2020 Ferrari F8 Spider: A floppy Ferrari?

August 26th 2020

The new Ferrari F8 Spider is great in many ways, but far from ideal

Think back to 2009. Back then the Ferrari flagship was the 599GTB and its GT the was 612 Scaglietti, both replaced by all-new cars in 2012 and 2011 respectively. But the marque’s mid-engined V8, the then-new 458, didn’t get replaced so much as comprehensively updated into the 488GTB in 2015 and again last year into this F8. It’s still with us and should be so for some years to come.

In some respects it matters not at all, because whether you consider its looks, performance or handling balance it still delivers on the promise of that black horse. It is gorgeous, blindingly fast and terrific fun, which I concede is most boxes ticked.

Even so, in other still important regards its age is showing. The interior is ergonomically messy and technologically now years behind, and you only need look at the gorgeous, intuitive flat screen displays just rolled out on the SF90 and Roma to know it. But the Spider suffers in a way I had not expected: it wobbles. With the roof up it’s reasonably stiff, but as soon as you fold it back, old scuttle shake is soon apparent, making the car rattle and creak in a way you don’t want in any car costing so much. It’s still a lovely thing to punt down a decent road and if soaking up the stares is your thing, it’s a far prettier and more striking car than Ferrari’s other mid-engined V8, the SF90. But it feels like yesterday’s Ferrari.