2016 Ferrari 488 Spider revealed in Australia

Ferrari Australia has taken the wraps off the 2016 Ferrari 488 Spider, revealed today in Melbourne as part of the Australian launch.

The Ferrari 488 Spider is the latest iteration of Ferrari’s Spider product, with the original â€" a Ferrari 308 GTS â€" famous for its appearance in the Movember-esque television series Magnum PI. The 488 Spider produces a healthy 492kW of power and 760Nm of torque from its 3.9-litre turbocharged V8 engine.

Priced from $526,888, the 488 Spider is around $60,000 cheaper than the outgoing 458 Spider that it replaces. Additionally, it’s also quicker â€" now sprinting from 0-100km/h in just 3.0-seconds, moving on to 200km/h in 8.7 seconds and on to a maximum speed of 325km/h.

Ferrari engineers have spent a great deal of time ensuring the 488 Spider feels just as rigid and exciting to drive as the 488 GTB. Incredibly, they have managed to achieve equal torsional rigidity and beam stiffness figures as the hardtop coupe and 23 per cent better than the 458 Spider.

This was achieved by the use of 11 different 6000 series aluminiums. 6000 series aluminium is comprised of magnesium and silicon and can be easily machined and welded to suit an automotive application.

The hard top retracts in just 14 seconds and can be used at speeds of up to 45km/h. The mechanism also features a deployable wind-stop that can operate in three settings to reduce wind buffeting. But, if you’re anything like us â€" you’ll drive with it down to embrace as much exhaust noise as possible.

The 488 Spider will even make regular drivers feel like seasoned professionals thanks to the latest iteration of SSC2 (Side Slip Control). SSC2 uses an algorithm that inputs yaw angle, steering wheel angle and speed to determine the perfect slip angle. This then allows the traction and stability control to dynamically adjust to allow greater slip, while still being able to catch the car if it runs too wide.

Herbert Appleroth, CEO of Ferrari Australasia, is confident that the 488 Spider will achieve similar demand to the recently released 488 GTB.

“Amazing. Everyone knew the Spider version would be coming when we launch the GTB â€" it’s how we deliver our product lifecycle since we launched back 40 years ago, we always had multiple versions,” said Appleroth.

“We already had very strong Spider order intake even when we launched the coupe back in March after Geneva.”

“The, what we call, ‘Spideristi’, tend to stick with convertibles, so they were the first ones to sign up. It’s a car very well suited to the Australian marketplace and has always done very well here â€" even better than some markets. We are very happy with the reception.”

Appleroth also took the opportunity to announce that the entire Ferrari range can now be ordered with Apple Car Play. The technology integrates either into the colour touchscreen central to the cabin (FF and California T) or to the right hand binnacle in the case of 488 GTB/Spider and F12 Berlinetta.

With a waiting list of well over 12 months, it’s time to get your order in if the Ferrari 488 Spider is the next must have Ferrari on your list.

Click on the Photos tab to see more images by Tom Fraser.