Slip into Race mode and the revs in the Ferrari 458 Spider jump and the engine roars; in Auto mode, it can be civilised and docile.
Slip into Race mode and the revs in the Ferrari 458 Spider jump and the engine roars; in Auto mode, it can be civilised and docile.

Less roof, more fun: first drive of the Ferrari 458 Spider



Let's get something out of the way: Ferrari's 458 Italia is one of the true greats; a supercar that has changed the way all others are judged. It's one of the best driving machines ever produced and, in my humble opinion, is the finest ever to leave the Maranello factory. Even if you're not completely sold on the 458's looks, the way it drives is incomparable and it makes Ferrari's previous output, as good as they undoubtedly were, seem like they never happened.

Four years ago, somebody at Lamborghini haughtily told me "Ferrari is sleeping, they are not a concern". Only Ferrari turned out to be far from asleep and the 458 Italia was a huge wake-up call for all the rest. It's now the car against which all others are judged. That an open-topped 458 is now with us is no surprise and we all know that a Scuderia variant will be along in the near future because that's the way it works. The previous mid-engined V8 Ferrari, the F430, in Scuderia form, had many hacks like myself wondering how the company could possibly top it but the standard 458 has already done so. It's an incredible achievement. But could a Spider model undo that hard work?

It seems like only days since the 458 Spider was uncovered at the Frankfurt Motor Show, yet here I am, on a glorious Italian morning, mentally preparing myself for trying it out myself on some of the country's finest, twistiest mountain roads. And boy, does it look lovely. Whereas most coupés tend to lose some of their magic when they lose their roofs, this ingenious folding aluminium item has enabled the 458 to still look like it should, but we'll come back to that later.

Apart from the physical appearance of a convertible often leaving a nasty taste in the mouth, the driving can be seriously disappointing because of two factors: the amount of extra weight courtesy of added metal to help strengthen the car's structure can blunt performance and the inherent flexibility of the body once its roof has been removed can make a decent sports car feel like it's been fashioned from jelly if you drive it on anything but a perfectly smooth road. When Alfa Romeo turned the gorgeous Brera into the Spyder, the result was a wobbling catastrophe.

Ferrari has promised that the 458 Spider is different, and who am I to question that? The company is on a roll, producing a range of cars that all look different and offer different experiences behind the wheel, without losing any of that essential DNA. Only these days, the cars are incredibly reliable and, when Ferrari says the 458 Spider is a car that can and will be used every day, there's nobody sniggering any more.

Ever wondered why Ferrari and Alfa Romeo call their drop tops "Spiders" and "Spyders"? I have no clue why one uses an "I" and the other a "Y" but the story goes that, back in the 1950s, when sports cars used to roar through Italian villages with their roofs down, the local kids would run after them shouting "Speeder! Speeder!" And it stuck. That's one of the things I adore about Italy: the passion that seemingly everyone has for fast cars and the importance history has in almost everything they do. I've made up my mind, I'm retiring here.

The driving route looks tantalising. Roughly 400km of twisting hairpin goodness combined with a decent stretch of autostrada and precious few speed cameras. And tunnels. Lots of tunnels. Outside the hotel there are a dozen cars and my name is on a red one.

I open the driver's door and pour my frame into the Spider's cosseting leather seat. It's a rather nice place to spend time, even if you're at a standstill, but today is all about driving and the 458's cabin architecture leaves no doubt as to who's important - and it isn't the passenger. The dashboard layout is pretty much identical to the coupé, which means an extremely driver-focused environment. In fact, everything about the 458 puts the driver first, which in itself is rare these days.

The fit and finish is light years ahead of previous Ferrari quality, even on our preproduction test cars, which furthers the sense that they're built to be used every day. And, to be honest, if you owned a 458 you'd look for any possible excuse to use it rather than leave it in the garage. With that in mind I power down the roof (which takes just 14 seconds) and press the steering wheel-mounted red starter button.

The resulting sound is something to savour. One of the most nape-tingling exhaust notes on the planet is now well within earshot thanks to their being no roof but, even if the sun's too strong, you can always leave it up and lower the rear window for the full sonic experience. Today, though, the temperatures are mild and life is good.

Having spent some quality time in the coupé very recently, everything is familiar. Which means that, as soon as we're clear of the surrounding urban area and heading for the hills, I can get straight on it. Switching the manettino on the steering wheel to Race mode, the revs jump and the noise shatters the peace and quiet. But we're in Italy and a sports car's engine is music to the ears of the locals, who sit outside their houses cheering us on. They've had this every day for three weeks and nobody minds.

Over some low-speed roads where the tarmac has seen better days, there is the merest hint of body flex but, once I'm on the power, this dissipates into a sense of complete control. Ferrari says the Spider is softer than its coupé sibling but, from where I'm sitting, there's no difference. And that's the best possible news for someone like me.

With a staccato wail that positively encourages full-bore downshifts whenever possible, this 570hp V8 engine is a masterpiece. The redline doesn't come until a heady 9,000rpm, so there's plenty of willingness to go very quickly indeed - something I'm only too happy to revel in on these empty switchbacks. The clever electronic stability control allows a bit of slip when powering out of corners, sending the rear end shimmying for a second before regaining composure and, even though I know the computers are keeping everything tidy, I still feel totally in control. I feel completely involved in every single thing this car does.

My passenger, Qatar-based journalist and proud Welshman James McCarthy, finds himself prone to whooping like an over-excited American, uttering unrepeatable phrases as the Spider briefly relinquishes its massive levels of lateral grip and the rear tyres hang on for dear life. It's a huge shot of adrenaline, even for a passenger.

As we trundle through sleepy villages, I switch the F1 DSG transmission into Auto mode and the fearsome brute becomes civilised, docile and as easy to navigate as a big Jaguar. The suspension, which has been reworked and differs from the coupé, soaks up some pretty horrific bumps with aplomb and there's no spine jarring stiffness to unsettle car or occupants. And that exhaust, while always shouty when pressing on, is quiet when it needs to be. It's a car for all occasions, with a Jekyll and Hyde split personality; it's an astonishing achievement.

That folding metal roof took Ferrari's engineers into uncharted territory. The company claims it's the first fitted to a mid-engined supercar and, when you consider that the big V8 nestles right behind the cabin, it is a feat of engineering too. It's 25kg lighter than the fabric one fitted to the F430 and has just two moving sections. It neatly slots itself into a gap between the seats and the engine, taking up just 100L of space when folded. There's even room for a small shelf just behind the seats that Ferrari claims is big enough to house a (presumably empty) golf bag. I do wish car companies would stop using golf bags as yardsticks when it comes to space but there's expensive leather luggage designed to fit in the gap, with the 458 Spider logo, naturally.

Unusually for me, I can find precious little to criticise here. The instrument binnacle still looks daft and the passenger footwell is awkwardly shaped, but that's about it. The Spider, in Europe, costs about Dh150,000 more than the coupé and it's worth every single fil. I can't think of a single compelling reason to choose a coupé over the Spider and that's as high as my praise gets. I'm considering auctioning a kidney to kick-start my fundraising - I won't rest until there's one of these parked outside my Tuscany villa. One day, mark my words.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

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Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest

Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.

Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.

Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.

Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.

Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.

Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday

Second leg

Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm

Game is on BeIN Sports

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

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ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes. 

The trip

From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.

The biog

From: Upper Egypt

Age: 78

Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila

Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace

Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace

THE SPECS

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Power: 275hp at 6,600rpm

Torque: 353Nm from 1,450-4,700rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Top speed: 250kph

Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: Dh146,999


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