Ferrari advances product offensive with two new folding hardtops

MILAN -- Ferrari on Monday unveiled the F8 spider and the 812 GTS, the latest models in its product offensive.

The F8 spider is the roadster version of the F8 Tributo eight-cylinder turbocharged mid-engine coupe unveiled at the Geneva auto show this year. The 812 GTS is the convertible version of the 12-cylinder front-engine 812 Superfast.

The F8 Spider replaces the 488 Spider. Its engine delivers an extra 49 hp and it is 20 kg lighter than its predecessor. It weighs just 20 kg more than the more extreme 488 Pista Spider. The F8 Spider's engine inherits highly efficient weight-reduction measures from the 488 Pista that have cut the powertrain's weight by 18 kg compared to the 488 Spider.

Its turbocharged engine is a development of the V-8 engine of the Tributo. It delivers 710 hp at 8,000 rpm. Its torque peaks at 770 newton meters at 3,250 rpm. The engine is coupled with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The F8 spider has a top speed of 340 kph (211 mph) and accelerates from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 2.9 seconds.

The design of the F8 Spider was crafted around its retractable hardtop. The key was the shifting of the separation line between the car's body and the roof from its conventional position at the belt-line to above the B-pillar. This makes the top more compact and two-dimensional, with the result that it can be divided into two parts and stowed on top of the engine. The top takes 14 seconds to deploy or retract and can be closed or opened while the car is on the move up to 45 kph.

The 812 GTS marks the return of a 12-cylinder spider in the series-production range after 50 years, Ferrari said. The last in that lineage was the 1969 365 GTS4, also known as the Daytona Spider because of Ferrari's victory in the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona. The most recent V-12 front-engine spider was the F60 America in 2014. Only 60 were built.

The V-12 naturally aspirated engine is the same unit in the 812 Superfast, also coupled with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

It delivers 789 hp at 8,500 rpm making the 812 GTS the most powerful production spider on the market, according to Ferrari. Its 718 newton meters of torque guarantee an acceleration virtually on par with that of the 812 Superfast: less than 3 seconds from 0 to 100 kph.

The retractable hardtop opens in 14 seconds at speeds of up to 45 kph. According to Ferrari it does not impinge upon the interior dimensions, maintaining the donor car's roomy cockpit. The electric rear screen acts as a wind-stop and can be left open with the top up "to allow occupants to enjoy the V-12's soundtrack."

The entire rear of the car has been redesigned, with two buttresses beneath which the roof movement mechanism is stowed. The buttresses were designed to visually embody a sense of forward thrust and lend the side windows a signature look that would set the spider apart from the Berlinetta.

Production of the F8 spider and the 812 GTS will start in the second quarter of 2020, with volume deliveries in the second half of the year.

Enrico Galliera, chief marketing and commercial officer expects the F8 spider to reach a 50-50 share split with the F8 Tributo.

For both the F8 spider and the 812 GTS the price will approximately be 11 percent higher than that of the F8 Tributo and 812 Superfast, respectively.

The prices in Italy will be 336,000 euros for the 812GTS and 262,000 euros F8 spider.

The cheapest Ferrari in Italy is the V-8 Portofino convertible, which starts at 196,000 euros; currently the most expensive production car is the SF90, with a base price of 430,000 euros.

Ferrari has said it will debut five new or redesigned models this year.

Earlier this year the automaker unveiled the F8 Tributo, the successor to the 488, and the SF90 Stradale, Ferrari's the first series production plug-in hybrid.

Ferrari Chairman John Elkann said last month at the annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance that Ferrari will expand sales of easier driving grand touring cars, which currently account for 32 percent of Ferrari sales.