Meet the Ferrari Amalfi Spider: the convertible that politely robs you of composure and your weekend plans. This is Ferrari’s latest 2+ spider (car-speak for “you can take two adults and a vaguely hopeful pair of rear-seat passengers”) and it’s stitched together with elegance, ego, and a soft top that opens faster than your excuses for being late. In short: sexy, practical(ish), and utterly uncompromising in its pursuit of a good time.
Under the long, sculpted bonnet sits the mill that matters: a front-mid-mounted twin-turbo V8 kicking out 640 hp (yes, six-forty) tuned to deliver instant response whether you’re carving mountain passes or doing the most dramatic lane change since sliced bread. The result promises that familiar Ferrari cocktail of immediacy and menace, shaken, not stirred.
If you’re the sort of person who demands drama on demand, the Amalfi Spider answers with theatrical aerodynamics and a three-position mobile rear wing. Low Drag, Medium Downforce, and High Downforce settings are shuffled automatically based on speed and lateral forces, and in HD mode the wing can add up to 110 kg of downforce at 250 km/h with less than a 4% drag penalty, so “it behaves, even at stupid speeds.”
Soft top, hard facts: the Amalfi Spider’s Z-fold soft top vaults open in 13.5 seconds, and yes, you can do it while doing up to 60 km/h. When folded it’s a neat 220 mm thick, which is why Ferrari somehow manages to give this convertible a genuinely useful boot, (255 litres with the roof up, 172 litres with it down) making this one of the rare Ferraris you could actually use for a weekend away without packing like you’re climbing Everest.
Ferrari has been very clear: this was meant to be a convertible with real usability, not a fragile, scenic sculpture. The soft top is a five-layer acoustic sandwich that fights road noise and heat so well Ferrari claims insulation comparable to an RHT (retractable hardtop). Translation: you can cruise with the top down and still have a conversation, or at least not get permanently deafened by the soundtrack.
Inside, the Amalfi Spider wears its intentions on every surface, minimalist, functional, yet undeniably pretty. The dual-cockpit layout keeps driver and passenger feeling uniquely cosseted, and there’s a central tunnel machined from solid aluminium that looks like it was milled in a space program hangar and then gently caressed by Italian leather. Personalisation goes deep: components can be trimmed in the same fabric as the soft top, giving a continuity between roof and cockpit that is oddly soothing.
There’s proper tactile joy to be had: the new steering wheel brings back physical buttons (hallelujah for tactile people) and the iconic anodised aluminium start button lives on the left spoke, drama at the push of a thumb. The digital kit is non-invasive but competent: a 15.6″ instrument cluster, a 10.25″ central capacitive display for multimedia and climate, and an 8.8″ passenger screen so your co-driver can watch revs and G-forces while you do the actual work. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are onboard, as is wireless phone charging and MyFerrari Connect for remote monitoring, yes, even Ferraris now have apps.
Don’t worry, hotheads: braking tech is up-to-date. A brake-by-wire system underpins the package with ABS Evo for consistent performance across varying grip conditions, which means the Amalfi Spider has the composure to back up the bravado.
Ferrari hasn’t ignored the small, delicious things. There’s an integrated wind deflector in the rear bench that pops up on the touch of a button to cut turbulence and protect your coiffure, that’s passenger comfort considered at speed. And those forged wheels and carbon-fibre details? Functional, yes, but mostly there to look like you definitely know which way the apex is.
A word on aesthetics because that’s half the deal here: designer Flavio Manzoni’s studio has given the Amalfi Spider a monolithic, sculptural speedform that remains recognisable whether the roof is up or down. The silhouette keeps the proportions of the hardtop Amalfi, so you don’t end up with a chopped-together convertible look. New colour alert: Rosso Tramonto (an intense red with discreet orange undertones inspired by dusk on the Amalfi Coast) joins Ferrari’s chromatic arsenal and will look particularly smug under streetlights.
The soft-top fabric itself gets design attention: four tailor-made colours and two ‘technical fabric’ options including a new Tecnico Ottanio, whose distinctive weave shimmers and can extend visually across the tonneau and rear surfaces for a continuous material flow when the top is stowed. It’s fashion-forward bonnet-tuckery.
Mechanically, the Amalfi Spider is thoughtful: cooling and flow management were part of the aero brief, with bypass ducts, vortex generators, underbody diffusers, and wheel fairings doing the unsexy but crucial work. The outcome is a convertible that aims to match the hardtop’s aero efficiency while remaining civilized with the roof down.
Ok, the verdict without the pep talk: the Ferrari Amalfi Spider positions itself as a practical, performance-first open-top Ferrari, a rare beast that wants both your weekend luggage and your adrenaline. It keeps the family-pleasing aspects (2+ layout, usable boot) while ensuring the performance DNA remains undiluted (640 hp V8, active aero, sophisticated chassis tech). If you’re buying a Ferrari and need a little real-world utility without pretending to adulthood, this may well be the one.
