Highlights Ferrari 488 Spider: Autostrada Motore marks 5th Anniversary

MANILA, Philippines — August 30 marked a momentous event for Autostrada Motore, the official dealer of Ferrari in the Philippines, as it trained the spotlights on the 488 Spider for the dealer’s 5th Anniversary celebrations.

“We opened our doors to the public in 2012, and we’ve been bringing one of the best, most powerful, and most recognized car brands to the Philippines ever since,” said Wellington Soong, Chairman and President of Autostrada Motore. “We’ve celebrated many milestones in our short history in the country, and our 5th Anniversary is the most momentous yet. Having delivered five years of the highest quality of customer service to our clients, our commitment to uphold this standard for the next five, 10, 15 years has only gotten stronger.”

With the backdrop of Autostrada’s newly-renovated showroom, the company highlighted five years of Prancing Horses in the Philippines by featuring one of the latest Ferrari models, the 488 Spider. The 488 Spider is Ferrari’s most powerful mid-rear-engined V8-powered car to feature the patented retractable hard top along with the highest level of technological innovation and cutting-edge design.

“The 488 Spider is for the discerning client that enjoys open-air motoring pleasure in a high-performance sports car,” said Soong. “It is built to make the fun and thrill of driving most accessible behind the wheels of a car that simply delivers top-notch performance.”

Open-top driving, direct and unobscured engine sound, in-car comfort, coupled with the new generation 7-speed F1 dual-clutch transmission, the 488 Spider delivers the most powerful performance on the sports spider market in terms of acceleration and response. New generation dynamics and aerodynamics also mean that performance is instantly available and enjoyable on the road to even less expert drivers whether on the straight or over mixed routes.

The 488 Spider is the latest chapter in Ferrari’s long history of open-top V8 sports cars. Ferrari was the first manufacturer to introduce the RHT (Retractable Hard Top) on a car of this particular architecture. This solution ensures lower weight (-25 kg) and better cockpit comfort compared to the classic fabric soft-top.

“The entry of Ferrari in the Philippines has elevated the grandeur of the premium luxury market in our local automotive industry,” said Soong. “Ferrari 488 Spider marks yet another milestone in this market, and we are hoping to keep our clients and Ferrari fans thrilled and excited about the brand.”

The heart of the 488 Spider

Beneath the engine cover throbs the 3.9-liter turbocharged V8 that debuted on the 488 GTB. Its performance levels are nothing short of extraordinary: a maximum power of 670cv and maximum torque of 760Nm at 6750 rpm send the 488 Spider rocketing from 0 to 100 km/h in three seconds flat and from 0 to 200 km/h in 8.7 seconds (with a top speed of 325 km/h). This is also an exceptionally efficient engine as it is not only 100cv more powerful than the previous naturally-aspirated V8 but also has lower CO2 emissions.

The turbo V8 has a unique character, delivering increasing levels of power right across the rev range, and completely eliminating the traditional turbo lag with a throttle response time of just 0.8 seconds. This is thanks not merely to components such as the turbos, but also to a sophisticated production process only made possible by Maranello’s leading-edge facilities which are shared with the Scuderia to foster the transfer of racing technologies to the road cars.

In line with Ferrari tradition, this model has its own absolutely distinctive soundtrack created using solutions such as exhaust headers with longer, equal-length piping and a flat-plane crankshaft. It was also further enhanced by an in-depth study of harmonics and tonality at different engine speeds.

Sculpted by the wind

This is also the most aerodynamically efficient Ferrari spider ever built, thanks to a series of complex aero solutions designed to guarantee optimal downforce while reducing drag, two normally mutually-exclusive objectives. Maranello’s engineers managed to achieve both goals simultaneously by introducing several innovative devices, including a blown spoiler and an aerodynamic underbody incorporating vortex generators.

The air flow studies also took into account factors relating to in-car comfort. The electric glass rear wind stop can be adjusted to one of three positions to guarantee maximum comfort when the top is lowered.

Fully lowering the wind stop allows the occupants to enjoy the engine soundtrack even with the roof raised regardless of the weather or driving conditions.

Form and function sculpted in aluminium

Designed around the concept of the retractable hard top, the 488 Spider has a spaceframe chassis made of 11 different aluminum alloys combined with other noble metals, such as magnesium, each one used in a highly specific way. This yields the same torsional rigidity and beam stiffness figures as the coupé, improving the chassis’ performance by 23 percent over that of its predecessor. An extraordinary result, given that the roof is structural, that is only possible thanks to the expertise of the Scaglietti center of excellence that engineers Ferrari’s aluminum chassis and bodies.

The RHT folds backwards in two overlapping sections to rest flush on the engine in a very compact solution. The mechanism is exceptionally smooth and takes just 14 seconds for the top to fully retract or deploy.

Working with aluminum is important not only in functional terms but also because, by tradition, it demands every detail be treated sculpturally to express the technical excellence of the project through its beauty. Cases in point are the flying buttresses which optimally channel air flows to the engine cover, the ribbing on the engine cover and the air intakes with sculpted mesh grilles which lend that area of the car a sense of incredible dynamism. To achieve this result the Ferrari Styling Centre completely reworked the aesthetics compared to the 488 GTB.

Speed and control across the board

The introduction of a sophisticated simulator, similar to the one used by the Formula 1 Scuderia, allowed the human factor to influence the car’s design from the earliest stages by giving the engineers instant feedback from the test drivers long before the first 488 prototype was physically built.

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 percent faster acceleration out of corners than the 458 Spider.

Overall, response times are nine percent more rapid than the previous Spider without any compromise whatsoever being made in comfort. The car’s design was adapted to efficiently meet the typical the demands of open-top driving and use. In fact, the Spider’s dynamic behaviour is effortless on even the most challenging routes. It is remarkably easy to drive on the limit thanks to flawless handling even on the most demanding of roads.

The 488 Spider rolls on 245/35R-20 front tires and super-wide 305/30R-20 rear rubber. Other F1-derived cutting-edge technologies include E-Diff3, F1-Trac, High-Performance ABS with Ferrari Pre-Fill, FrS SCM-E, and SSC.