This is it, the open-top version of Ferrari’s 488GTB, the most powerful mid-engined V8 Ferrari with a retractable hard-top.

As you would expect, the open-top version of the 488 uses the same twin-turbo 660hp 3.9-litre V8 engine which allows the Spider to accelerate from zero to 100km/h (0-62mph) in 3 seconds dead and from zero to 200km/h (0-124mph) in 8.7 seconds.

Ferrari says that the folding hard-top is 25kg lighter than a fabric roof and that it takes 14 seconds for the top to operate both ways. The chassis of the 488 Spider has the same torsional rigidity with its fixed-roof sibling, thanks to eleven different aluminium alloys combined with other exotic metals like magnesium, being in the same time 23% stiffer than the 458 Spider it replaces.

The weight penalty for losing the roof is minimal as Ferrari claims a 1420kg dry weight figure, just 50kg more than the coupe and 10kg less than the 458 Spider. The new 488 Spider is also the most aerodynamically efficient topless Ferrari ever made; a pair of flying buttresses behind the cabin sends the airflow towards the engine while the rear spoiler is transferred from the GTB.

The electric glass which acts as a wind-stop can be adjusted to three different positions to ensure the best possible comfort when driving with the roof down. It can also be fully retracted with the roof on, to allow the sound of the engine reach the cabin all the time.

As with its closed-roof sibling, the new 488 Spider has a mechanical setup which works in perfect harmony with its electronic systems, including the SSC2 Side Slip Angle Control System, with Ferrari claiming a 12% faster acceleration out of corners when compared with the 458 Spider.

The new Italian superstar is expected to make its official public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

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