Simply Abu Dhabi XXIV

2 3 9 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I The Spider’s roof operation is identical to that of the 458, meaning it peels off and backflips into a slender compartment behind your head. It still takes 14 seconds and operates at speeds of up to 50km/h, but it’s also 25kg lighter than the fabric hood used on the earlier F430 Spider and is still better than the California T which takes 20 seconds to drop and the car has to be stationary. Weighing in at 1525kg over the GTB’s 1475kg, the Spider has a fractionally lower top speed of 325km/h to the GTB’s 328km/h, but they are identical to 100km/h at three seconds flat. Compared to the previous non-turbo 458, the 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 in the 488 develops an extra 64bhp at 670bhp and an impressive 221 extra Nm compared to the old 4.5-litre engine. In essence, the 488GTB and Spider are closer to a supercar than some of their bigger, heavier and more powerful brothers thanks to their pinpoint sharp steering, feather light brakes and astounding performance. Yet it’s also for these same reasons that they bridge the gap to the track-day cars below it from the likes of Lotus and the Alfa Romeo 4C. The Spider may not seem as rigid as the McLaren and it may not return the same spine tingles you get from a 9000rpm change up on the 458, but point-to-point it is diabolically quick and that sensation usually hits only after you stop to think about it at the end of the run.