Ferrari 488 Spider Test Drive

Ferrari has an advantage over all but one of its rivals in development of supercars and sports cars: seven unbroken decades of institutional knowledge derived from success in the highest realms of motorsport.
Even in a world as rarefied as open-bodied mid-engine supercars, Maranello’s 488 Spider stands apart. It’s not just the 10-second quarter mile or the 60-mph sprint under three seconds or top speed a few ticks beyond 200. Other supercars deliver equally good measurables with ruthless, exhilarating efficiency.
In 488 Spider, Ferrari melds quantifiable speed with musicality, human factors that make the cockpit, steering and suspension extensions of the driver’s body, computer scripting that’s an extension of the driver’s brain and nervous system, and an almost erotic driving sensibility that engineers from less passionate northern European cultures rarely aspire to. A select few cars are faster, quicker, more expensive, more accomplished on a racetrack for those who indulge such passions, but 488 Spider delivers sensory immersion that leads to a transcendental state of mind—it’s high-speed Zen yoga.
In 488 Spider, Ferrari melds quantifiable speed with musicality, human factors that make the cockpit, steering and suspension extensions of the driver’s body, computer scripting that’s an extension of the driver’s brain and nervous system, and an almost erotic driving sensibility that engineers from less passionate northern European cultures rarely aspire to. A select few cars are faster, quicker, more expensive, more accomplished on a racetrack for those who indulge such passions, but 488 Spider delivers sensory immersion that leads to a transcendental state of mind—it’s high-speed Zen yoga