The 1000cv 2021 Ferrari SF90 Spider Has Just Been Locally Unwrapped

Naza Italia introduces the 2021 Ferrari SF90 Spider.

Naza Italia, the official importer and distributor of Ferrari in Malaysia, has locally taken the wraps off the new 2021 Ferrari SF90 Spider, the first retractable hardtop hybrid from the Maranello based brand.

With a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine with three electric motors, the convertible hybrid can do 0-124 kph in 2.8 seconds, about 0.3 seconds slower than its Stradale brother. The electric motor placements are interesting, with two sitting at the front of the car and one nestling between the ICE (internal combustion engine) engine and eight-speed dual-clutch auto gearbox, ala F1-MGUK (motor generator unit kinetic) style. 

As mentioned before, the SF90 Spider comes with a hardtop instead of a soft-top as Ferrari believes that the hardtop will not deform at high speeds and make for better noise insulation. The puzzling thing is, Ferrari has built a fancy tube from the engine bay straight into the cabin that points the engine roar straight to you - so maybe it's more of a deformity matter than anything else.

The Spider carries the same new mechanical tech from its sibling, headlined by the new 15mm shorter and 10kg lighter eight-speed DCT auto, which is impressive despite having an extra gear and 900Nm of torque going through it. 

Looks-wise, the difference between the Spider and Stradale include a 20mm lower roof, slightly thinner A-pillars, and venting in the rear screen. Compare the two via picture, and you won't see much difference but put them side by side, and you'll notice a slightly more cabin forward stance on the Spider.

As is the case with the SF90 Stradale, the SF90 Spider is also available with an additional specification option for owners that want to push its track credentials to the extreme. The Assetto Fiorano pack includes a list of exclusive upgrades that set it apart from the standard car, not least Multimatic shock absorbers, the adoption of high-performance materials such as carbon-fibre and titanium, which have shaved 21 kg off the car's weight, a carbon-fibre rear spoiler and road-homologated Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres designed to make the car sticky on the track.

The Spider has impressive powertrain modes, which include, electric, hybrid and 4WD hybrid. The Spider turns into an FWD car in electric mode and has a range of up to 26km off its 7.9kWh batteries. Speed is limited to 84mph in electric mode. Hah, who says you can't use a Ferrari to go work and back without burning any petrol. 

The rest of the modes utilises the ICEV engine and electric powertrain together, which unleashes the car's 1000cv power (ICE and electric motors combined). The Famous Ferrari eManettino steering wheel selector is also available and lets you choose between eDrive, Hybrid, Performance and Qualify. The Qualify mode pops up a small stopwatch button above the checkered flag on the steering wheel's touch-sensitive part and will focus all the available power to the wheels.

What hasn't changed from its brother is the downforce it generates. The SF90 Spider's downforce is largely determined by the patented aero device on the car’s tail: the shut-off Gurney. In order to guarantee the same performance as the coupé, the Ferrari team had to work on the volumes and surfaces of the roof to manage the direction of the aerodynamic flow towards the car’s tail. 

The shut-off Gurney is a suspended element comprising two sections: one fixed and one mobile with a wedge-shaped front area. The system is controlled by a sophisticated logic that controls parameters such as speed, acceleration, steering wheel angle, and pressure on the brake pedal, hundreds of times a second in order to identify dynamic conditions requiring more downforce and then promptly activates the system.

The Ferrari SF90 Spider is available from the base price of RM 2,088,000 (before duties, customization options, taxes, and insurance). For further details, contact the Ferrari Malaysia Showroom.