Wind in your hair and 818 horsepower underfoot.
If you've been living under a rock, you may not be aware that Ferrari stunned the automotive world last week with the 818-horsepower spiritual successor to the Dino. The Ferrari 296 GTB is its name, and boasts an engine that is absolutely spectacular, not just for its performance, but also because of how it sounds and how efficient it is. Expect Ferrari to once again clean up at the World Engine of the Year Awards. But while we wait for Ferrari to tease the inevitable convertible version of this car, we've gone ahead and taken a crack at chopping the roof off ourselves, digitally speaking, of course.
We've taken some inspiration from SF90 Spider with a dual-hump accent taking the place of the roof when it's down. While doing so, our version of the Ferrari 296 Spider retains the shape of the window line seen on the berlinetta, giving the glasshouse a visor-like appearance. We expect a glossy perspex engine cover to feature too, with that folding roof being of the hard-top variety. However, it is worth considering that Ferrari may opt for a soft-top. It's highly unlikely because these roofs ruin the aesthetic of the car when in place, but BMW did it with the M4 Convertible to save weight. That said, this is Ferrari we're talking about, so it's quite possible that the roof will be both solid and light, likely made from aluminum or carbon fiber.
As for changes over the coupe, we'll probably learn something of a new wind management system to avoid buffeting in the cabin and, assuming that the existing setup isn't rigid enough, a little more reinforcement to avoid flex in the corners. We've rendered our Spider in the same golden amber as the SF90 as well as with the fun and sexy custard color seen on the F8 Spider. Performance is likely to be all but identical, although a potentially lower top speed (205 mph on the coupe) may be on the cards along with a miniscule drop in acceleration (0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds for the drop-top). Nevertheless, with its V6 hybrid producing 818 hp and 546 lb-ft of torque, we doubt you'll notice.
Acura
Alfa Romeo
Aston Martin
Audi
Bentley
BMW
Bollinger
BrightDrop
Bugatti
Buick
Cadillac
Caterham
Chevrolet
Chrysler
Dodge
Ferrari
Fiat
Fisker
Ford
Genesis
GMC
Gordon Murray Automotive
Hennessey
Honda
Hyundai
Infiniti
Jaguar
Jeep
Karma
Kia
Koenigsegg
Lamborghini
Land Rover
Lexus
Lincoln
Lordstown
Lotus
Lucid Motors
Maserati
Mazda
McLaren
Mercedes-Benz
Mini
Mitsubishi
Nissan
Pagani
Polestar
Porsche
Ram
Rimac
Rivian
Rolls-Royce
Spyker
Subaru
Tesla
Toyota
VinFast
Volkswagen
Volvo
Join The Discussion