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->ke252 replacement for the 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia, it's time to have a closer look at the roadster->ke1418 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->ke177 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.

Click past the jump to read more about the 2016 Ferrari 488 Spider.

2016 Ferrari 488 Spider

Specifications

• Make: Array
• Model: 2016 Ferrari 488 Spider
• Engine/Motor: V8
• Horsepower: 660 @ 8000
• Torque: 560 @ 3000

Pros

Cons

Exterior

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->ke141. 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.

Exterior Dimensions

Interior

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!

Drivetrain

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.

Drivetrain Specifications

Prices

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.

Competition

2015 McLaren 650S Spider

Straight from Britain comes this stunning piece of awesome engineering: the McLaren 650S Spider. Sure, it is a little dated by now – partially because McLaren has already launched the 675LT->ke5052 and the Sports Series -- but it is still a fine example from a company that refuses to live down to its billing as a small fish in a really big pond.

With a 640-horsepower, 3.8-liter V-8 behind the seats that tortures tires to the tune of 500 pound-feet of torque, the 650S can sprint to 60 mph in just three seconds. It can also hit 124 mph in just 8.6 seconds and top out at 204 mph. Seems like a pretty fair match for the 488 Spider.

At $280,225, the McLaren->ke284 may end up being a good bit pricier than the 488 Spider.

Find out more about the McLaren 650S Spider here.

2016 Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 Spyder

Essentially a Huracan coupe from the waist down, but with a new soft-top and a redesigned engine lid, the Huracan Spyder comes to replace the successful Gallardo Spyder. Under its hood lurks the same 5.2-liter V-10 that produces 610 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of twist. Charging from 0 to 62 takes 3.4 seconds and from 0 to 124 takes 10.2 seconds, both figures making the Lambo slower than the 488 Spider. Top speed checks in 201 mph.

Thought the Lambo is the slowest (um, make that least-fast) of the competitors, it is also the least expensive, at $237,250. Are those extra tenths of a second to 60 mph worth an extra $20 to $50k? Well, yes!

Find out more about the Huracan Spyder in our review here.

Conclusion

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!

Updated History

Updated 11/23/2015: Ferrari added a new video showing its latest 488 Spider in action on the roads of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy. Hit play to watch the new video.

Updated 10/09/2015: Ferrari dropped a new video of its latest 488 Spider, this time focusing on the car's bodywork. The new 488 Spider was designed around the whole retractable hard top concept and features a spaceframe chassis made of 11 different aluminum alloys combined with other noble metals.

Updated 10/06/2015: Ferrari dropped a new video for its new 488 Spider. This time you'll get the chance to take a closer look at Prancing Horse’s most high performance engine ever with zero turbo lag and a unique, exhilarating soundtrack. Take a look to see what makes the 488's new V-8 such a great engine!

Updated 09/30/2015: Ferrari dropped a new video with some behind-the-scene look at the shoot of the 488 Spider promo video. The promo was shot in Norway between fjords, forests, sea and endless light. Enjoy!

Updated 09/21/2015: We've added a series of new images we took at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. Find the new images in the "Pictures" tab.

Updated 09/18/2015: Ferrari dropped promotional video for its new 488 Spider. Enjoy!

Updated 09/15/2015: The new Ferrari 488 Spider made its world debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Updated 07/28/2015: Ferrari dropped the official details on the new 488 Spider with about one month before the car's official debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show.->ke235

Rendering