All flowing curves and muscled haunches

You know a car has that X-factor when it stands out in a parking lot full of Ferraris. This 488 Spider is beautiful, a worthy successor to the 458 with its curves flowing back to muscled haunches.

The cabin is lavished in leather and designed to wrap lovingly around the driver.

And then you fire it up, and this powerful prancing horse is comfy and almost sedate when you want it to be.

Its mid-mounted engine delivers 492kW at the 8000rpm rev limiter, but it’s the 760Nm of torque that dominates in realworld conditions. You can change gear using steering wheel-mounted paddles, surging forward with each flick of the fingers. And by golly does it build speed fast, fast and steadily — those fat wheels gripping the Canterbury tar with a welcome suppleness.

Fortunately you can enjoy this engine’s aural rock concert at almost any speed simply by changing gear manually, and make the most of it by lifting the roof (while travelling at up to 50km/h) or by lowering the rear window.

The 488 sells as standard for $499,888, including features like the electronic diff, F1 Trac, carbon-ceramic brakes, Magnaride shock absorbers and those 20-inch alloy wheels.

Value for money? Those able to fork out that sort of cash are likely to be very happy. The 488’s motor is arguably a tad less spectacular than its 458 predecessor’s, but the total experience is better. Good enough to never want to get out, even after a long day’s drive.