Revealed just ahead of the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, the new Ferrari F8 Spider is throwing the gauntlet alongside the beautiful 812 GTS not even six months after its coupe version, the F8 Tributo, was introduced in Geneva.
Like its predecessor in this highly coveted segment, the 488 Spider, the 2020 F8 Tributo uses a retractable hard-top as its weapon of choice, but that is pretty much where the biggest similarities end.
That said, the car follows in the footsteps, or should we say bloodline, of open-top V8 Ferraris, which started with the 308 GTS back in 1977. Ferrari says that, despite being less extreme than the 488 Pista Spider, it is definitely sportier than its predecessor.
The Italians proudly mention that the F8 Spider is powered by an evolution of the V8 “that won the 'International Engine of the Year Award' for four consecutive years (2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019).”
The 3.9-liter, twin-turbocharged eight-cylinder develops 720 horsepower at a stratospheric 8,000 rpm, with the torque numbers peaking at 770 Nm at 3,250 rpm. This translates into 185 metric horsepower per liter, quite a lot more than the 171.7 PS per liter of its predecessor.
To achieve the 50 horsepower increase over the 488 Spider, engine, the revamped V8 has a new intake, which is derived directly from the 488 Challenge racing car. Maranello engineers have also developed a new way for the rev limiter to work, which abruptly cuts off right at the 8,000 red-line instead of gradually limiting the revs.
Apparently, this maximizes the amount of power available during “dynamic driving situations,” but that's not even the most impressive part about the new engine. Apparently, no less than 18 kilograms from the V8's mass have been shed compared to that of the 488 Spider, which is no mean feat for an already light power unit.
Speaking of weight, since the F8 Tributo and F8 Spider don't differ that much regarding their overall mass, the performance figures are almost identical. This means that the open-top F8 can go from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in just 2.9 seconds, from 0 to 200 kph (124 mph) in 8.2 seconds and can reach a maximum speed of 340 kph. Ferrari doesn't specify the top speed with the roof down, but we can probably rest assured about it being extremely high as well.
Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project. Full profile
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