Ferrari SF90 Spider: the first plug-in hybrid convertible from Ferrari

It was unveiled at a digital event, as the current situation demands. But the Ferrari SF90 Spider, the first plug-in hybrid convertible from Ferrari, has now had its roof lowered. Sharing the powertrain of the SF90 Stradale, this new Spider becomes the most powerful production model ever built by Ferrari capable of driving without a roof.

Can you imagine how the 1,000 CV of its hybrid powertrain will sound from the driver’s seat when accelerating hard with the roof folded away? There’s surely no concert quite like it… Although the SF90 Spider can also travel with no more noise than its tyres on the road, powered solely by its electric motors.

Plug-in hybrid with a twin-turbo V8 and three electric motors

Like the SF90 Stradale, the Spider combines the 780 CV twin-turbo V8 with three electric motors: one on the front axle coupled to the combustion engine, and two on the rear axle. This configuration means the SF90 Spider also features four-wheel drive, which transmits the system’s full 1,000 CV to the road through the 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox. It is another first for the brand, which until now had never offered a convertible with all-wheel drive.

Adopting a folding hard top has not meant giving up any of the exceptional performance of the closed version, not even by a fraction. The SF90 Spider keeps the Stradale’s acceleration figure, with 2.5 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h. It reaches 200 km/h from a standstill in less time than a good GTI takes to accelerate to half that speed: just 7 seconds. And top speed remains unchanged at 340 km/h.

But there is one more figure that speaks to the car’s potential: its lap time at Fiorano, where the Spider again comes in under 80 seconds, like its “brother” with the roof.

Behind the wheel of the SF90 Spider you can therefore feel like a driver… or a pilot. It depends on the driving mode you select on the new eManettino on the steering wheel: eDrive, Hybrid, Performance or Qualify. Their names are fairly representative of how the car’s various systems are configured in each case. It is worth knowing, though, that in eDrive mode the SF90 can travel on electric power alone for up to 25 km, thanks to its 7.9 kWh battery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL7EHCyG1vg

In Hybrid mode efficiency is optimised, combining all four motors but limiting the electric output to preserve the battery. The fun begins in Performance mode, although the maximum output of 1,000 CV is only available in the “Qualify” setting.

With the sky as its roof in just 14 seconds

Once again, the solution Ferrari has used to “reveal” the SF90 is its retractable hard-top system (RHT). This configuration has the advantage of providing the best thermal and acoustic insulation when driving with the roof closed. The first Ferrari model to use this RHT system was the Ferrari 458 Spider of 2011.

The mechanism opens or closes the lightweight roof in just 14 seconds, even while moving. With a very compact design, it takes up only 100 litres once folded. The use of aluminium saves 40 kg compared with a hard roof, partly offsetting the reinforcements required in the bodyshell and the weight of the mechanism itself. The rear window also operates independently, acting as a windbreak when driving with the roof down.

Ferrari has worked hard in the wind tunnel to minimise turbulence and aerodynamic noise when driving with the roof open. Among the innovations applied are an active system that varies rear downforce, vortex generators on the lower front section, and aerodynamic-profile wheels. A downforce of 390 kg is claimed at 250 km/h in its most racing-oriented configuration, called Assetto Fiorano.

Besides its two-tone finish, the SF90 Spider Assetto Fiorano is characterised by special competition-derived dampers, a carbon-fibre rear spoiler, and carbon and titanium components that cut 21 kg. It also comes as standard with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, road-homologated but designed to improve lap times on track.

SF90 Spider Ferrari Image Gallery