News Source: topspeed.com

In case you missed the reveal of the 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB,  you may want to crawl out from under that rock you’ve been under, dust yourself off, and check it out. Pretty cool, huh? Well, now that you’ve seen Ferrari’s  replacement for the 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia,  it’s time to have a closer look at the roadster  set to replace the 2012 Ferrari 458 Spider.  Meet the Ferrari 488 Spider, the turbocharged drop-top that has all the awesome performance figures of the GTB plus the option of driving with nothing but blue skies above!

With the likes of the future 2016 Lamborghini Huracán Roadster  and the established 2015 McLaren 650S Spider  in its path, the road to topless supercar  supremacy will be an uphill battle. But with a 3.9-liter V-8 with tons of power and a 0-to-60-time of three seconds, I think the 488 Spider will certainly have the goods to make it one hell of a battle.

Updated 02/26/2016: The new 488 Spider was presented in London to Ferrari clients and VIP’s including Jamie Campbell Bower, Lucy Watson, Becky Tong and Oliver Proudlock. Of course, while the 488 is no news anymore, it was a perfect opportunity to add a series of new images. Check them out in the "Pictures" tab.

Not surprisingly, other than the removable top, all of the key design features of the 488 GTB remain intact on the 488 Spider, including the wide-open front air intake, the air ducts in the hood, the scalloped rear air intakes, and the 458 design cues.

From the rear, however, you can really see where the 488 Spider differs from the coupe  . With the top now removed, the sloping rear glass is gone, leaving only a large piece of sheet metal covering the turbocharged V-8, with six small heat extractors near the rear.

Just like the 458 Spider it replaces, the 488 Spider also features two flying buttresses behind the seats.

All told, our rendering artist nailed it almost 100 percent, missing only the shape of the engine lid and the heat extractors on each side. Overall, the 488 Spider just looks right without its top and it has everything it needs to be a worthy successor to the iconic 458 Spider.

Sans the unlimited headroom, the Ferrari 488 Spider’s interior is virtually identical to the coupe’s. This means customers will get a three-spoke steering wheel with all of the standard Ferrari buttons, a two-tone dashboard, sports seats, that red Ferrari rev counter staring them in the face, and loads of high-end materials.

The retractable roof is carried over from the 458 Spider and remains a two-part, electronically folding top. The rear glass window can be adjusted to one of three positions to optimize windflow when the top is down. Should you need to drive with the top up, the rear glass can be still be lowered to fully enjoy the engine soundtrack. Now that’s a cool feature!

What lies under that long piece of sheet metal that replaces the sloped glass of the coupe is what makes the 488 Spider so special. This is the 3.9-liter, turbocharged V-8 that delivers 660 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque. It’s this boosted V-8 that affords the 488 GTB a 0-to-60 sprint time of three seconds and a 0-t0-124-mph time of 8.3 seconds. Although the 488 Spider is 110 pounds heavier than the GTB due to its reinforced structure, Ferrari claims the drop-top is as quick as the coupe. Top speed, on the other hand, dropped from 205 to 203 mph.

The 488 Spider is as stiff as the coupe, making it 23 percent more rigid than the 458 Spider it replaces. This is also due to the spaceframe chassis being made of 11 aluminum alloys and other noble metals such as magnesium. Prices haven’t been confirmed yet, but the Spider should fetch at least 20 grand more than the GTB, which would put the sticker at around $265,000. For now, let’s just say that if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.

I fell in love with the Ferrari 488 GTB at first sight, and I typically am not a huge Ferrari fan. And now, looking at this 488 Spider just blew me away. It’s gorgeous without a roof, it has the same performance figures as its coupe sibling, and it’s one of fastest supercars in its segment. What’s more, the turbocharged 3.9-liter V-8 makes it both more efficient and greener than its predecessor. Yeah, I know efficiency isn’t all that important for a car that costs more than $200K, but Ferrari had no choice but to update its entry-level supercar to 21st-century emissions regulations.

And I know replacing the all-motor 4.5-liter with a turbo V-8 left a few enthusiasts feeling rather disappointed, but if you’re among those feeling the urge to take their pitchforks to Maranello, remember that the 488 Spider delivers F12berlinetta-like performance with all the benefits of a mid-ship layout and for less dough. If that’s not a good deal, I don’t know what is!