The $397,000 Ferrari F8 Spider is a majestic summary of everything great that the Italian carmaker can do

Matthew DeBordJul 4, 2020, 19:44 IST

Business Insider

I tested a $396,994 Ferrari F8 Spider, the convertible version of Ferrari's extremely powerful F8 Tributo supercar.
The F8 Spider rocks a 710-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V8.
The engine comes from the track-oriented 488 Pista. It's the most powerful motor Ferrari has ever dropped into a mid-engine production car.
Despite mountain-moving power and blistering speed, I found the F8 Spider to be oddly soothing to drive. It's almost too good for it's own good.

This wasn't my first go-round with a drop-top, mid-engine prancing horse supercar based on the stupendous Ferrari 488.

In 2018, I drove the convertible, or "Spider" version of the 488 up to Lime Rock Park in Connecticut to watch non-ragtop, racing-car versions of the car circle the famous track for an IMSA event.

Since then, Ferrari has updated the 488 and changed the name to "F8 Tributo," a reference to the potent V8 that propels the machine. I haven't yet had a crack at the hardtop, but Ferrari did let me borrow a $397,000 example of the Spider, in a dashing "Giallo Modena" paint job, for a mere day to make a run out to the eastern tip of Long Island.

I'll spoil the ending and let you know right now that the Ferrari was almost too good for its own good. Here's why:

The 2020 Ferrari F8 Spider, in all it's beachfront, bright-yellow glory! My test car started at $297,250. But options, options, and more options took the sticker to a hair under $397,000.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The 2020 Ferrari F8 Spider, in all it's beachfront, bright-yellow glory! My test car started at $297,250. But options, options, and more options took the sticker to a hair under $397,000.

The F8 Spider is the convertible version of the F8 Tributo, which arrived in 2019 ...

Ferrari F8 Tributo. Ferrari

... To replace the 488 in Ferrari's lineup. The F8 Tributo sported a completely redesigned front end.

Ferrari 488. Hollis Johnson

I borrowed the convertible version of the 488 to take a drive up to Lime Rock Park, a legendary track in the Connecticut countryside.

Ferrari 488 Spider. Matthew DeBord/BI

It wasn't all sand and sun for the F8 Spider on my drive, which covered about 400 miles, from the New Jersey suburbs to the Montauk, on Long Island. The F8 looked gorgeous in the golden light of an East Coast sunset.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

It wasn't all sand and sun for the F8 Spider on my drive, which covered about 400 miles, from the New Jersey suburbs to the Montauk, on Long Island. The F8 looked gorgeous in the golden light of an East Coast sunset.

This Ferrari has a retractable hardtop that neatly stows in a compartment behind the cockpit. It disappears in about 20 seconds.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The most prominent new feature for the F8 Spider, as with the F8 Tributo, is an "S-duct" in the front that pipes air through the hood and intensifies downward pressure on the front wheels. It amps up downforce by 15%.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The most prominent new feature for the F8 Spider, as with the F8 Tributo, is an "S-duct" in the front that pipes air through the hood and intensifies downward pressure on the front wheels. It amps up downforce by 15%.

The arrangement is more Ferrari Enzo than 458 — the 488 predecessor was noted for its elegant fascia. But there's no debating the engineering.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The front splitter and ducting are all intended to shape the air around the F8 for performance, but it all adds up to a beautiful industrial design, even if it errs slightly on the side of aggression.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The front splitter and ducting are all intended to shape the air around the F8 for performance, but it all adds up to a beautiful industrial design, even if it errs slightly on the side of aggression.

The "SJ" shields — Scuderia Ferrari, the origin of the Italian brand, Enzo Ferrari's racing operation — on each fender are $1,856 extra. As it turns out one of the less expensive options.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The "SJ" shields — Scuderia Ferrari, the origin of the Italian brand, Enzo Ferrari's racing operation — on each fender are $1,856 extra. As it turns out one of the less expensive options.

Pop that hood and you'll find the F8 Spider's front trunk, or "frunk," which offered just enough stowage for an overnight bag and a large tote. Pack light!

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The drive out to Montauk found me contemplating this Hiroshi Sugimoto-esque view of the Atlantic Ocean.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The following day, I took the Ferrari F8 Spider to the beach.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The rear louvers vent the engine — and evoke the Ferrari F40, an iconic late-80s-early-1990s Ferrari. Although they don't evoke it as earnestly as the Tributo.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

Here's the F40, just so you know what I'm talking about.

Ferrari F40. Ferrari

And while the prancing horse takes up some modest real estate up front, the classic Ferrari script is rendered in chrome atop the engine compartment.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The F8's spoiler was actually pretty low-key, compared to some of the airplane lifters I've had riding behind me on some recent cars. It's a nod to the F40's signature tall wing, with a more modest spoiler wrapping around the tail lights.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The F8's spoiler was actually pretty low-key, compared to some of the airplane lifters I've had riding behind me on some recent cars. It's a nod to the F40's signature tall wing, with a more modest spoiler wrapping around the tail lights.

A pair of titanium exhaust pipes is $2,531. The diffuser completes the airflow efforts that commence up front.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

Ferrari F8 Spider

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The dynamically-spoked, "Glossy Silver" forged wheels added $6,243 to the price tag ...

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

... front and rear.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The blue brake calipers and ventilated discs, also front and rear, combined to deliver prodigious stopping power.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The vane on this duct is a carryover from the 488.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The F8's headlights are relatively straightforward, though swept-back. They're less jewel-like in the interior complexity than some of the LED rigs I've seen of late.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

But they're effective!

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The way they shape to the fender, forming a gentle angle, is hypnotic.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The F8 Spider is a magnificent, flowing piece of automotive design, and you can decide for yourself if the silhouette benefits or suffers from having the roof retracted. I know what my choice would be!

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The F8 Spider is a magnificent, flowing piece of automotive design, and you can decide for yourself if the silhouette benefits or suffers from having the roof retracted. I know what my choice would be!

Let's slide inside and check out that "Blu Sterling" interior.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

Even the carpeting is "Blu," by the way.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

Ferrari invites you to never forget what you're sitting in.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The F8 Spider might not look that roomy, and as a two-seater, it isn't. But because the engine is amidships, the cabin has an open, airy quality, even with the top down. Those "Corsa" carbon-fiber racing seats are ... $9,112.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The F8 Spider might not look that roomy, and as a two-seater, it isn't. But because the engine is amidships, the cabin has an open, airy quality, even with the top down. Those "Corsa" carbon-fiber racing seats are ... $9,112.

The stripes were another $1,181. Honestly, I expected the seats to be unforgiving over a few hundred miles, but they were surprisingly easygoing.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The F8's cabin is organized around the car's steering wheel.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

Carbon fiber, leather, and the prancing horse, all together, as well as turn signals and just about everything one needs to operate the car.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The famous red stop-start button, alongside the "bumpy road" button that adjusts the suspension for uneven terrain.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The manettino is totally Formula One and allows quick switches among three drive modes. You can deactivate the traction and stability control, but don't.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The yellow tachometer dominates the instrument cluster.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

This small screen to the right is where infotainment happens. Shockingly, everything from Bluetooth integration to navigation to media is available, controlled using a small dashboard interface. It isn't modern, but it's refreshingly un-distracting.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

This small screen to the right is where infotainment happens. Shockingly, everything from Bluetooth integration to navigation to media is available, controlled using a small dashboard interface. It isn't modern, but it's refreshingly un-distracting.

Cruise control is to the left.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

These long, elegant, carbon-fiber paddle shifters are so, so good.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

Otherwise, the F8's instrumentation and controls are exceptionally minimal.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

Gotta love the key-fob holder.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The passenger also has a digital display panel, so two can play along.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

I wouldn't call the F8's interior over-the-top luxurious, but it does exude a premium, handcrafted vibe just about everywhere.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

Lots of space in the glove compartment!

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

The JBL premium audio system sounded excellent (it was a $6,200 upgrade).

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

OK, the moment we've all been waiting for! Let's open the hatch and have a gander at the engine — the thrumming heart of the F8.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

Here we have a 710-horsepower, twin-turbocharged, 3.9-liter V8, making 568 pound-feet of torque.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

Sending the power to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the F8 Spider blasts through the 0-60 mph run in three seconds and tops out north of 210 mph.

Ferrari F8 Spider Matthew DeBord/Insider

Sending the power to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the F8 Spider blasts through the 0-60 mph run in three seconds and tops out north of 210 mph.

So what's the verdict?

Ferrari F8 Spider. Matthew DeBord/Insider

Before-and-after photos show how small updates can completely transform your patio

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

The $397,000 Ferrari F8 Spider is a majestic summary of everything great that the Italian carmaker can do

The 2020 Ferrari F8 Spider, in all it's beachfront, bright-yellow glory! My test car started at $297,250. But options, options, and more options took the sticker to a hair under $397,000.

The F8 Spider is the convertible version of the F8 Tributo, which arrived in 2019 ...

... To replace the 488 in Ferrari's lineup. The F8 Tributo sported a completely redesigned front end.

I borrowed the convertible version of the 488 to take a drive up to Lime Rock Park, a legendary track in the Connecticut countryside.

It wasn't all sand and sun for the F8 Spider on my drive, which covered about 400 miles, from the New Jersey suburbs to the Montauk, on Long Island. The F8 looked gorgeous in the golden light of an East Coast sunset.

This Ferrari has a retractable hardtop that neatly stows in a compartment behind the cockpit. It disappears in about 20 seconds.

The most prominent new feature for the F8 Spider, as with the F8 Tributo, is an "S-duct" in the front that pipes air through the hood and intensifies downward pressure on the front wheels. It amps up downforce by 15%.

The arrangement is more Ferrari Enzo than 458 — the 488 predecessor was noted for its elegant fascia. But there's no debating the engineering.

The front splitter and ducting are all intended to shape the air around the F8 for performance, but it all adds up to a beautiful industrial design, even if it errs slightly on the side of aggression.

The "SJ" shields — Scuderia Ferrari, the origin of the Italian brand, Enzo Ferrari's racing operation — on each fender are $1,856 extra. As it turns out one of the less expensive options.

Pop that hood and you'll find the F8 Spider's front trunk, or "frunk," which offered just enough stowage for an overnight bag and a large tote. Pack light!

The drive out to Montauk found me contemplating this Hiroshi Sugimoto-esque view of the Atlantic Ocean.

The following day, I took the Ferrari F8 Spider to the beach.

The rear louvers vent the engine — and evoke the Ferrari F40, an iconic late-80s-early-1990s Ferrari. Although they don't evoke it as earnestly as the Tributo.

Here's the F40, just so you know what I'm talking about.

And while the prancing horse takes up some modest real estate up front, the classic Ferrari script is rendered in chrome atop the engine compartment.

The F8's spoiler was actually pretty low-key, compared to some of the airplane lifters I've had riding behind me on some recent cars. It's a nod to the F40's signature tall wing, with a more modest spoiler wrapping around the tail lights.

A pair of titanium exhaust pipes is $2,531. The diffuser completes the airflow efforts that commence up front.

Ferrari F8 Spider

The dynamically-spoked, "Glossy Silver" forged wheels added $6,243 to the price tag ...

... front and rear.

The blue brake calipers and ventilated discs, also front and rear, combined to deliver prodigious stopping power.

The vane on this duct is a carryover from the 488.

The F8's headlights are relatively straightforward, though swept-back. They're less jewel-like in the interior complexity than some of the LED rigs I've seen of late.

But they're effective!

The way they shape to the fender, forming a gentle angle, is hypnotic.

The F8 Spider is a magnificent, flowing piece of automotive design, and you can decide for yourself if the silhouette benefits or suffers from having the roof retracted. I know what my choice would be!

Let's slide inside and check out that "Blu Sterling" interior.

Even the carpeting is "Blu," by the way.

Ferrari invites you to never forget what you're sitting in.

The F8 Spider might not look that roomy, and as a two-seater, it isn't. But because the engine is amidships, the cabin has an open, airy quality, even with the top down. Those "Corsa" carbon-fiber racing seats are ... $9,112.

The stripes were another $1,181. Honestly, I expected the seats to be unforgiving over a few hundred miles, but they were surprisingly easygoing.

The F8's cabin is organized around the car's steering wheel.

Carbon fiber, leather, and the prancing horse, all together, as well as turn signals and just about everything one needs to operate the car.

The famous red stop-start button, alongside the "bumpy road" button that adjusts the suspension for uneven terrain.

The manettino is totally Formula One and allows quick switches among three drive modes. You can deactivate the traction and stability control, but don't.

The yellow tachometer dominates the instrument cluster.

This small screen to the right is where infotainment happens. Shockingly, everything from Bluetooth integration to navigation to media is available, controlled using a small dashboard interface. It isn't modern, but it's refreshingly un-distracting.

Cruise control is to the left.

These long, elegant, carbon-fiber paddle shifters are so, so good.

Otherwise, the F8's instrumentation and controls are exceptionally minimal.

Gotta love the key-fob holder.

The passenger also has a digital display panel, so two can play along.

I wouldn't call the F8's interior over-the-top luxurious, but it does exude a premium, handcrafted vibe just about everywhere.

Lots of space in the glove compartment!

The JBL premium audio system sounded excellent (it was a $6,200 upgrade).

OK, the moment we've all been waiting for! Let's open the hatch and have a gander at the engine — the thrumming heart of the F8.

Here we have a 710-horsepower, twin-turbocharged, 3.9-liter V8, making 568 pound-feet of torque.

Sending the power to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the F8 Spider blasts through the 0-60 mph run in three seconds and tops out north of 210 mph.

So what's the verdict?