1,000 hp is better than no roof

In February, my boss Kyle Cheromcha donned racetrack attire and survived a white-knuckle drive in the new Testarossa thanks to 1,036 horsepower and a very wet road. In comparison, I wore shorts and a t-shirt while blasting off on a volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic. Oh, and a bucket hat—that was a must. These two different wardrobes perfectly illustrate the different approaches between a fixed roof and a convertible. Or more specifically, the 2027 Ferrari 849 Testarossa Coupe and its new sibling, the 849 Testarossa Spider.

Like most of today’s car designs deemed unpopular by the high court of social media, the new Testarossa looks much better in person than in photos. Not that I think it looks ugly on screen, but that aggressive front splitter may force you to look away depending on the angle at which the photo is taken. In person, the range-topping Spider looks hilarious from the front, delicious from the side and surprisingly angry from the rear.

The 4.0-liter, twin-turbo hybrid V8 sitting behind the cockpit packs the biggest turbo of any Ferrari road car, delivering 50 more ponies than the angry SF90. It’s a three-radial-flux-motor hybrid system – two in the front and one in the rear, between the engine and transmission – and the 7.45-kilowatt battery is good for an electric-only range of 15 miles.

Those 15 miles of silent propulsion weren’t touched at all, on the winding cliff-faced roads of Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. Okay, maybe while leaving my hotel’s driveway, but that’s it. For a full three hours in the same constant sunlight that bathes the Sahara Desert just 185 miles east, I made sure to use as much fuel as possible to get the full experience of the Testarossa Spider. And I’ll tell you, I don’t know why anyone would buy the coupe instead, especially with the folding hardtop that offers the best of both worlds.

The weight penalty over the coupe is about 198 pounds, which is not insignificant, although the complex folding system can open and close the top in just 14 seconds at speeds up to 30 mph. If you absolutely hate a convertible and that’s why you wouldn’t consider one, that’s fair. But if you think that because of the extra weight you will notice a difference in the performance of the two on Sunday’s exciting drive, you are mistaken. The joy of driving is far more important than any half-tenth you’ll drop at any track you’ll never take your Ferrari to.

With all this in mind, I sat in the red leather driver’s seat to get acquainted with the cockpit. Luckily, things are fairly similar to the 296, Purosangu, and 12Cylindri I’ve run before, so my learning curve was relatively flat. This particular unit was the recipient of Ferrari’s new button-equipped steering wheel, which replaced the old haptic and touch controls for starting the engine and other functions. It’s worth noting that the powertrain mapping selections (eDrive, Hybrid, Performance, Qualify) remain the same, but the engine start button and manettino are still bulky physical buttons coated in a beautiful Rosso Corsa.

The method of adjusting the seat has also been improved. You can use buttons on the side of the seat, but now you can also access a menu (digital gauges) on the screen in front of you and use the steering-wheel-mounted D-pad to adjust the side bolsters, bottom bolsters, leg extenders and lumbar support. It’s all very well laid out and easy to access immediately. Similarly, new changes to the OS make it easier than ever to tailor the car’s ADAS system to your preferences or driving scenario and interact with technology like ventilated or heated seats, an air scarf and other convenience features including Apple CarPlay.

With the roof down, AC up and cooled seats on, I set out onto the well-maintained winding roads of Tenerife to see what the Testarossa was all about. The bucket hat was already coming in handy, but sadly, the tops of my legs, which weren’t covered by my shorts, started to get sore within minutes. “Oh well, it’s the spider experience,” I said to myself.

I’ve driven two cars with at least 1,000 hp this year, and another that got pretty close to that magical number, and experiencing that raw performance for the first time on any given day reminds me a lot of what it was like to drive an EV when it first came out. Put your foot into the Testarossa’s accelerator, and you’ll be pushed back into your seat while your brain screams, “Wait, this is scary!” guess, it’s scaryEspecially when you’re driving at stupid speeds down the side of a mountain in a car that costs dangerously close to a million rupees with options.

However, unlike a heavier EV, this Cavallino will play ball with you in tight corners, and the route Ferrari laid out for me had curiously many of them. Throw the car into a corner at more speed than most other sports cars, and it won’t even blink an eye. The real fun starts when you start giving the car more power mid-corner and realize you’re only scratching the surface of its capabilities. The sound of the hybrid V8 is powerful, and the sound of upshifts and downshifts is extremely violent. The first time I heard them, I couldn’t help but laugh. They’re more awe-inspiring than the 296 Speciale, and that car is absolutely mental. As you aim for an imaginary marker back on the throttle, a light tap of the brakes to fix your line, so you can rocket through that sweeping corner to test the car’s balance. Before you know it, it’s time to put the carbon ceramic to work to stop the 3,700-pound hybrid. There is a traffic jam ahead, although it cannot be compared to the jam that cars create at every busy intersection when locals come to take photos.

Back up to speed and bang, bang, bang, you can really only get a few changes – up to third or so. Perhaps Fourth gear – into a medium-sized straight, before another tight corner comes into view. Each shift is delivered with precision, and you can feel the ticking of the drivetrain as if you’re sitting on a giant Swiss watch. After my first hour, I had a big revelation about the overall experience of the car. As I approached maximum steering input, I found it a little heavy, especially mid-corner. It’s hard to explain, because it didn’t feel heavy in a way that it performed worse than I expected, but rather heavy in a way that you could feel the size of the car. In fact, that’s exactly the point. The 849 Testarossa Spider feels big and wide—probably because it is. When comparing driving notes with fellow journalists who drove its predecessor, the SF90, they didn’t share my sentiments, so maybe it’s my brain comparing it to the smaller, lighter Ferraris I’ve driven. Still, I think there’s a valid point: If you want the fastest, most agile Ferrari, you should look lower down the lineup.

As many owners will do at one time or another, I was fed up with the sun and it was time to raise the roof. I did this while walking slowly and without stopping. Despite doing it in dozens of cars over the years, it never hurts to see the power roof doing its thing while driving. like it Happen To see a helicopter flying. Always cool. What’s not good is that Ferrari is now placing pipes in the cabin to enhance the engine sound, although not necessarily by choice. Due to regulations and the car’s homologation for global markets, it had to be equipped with a sensor that captures the pressure and frequency of natural sound and sends it to the cockpit through speakers. Although I will say that A) it’s so minimal that it’s not really noticeable B) the raw sound of the V8 is more than abundant in most circumstances, so it’s really just to add a little cherry on top when driving with both the roof down and the windows up.

decision

It’s not the prettiest Ferrari in the lineup; I think it’s 296. However, I think the top-down Spyder looks much better than the coupe. I wouldn’t call it pretty, but I would definitely call it Cold. It’s the most advanced and most powerful in the range (not including the F80, of course), and that says a lot when you’re talking about an automaker as famous as Ferrari. Compared to the 12Cilindri I drove earlier this year, this thing will have its way around it on the road and track.

That said, I walked away from my test not knowing who the target buyer for the 2027 Ferrari 849 Testarossa Spider is. If I wanted the best handling (and most beautiful) Ferrari, I would buy the 296 Speciale Aperta; If I wanted the most enjoyable and gentlemanly Ferrari, I would buy the 12cylinder Spider; And if I want the most practical, I would prefer the Purosangu. So, where does that leave this 1,036-hp monster?

As I contemplated that, I looked around and saw the paradisiacal island I was on, surrounded by golf courses for the ultra-rich, five-star resorts, and more helipads than I could count. Oh yes, that’s who.

ferrari The Drive was provided access to travel, accommodations, and vehicles for the purpose of writing this review.

2027 ferrari 849 testarossa spider specs

take it quickly

Mighty powerful, powerful cool.