New Ferrari Amalfi Spider review: an intoxicating drop-top

The engine electronics, along with changes to the spring and active damper rates combine to calm the Amalfi Spider when introducing it to some tighter turns or a road that never straightens and requires constant driver input. It dives into corners cleanly, settles smartly and you can drive out of each turn with little or no shock to the system. Any nervousness or spikiness that Roma customers were weary off is no more.

Not that this means the Amalfi has gone soft, because in Sport and Race it remains a full-bodied son of Maranello. The fixed roof is gone but the steering has lost none of its accuracy, the chassis balances grip with a ride quality that even on the toughest surfaces of our Greek test route made Ferrari’s famed bumpy road mode almost redundant. As you start to enjoy the car’s balance and explore its limits, it remains intuitive, engaging and rich in feel. Venture into the Race setting and higher still by using CT Off and the Amalfi Spider demonstrates a devilish streak that requires you to be on top of all that is happening beneath you. 

Regardless of drive mode, it’s an intoxicating experience, although perhaps not as much with the roof open as you might expect with its muted V8 soundtrack. With the roof open, windows up and wind deflector in place there is next to no buffeting, and with the roof closed you’d be hard pressed to know if you were in the coupe or Spider. It’s harder still with both sharing the same upgraded interior, including the new landscape HMI screen that’s more intuitive to use, but is now also home to more of the controls, which is annoying. 

If Ferrari’s remit was to make the Amalfi Spider more usable more of the time than the Roma that it replaces, it has nailed the brief without compromising that core Maranello DNA. It’s a fine GT car blended with a thoroughbred powertrain and chassis that makes this latest addition to the stable so much more than an entry-level model.

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