Top Car

January 2016 |TOPCAR.CO.ZA 33``````LOVELooks, interior,steering, chassis``````HATEWemissthe 458’schase tothe redline``````VERDICTLikethe outgoing458, but radicallydifferent todrive``````Much has been madeof tu rbo character,but make no mistake,the 488 is an epicallyfast,prop erFerrariAnd 14 seconds later it looks like this. Roofup or down,it’s one beautifully proportioned ItalianSome things haven’t changed. The newSpider looks awesome – I had reservationsabout those side scoops when I first sa w thepictures, but in the metal they look thebusiness. The interior is a tweak on the 458,still brilliant and full of character. But dropthat roof and you hear the changes as youstart up – the engine has a deeper note, morelike a burb le than a mechanical whirr. Onceyou’re rolling, that burb le becomes atrombone, rising with th at immediatetorque – and no, there is no lag. But the waythe torque comes in has a stra nge effect – Ifound myself shor t-shiftin g, pulling thepaddle earlier in the rev range to change up,riding the torque. In the 458 – and especiallythe Speciale – each gear was wrung out tothe redline, just for the electrif ying noiseand drama you got at the higher revs. Thatkind of excitement is missing from the newturbo V8. Okay, it is mind-boggling fast – Imean, terrifyingly, brutally fast, borderlinetoo fast on these ro ads, with corner aftercorner coming at you like targets in anarcade game. With so many hairpins, somuch steering lock and so much torque, thetraction controlwas blinkingconstantly, asilent indi cator ofthe gargantuan torqueavailable. I turned the tractioncontroloff with th e littlemanettinoswitch on thesteering wheel, and sureenough the 488 will oversteerout of any corner, anywhere,second or third ge ar, uphill ordownhill, eyes tight shut orwide open in terror.``````Thankfully, the gorgeously ba lanced andsupple chassis, along with th at super-fastand accurate steering, allow you to gather itup in a lovely arc, but you have to beseriously on your toes.Again, this kind of casu al oversteer isdifferent to the outgoing 458, which wouldslide but only with moredeliberation, morerevs and morecommitment. The 488 is adrift monster, as well as a cruiser.So it’s different – but what about better orworse? That’s like asking, do you want toride a wasp or a warm, buttered frog?Personally I’m a wasp man:I loved the 458 Italia beca useit was spine-tingling, in a wayI don’t feel the 488 Spider is;and I still stand by my claimthat the Speciale was the bestFerrari for all eternity. Butthat doesn’t mean the new488 Spider isn’t a mind-blowing experience, and asensational car to drive. Itsimply isn’t a 458.tc