World premiere of the Ferrari Amalfi Spider

Ferrari has unveiled the new Amalfi Spider, the soft-top convertible version of the Amalfi coupe (not without coincidence, the reveal took place on the same day that the Amalfi made its SEA debut). 

The key difference, of course, is the roof. The Amalfi Spider features a soft-top roof that opens in 13.5 seconds, and can be operated while driving at up to 60km/h (this is also the only current Ferrari convertible that uses a soft-top). One particular consideration of offering the Amalfi Spider as a soft-top (rather than a hard-top) is the increased range of personalisation possible - with four colours in tailor-made fabric and two in technical fabric, as well as the option of contrast stitching. Ferrari says that the increased range of personalisation is more in keeping with the character of the car, as well as its likely clientele. 

The soft-top roof opens in 13.5 seconds, and has been designed to offer acoustic insulation comparable to a retractable hard-top

The Z-fold kinematic system means that the roof measures just 220mm thick when stowed, which means that the 255 litres of boot space is reduced to 172 litres when the roof is down. The five-layer, sandwich-assembled acoustic fabric construction is also designed to improve acoustic insulation - Ferrari claims that it is comparable to a vehicle equipped with a retractable hard-top. There is also an integrated wind deflector built into the rear bench backrest, which improves comfort by reducing turbulence during open-top driving.

With the Amalfi Spider, Ferrari is also debuting a new colour - Rosso Tramonto, said to be inspired by the "warm light of the setting sun". 

Otherwise, the Amalfi Spider shares pretty much the same package as the Amalfi (in fact it is almost identical). 

The Amalfi Spider marks the debut of a new colour for the brand - Rosso Tramonto

Power from the twin-turbo V8 remains at 631bhp and 760Nm of torque. Though the extra roof mechanism means the Spider does incur a weight penalty (1,556kg vs the coupe's 1,470kg), the 0-100km/h time of 3.3 seconds is exactly the same, while 0-200km/h takes just 0.4 seconds longer. And of course, the Spider gets all the same technological upgrades, including the brake-by-wire system, ABS Evo, 5-position Manettino, recalibrated gearbox, and so on. The Amalfi Spider also retains all the same aerodynamic components, including the active rear diffuser. 

The interior is once more almost identical to the Amalfi - the same refined and minimalised dual-cockpit concept that features the new-generation steering wheel with physical controls, a repositioned central infotainment display, and the same one-piece centre console. Indeed, looking at the pictures, the only identifiably different element is the two additional switches found on said centre console (presumably one to operate the roof mechanism, and the other the wind deflector).  

The Amalfi Spider's launch comes almost 8 months after the Amalfi was first launched, which is in contrast to several of Ferrari's recent model launches. With the 12Ciliindri, 849 Testarossa and 296 Speciale, both coupe and spider variants were concurrently launched. When asked about this at the Amalfi SEA launch, Emanuel Carando, Ferrari Head of Global Product Marketing, tells us that it was about "making things less predictable". Additionally, he also highlighted that the profile of a coupe and spider buyer for such a model is more distinct and separate, in comparison to some other models where customers might buy both the coupe and spider variants.