By now, you may have already seen a few reviews of the Ferrari F8 Spider. However, this one from the guys over at Carfection is perhaps the best we’ve seen to date and highlights both the good and the bad about the Italian exotic.
While it’s a shame Ferrari is no longer producing high-revving, naturally aspirated V8s, the twin-turbo, 3.9-liter V8 of the F8 Spider is a superb piece of kit. It is essentially the same engine as the 488 Pista and produces 710 hp at 8,000 rpm and 568 lb-ft (770 Nm) of torque.
This engine gives the F8 Spider impressive performance but, as Henry Catchpole points out in his review, the gas particulate filters fitted to the car do somewhat mute the soundtrack.
Watch Also: Ferrari’s F8 Spider Is Everything You Could Ever Want From A V8 Mid-Engined Supercar
Unlike the McLaren 720S Spider, the F8 Spider does not use a carbon fiber chassis; in fact, it uses the same basic architecture as the 458 Italia. Catchpole says that when he first drove a 458 Spider, he was “very disappointed” because the lack of structural rigidity was too obvious.
Unfortunately, the issues haven’t been fully resolved with the F8, as he notes you can still feel the added flex compared to the coupe, particularly at low speeds. Once the speeds start to increase, though, the lack of a fixed roof becomes less apparent.
So, despite its faults, is the F8 Spider the best high-performance droptop money can buy? Let’s see what Catchpole has to say about that.