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Ferrari 488 Pista Spider 2019 revealed

Ferrari’s 488 Pista Spider uses the same 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 engine as its coupe sibling, outputting 530kW and 770Nm.

Ferrari has revealed its hardcore 488 Pista Spider drop-top at this year’s Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach, the Prancing Horse’s latest Special Series model that will take the fight to the Lamborghini Huracan Peformante Spyder.

Confirmed for an Australian arrival around the mid-point of 2019, pricing for the 488 Pista Spider is set to be announced later in the year, but if you were squirelling away your pennies, don’t bother as all local stock has already been sold.

Powered by the same twin-turbocharged 3.9-litre V8 petrol engine found in the coupe version, the 488 Pista Spider outputs 530kW of power at 8000rpm and 770Nm of torque form just 3000rpm.

Paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the rear-drive 488 Pista Spider can accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 2.85 seconds and max out at 340km/h – matching its fixed-roof counterpart.

However, the Ferrari convertible is 100kg heavier at 1380kg (dry) compared with the coupe due to a folding hardtop, resulting in a 0.4s slower 0-200km/h time of 8.0s.

  • 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista Spider. 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista Spider.
  • 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista Spider. 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista Spider.
  • 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista Spider. 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista Spider.

Equipment is expected to largely carryover from coupe to Spider though, with Ferrari promising “the perfect marriage of aerodynamic efficiency, purity of form and racing spirit” to offer “the highest level yet of technological transfer from the track to a road-legal drop-top car”.

As such, mechanical goodies such as Ferrari’s Side-Slip Angle Control, E-Diff3, F1-Trac and magnetorheological suspension are expected to – but not yet confirmed – to carry over to the convertible.

New in the 488 Pista Spider though is an updated Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer dynamic control system for better on-limit handling.

Rolling on 20-inch wheels finished in a 10-spoke design, buyers can also option one-piece carbon-fibre wheels that reduce weight by 20 per cent for an undisclosed amount.

Is the Ferrari 488 Pista Spider the ultimate convertible? Tell us what you think in the comments below.