More joy. Less worry.
It is the king of the convertibles now. The 849 Testarossa. The car works just as well without the roof on as it does with it. Fast. Loud. Usable. In fact. It is arguably more fun with the top down. You get that extra rush of air. Of course. The styling. It might be too much for some people. But let us be clear. It is still a daily driver. You can take this to work. Or at least. To the place you buy lattes.
Tenerife splits
Island driving gives you choices. Sun in the south. Fog in the north. The Ferrari 849 feels similar. Split identity. It has an electric mode for the quiet parts of town. 15 miles worth. Then it has 1,035 horsepower for the rest of the drive. You do not disturb anyone until you decide to. Which is usually very soon.
And the looks? They do that thing where people stare. Not subtle. Never subtle. But that is the point. The name “Testarossa” carries weight. History matters. The old one? No open-top version. Never was. The video game Outrun lied to us. Or maybe it just imagined better. There was a one-off build. For Gianni Agnelli. Special. But generally? It stayed hard. Until now.
Not a surprise. A fix.
Ferrari took the SF90. They knew where it was weak. So they fixed it. The Spider here is basically an evolved SF90. Better in every way. The roof? It goes away in 14 seconds. At speed. Up to 45kph. It folds neat. No awkward humps. Looks just right. Or just wrong. Depending on how much you like seventies race cars mixed with brute force.
The wind is gone. Or mostly. The SF90 struggled with air hitting you in the face. Not anymore. Ducts behind the headrests. Air goes over you. Then down the center console. It actually feels weird. Like the car is breathing with you. And the rear window slides down. Electrically. To let the V8 sing louder. Which it does.
The noise
819 of those horsepower come from the V8. The rest comes from electric motors. The engine itself. Redesigned. New heads. Bigger turbos. Faster response. It wakes up when you hit the right buttons. A guttural bark. The exhaust is wider. 20% wider in spots. Heavier? No. It stays light. You can hear everything. No rev counter needed if Apple CarPlay messes it up. Just listen. The red line is at 8,200. Higher than before. You know it.
Driving it
Pedal to the floor. It is simple. But controlled. The gearshifts snap. Carbon fiber. Tactile. The throttle responds instantly. You do not need all the power all the time. Half throttle is enough. Quarter throttle is plenty. But when you need it? The brakes work. Huge discs behind those wheels. Cooling improved. You can mash the brakes. They do not fade.
Steering is sharp. Not twitchy. Precise. Grip is immense. You turn. The car turns. No fear. Even at the edge. It stays planted. The turning circle is terrible though. Park carefully. The Assetto Fiorano package makes it stiffer. Lighter dampers. 35% lighter. Better for tracks. For streets? Stick to standard. More comfort. Same hold. It is heavy. 1,660 kg. But it flies. 415kg of down force. Invisible on the street. But there.
Tech that hides
Traction control usually just reacts. Ferrari thinks ahead. They call it the FIVE system. Digital twin of the car. Watches acceleration. Pitch. Roll. Yaw. Knows what will happen before it happens. Error margin is tiny. Less than a degree. Less than one mph. You do not feel it working. Which means it works.
Is it expensive? Yes. Half a million. Plus options. But look around. The Lamborghini Revuelto costs the same. Has no roof variant yet. The Aston Martin Valhalla? Twice the price. Same power. So this. The Spider. It looks almost reasonable. Almost.
You buy the car for the noise. For the roof down. For the feeling of speed. Is it perfect? Nothing is. But this. It comes close.
Verdict
The Spider loses nothing to the coupe in performance. Gains in experience. The open air makes it wilder. And somehow. More civilized.
Key Details
– Model : Ferrari 849 Testarotta Spider
– Price : Starts around £442,465
– Power : 1,036 bhp (PHEV V8)
– 0-62 mph : 2.3s
– EV Range : 15 miles
