On Greek coastal roads and mountain passes, the Amalfi Spider makes every kilometre feel special.
The Ferrari Amalfi Spider has no shortage of startling statistics. It produces 640 CV, accelerates to 100km/h in just 3.3 seconds and can lower its soft-top in a speedy 13.5 seconds. Yet the open-air Amalfi is equally rewarding when you ignore the stopwatch and simply enjoy the drive.
We’ve come to Greece, just west of Athens, to explore both sides of the new model’s character, first tracing the spectacular coastline of the Gulf of Megara, before climbing into the winding mountain roads of western Attica to experience this 2+ spider at its most dynamic.
Successor to the Roma Spider, the Amalfi Spider features a twin-turbocharged V8, two-plus rear seating and agile rear-wheel-drive handling, just like the coupe. But the addition of a convertible roof literally opens up a whole new sensory experience versus the coupe – from feeling the sunshine on your face to hearing more of that rousing V8 soundtrack.
Join us on a Greek road trip as the Amalfi Spider reveals its remarkable blend of open-air refinement and thrilling V8 performance
The tailor-made or technical-fabric soft-top is drawn taut over its frame like lean muscle tone when closed, making the perfect complement to the precision surfacing of the Amalfi’s aluminium bodywork.
Our test car is specified with the technical fabric, which features a distinctive weave that glints in the morning sunlight outside our beachfront hotel. It lends the roof a shimmering, three-dimensional quality and contrasts beautifully with the Rosso Tramonto exterior paint and sculptural 20-inch alloys.
The roof is also hugely refined. Heading east along the coast, the five-layer construction mutes not only the bluster of a 130km/h cruise, but the gusting winds sweeping down from the hills above.
The soft-top opens even at up to 60km/h, so as I leave the coastal autoroute and head inland, I pull back the button on the centre console and the mechanism smoothly and quietly folds away behind the two rear seats. Just 220mm thick when stowed, it leaves the Amalfi’s rear bodywork looking every bit as elegant as the coupe’s, while preserving class-leading luggage capacity.
From the coastline of the Gulf of Megara to the winding mountain roads of western Attica, the Amalfi Spider is equally at ease
Our route threads upwards into the hills, winding between rocky slopes and steep drops as the sweet scent of pine drifts through the open cabin. It’s a challenging road with a sun-baked, dusty surface that could wrong-foot a powerful rear-wheel drive sports car, but Maranello’s dynamics experts are adamant that the Amalfi Spider should be unintimidating for people new to Ferrari. So it transpires.
In Comfort mode, the new Spider is particularly benign – the ride is beautifully supple even as the road bucks and weaves, the V8 and eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox are smooth and progressive, and the stability systems intervene early and discreetly thanks to the rapid responses of Side Slip Control 6.1.
But twist the manettino through to Sport or Race, and the Amalfi Spider instantly reveals a sharper, more intense side to its personality. Now the engine responds with greater urgency, surging eagerly through its mid-range, and the exhaust note becoming more vocal as the revs climb towards the 7,500rpm power peak. Pull a paddleshifter and the gear shifts now pop with a sharper, more incisive edge, almost like finger clicks. It feels alive in your hands.
Measuring just 220mm thick when stowed, the fabric roof disappears neatly behind the seats, preserving the Amalfi Spider’s graceful silhouette and elegant rear deck
At speed, the balance of this chassis comes into sharp focus too. With the engine mounted behind the front axle for optimum weight distribution, the Amalfi Spider turns with remarkable agility, while fast-paced steering instantly places the nose just where you want it and the new ABS Evo braking system delivers an endlessly firm and consistent pedal for extra confidence. It’s an exceptionally fluid machine to hustle over a landscape like this, the additional 80kg that the Spider carries simply melting away.
After the wide-open vistas east of Dafni, our route heads first east and then south on roads that sweep in longer, faster arcs, but soon mix in a little more traffic to curb my enthusiasm. No matter – with the roof folded away and the Saronic Gulf now appearing in the hazy distance, I again settle back and go with the flow, easing the Amalfi along with gentle inputs until I reluctantly hand back the keys at the hotel. It’s been an incredible drive.
The Amalfi was already a Ferrari with an unusually broad range of talents: calm and comfortable one moment, genuinely thrilling the next. The Spider does not change that character; it simply adds a new dimension to the experience.
Report by Ben Barry for ferrari.com
