the V8 turbo howl just behind your ears, though it is more targa than fully open. If you want the fully-open Ferrari experience, get the Ferrari California T.
Scuderia South Africa
Scuderia South Africa, as full import, sales and service agent for Ferrari in South Africa, has its big serene new glass-house showroom on William Nicol Drive, Bryanston for the Johannesburg dealership, and is currently re-building the Cape Town outlet, while a Durban dealership is under construction, to open this year.
Good things
The Ferrari 488 Spider does include plenty of equipment, like the all-buttons-on-steering-wheel layout for engine start, lights, horn (hooter), indicators, wipers, and the Race Manettino drive mode switch. It makes sense to have all the controls on the steering wheel, with no need to look at or operate levers sticking out the side of the steering column.
Also as standard is the Evolution of Electronic Differential (E-Diff 3), F1-Trac traction control, Carbon-Ceramic Brake System, Magnaride Shock Absorber System, and different width wheels – narrower 245/35 ZR20 in front for more agile steering and better steering wheel feel, with wider 305/30 ZR20 rear tyres to get all that power down, of course. As Ferrari knows you won’t be driving this every day, you even get a Ferrari Car Protection Cover.
It is said that good things come to those who wait. If you order your Ferrari 488 Spider now, in today’s money it will cost R 5 594 000 in base spec, though there are already deals on all the first cars for South Africa. Order now, in May 2016, and you can expect delivery in May 2017, which will likely see a swing upwards in pricing.
Spec your 488 Spider and it quickly goes above 6 bar. The option prices match the car price. Add the Scuderia Ferrari shields on the front fenders for R 46 493 (those yellow badges on the sides with S and F lettering next to the centre black Prancing Horse logo). The Front Suspension Lift System, which raises the front of the car by 4cm at the push of a button to clear speed humps (which you would need in SA) and steeped driveway entrances, costs R 126 798. Brake calipers painted (R 38 039) and special paint colours or 2-tone paint is in the R300k range – the Rosso Corsa is not the only available paint (though still by far the most popular) with some customers branching out into other colours. A selection of seats like Daytona style and electric adjustment is available, as is a Ferrari luggage set for the rear bench… a very long very expensive list.
Surpassing expectations
Ferrari says it designed the 488 Spider to be the benchmark for the sector, surpassing expectations of any open-top V8 sports car.