Car News

5 Things You Need to Know About Ferrari's New Supercar Convertibles

Ferrari has just revealed a pair of new convertibles set to be delivered next spring, just in time for open-air cruising. The pair gives you the option of fast (F8 Spider) or absurd (812 GTS). They're powered by a turbo V8 or big V12. Here are five things you need to know about these two newest supercar convertibles.

1,499

That's how many horses the two cars have. Added together, that is. The F8 Spider gets the same 3.9L twin-turbo V8 as the F8 coupe with 710 hp on tap thanks to titanium rotating parts and plenty of boost. This engine has an 8,000 rpm redline to help make sure the open roof gives you plenty to listen to. The 812 GTS uses the 6.5L V12 from the 812 Superfast coupe. It makes 789 hp and the automaker says it's the most powerful convertible you can buy. That one screams all the way to 8,900 rpm.

14

That's how many seconds it takes to open the roofs on each of these cars. And they'll close in the same amount of time, plus both will open or close the top at speeds up to 45 km/h in case you get surprised by the rain. That makes stop-light roof movements no problem. They're both retractable hardtops as well for bad-weather comfort.

50

That's how many years since Ferrari has built a regular-production V12 Spider, with the last one being the 1969 365 GTS4, better known as the Daytona Spider. Sure, there have been some other open V12s since, like the 575 Superamerica, but those ones were limited-run special editions. So Ferrari says they don't count.

75

To stiffen up the 812 GTS and add the hard roof, Ferrari had to add 75 kg to the car. But specially calibrated magnetic dampers should help ensure that it's just as sweet of a drive as the fixed-top car. The F8 Spider has also gained 70 kg, but it's still 20 kg lighter than the car it replaces.

340

Believe it or not, both of these open-top cars can hit a top speed of 340 km/h, Ferrari claims. Even more impressively, that's the exact same top speed as the Berlinetta versions of both, though we're assuming the top speeds are with the roof closed. Ferrari hasn't said what they'll do with the top open, but we're willing to bet that speed will be limited by the wind in your face as much as the revised wings, spoilers, and diffusers that help the two spiders go so quickly.