FOR high achieving company car drivers unfazed by around £30k a year BIK taxation, there’s the new Ferrari 488 Spider to get you hot under that Hugo Boss collar.

That’s because this is the most powerful mid-rear-engined V8 Ferrari ever built pumping out a fierce some 670hp enough to launch this gorgeous drop-top to 62mph in just 3 seconds.

Those extra horses come thanks to a 3902 cc turbo-charged V8 that debuted just a few months ago on the 488 GTB.

Despite this performance, the turbo it is not only 100hp more powerful than the previous naturally-aspirated V8 but also has lower CO2 emissions.
It also features Ferrari’s Retractable Hard Top which claims to be lighter by 25kgs than a traditional fabric soft-top.

Ferrari says every area of the car has been designed to set new technological benchmarks for the sector: from the aluminium space-frame chassis and body shell to the new turbo-charged V8, aerodynamics that reconcile the need for greater downforce with reduced drag along with the specific cabin air flow demands of an open-top car, and vehicle dynamics that render it fast, agile and instantly responsive.

To make its dynamic behaviour even more engaging, the development team honed the car’s mechanical set-up in tandem with its electronic systems which are now fully integrated with the SSC2 Side Slip Angle Control System, resulting in 12% faster acceleration out of corners than the 458 Spider. Over all, response times are 9% more rapid than the previous Spider without any compromise in comfort.

The world premiere of the 488 Spider will be at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September but can be seen from today finished in the new Blu Corsa livery at www.ferrari.com.

No UK prices have yet been announced but then, as the old adage goes, if you’ve got to ask…