2020 Ferrari F8 Spider: Maranello’s Latest Mid-Engined V8 Convertible
The F8 Tributo gets the retractable hardtop treatment.
Eyebrows at the ready as Ferrari has taken the roof off of its F8 Tributo to create the F8 Spider and we're trying not to drool. Equipped with a retractable hardtop, Ferrari's latest mid-engined V8 supercar marries the same 711-horsepower, 3.9-liter, twin-turbo V8 found in the Tributo with the option of unlimited headroom. Bellissimo.
Serving as a direct successor to the 488 Spider, and a rival to the McLaren 720S Spider and Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder, the drop-top F8 gets from zero to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds, while 124 mph is dealt with in 8.2 seconds—just under half a second slower than the Tributo's 7.8. Top speed arrives at 211 mph, which is up from the convertible 488's 203.
Aerodynamics have apparently been improved over the 488 Spider by 10 percent and like the F8 Tributo, features version 6.1 of the firm's Side-Slip Angle Control.
The convertible top adds 154 pounds of heft over the coupe, with the Spider weighing in at 3,086 pounds dry. That perfectly splits the difference between the 488 Spider and the lightweight Pista drop-top, the new car being 44 pounds lighter than the former and 44 pounds heavier than the latter. Naturally, the presence of a robotic roof deletes the Tributo's transparent engine cover.
In exchange for the weight and vanity penalty, the top itself folds up or down in 14 seconds and can be operated at speeds up to 28 mph.
Notably, the F8 Spider isn't the only convertible Ferrari is debuting today as the world also acquaints itself with the 789-hp 812 GTS, the world's most powerful production convertible.
