Ferrari 488 Pista goes topless

AMONG THE cars that were unveiled this year at Pebble Beach was the Ferrari 488 Pista Spider. The convertible version of the 488 Pista becomes the 50th drop-top model from the company. It uses the same award-winning engine as its hardtop sibling and has the same output. The 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 makes 711bhp and 770Nm. It is as quick as the coupe to the 100kmph mark, achieving the figure in 2.85s and has the same 340kmph top speed. However, the 200kmph mark is breached in 8s, 0.4s slower than the hard-top. The car gets a new lateral dynamics control system called Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer (FDE). As per the company, it makes “on-the-limit driving more intuitive, controllable and predictable.” Ferrari has equipped the 488 Pista Spider a new set of 20-inch diamond-finish alloy wheels. For customers looking to further reduce the kerb weight, the company is offering one-piece carbon-fibre rims. It claims that these help bring the weight down by 20 percent. The interior makes generous use of carbon-fibre and Alcantara.