2021 Ferrari SF90 Spider: Italian plug-in hybrid supercar receives a folding hardtop roof

Two years after unleashing the LaFerrari's predecessor, Italian sports car legend Ferrari has revealed the SF90 Spider. But instead of having a dinky soft top, the 2021 SF90 Spider is arriving with a folding hardtop roof. This means Ferrari's latest Spider has identical performance figures as the SF90 Stradale. The new SF90 Spider has the same 211 mph (340 m/h) top speed, and it goes from zero to 60 mph in 2.5-seconds.

The best part? Ferrari's new retractable roof only takes 14 seconds to open or fold, and you can do it while on the move. Additionally, Ferrari said the hardtop offers better noise insulation and won't deform at high speeds. The new SF90 Spider has thinner A-pillars, new vents in the rear screen for added engine cooling, and a 20mm lower roof.

But in typical Italian fashion, the folding top is beautifully integrated into the car's design. "The two rear buttresses sit on a very iconic feature, the flying bridge, an architectural element that gives a forward tension that we call the slingshot effect," said Flavio Manzoni, Chief Design Officer, Ferrari.

Of course, folding the roof allows you to wallow in the SF90 Spider's amazing soundtrack. It still has a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 motor with 769 horsepower. And like the Stradale, it also has two electric motors in the front axle and a single F1-style MGUK electric motor between the gas engine and standard 8-speed automatic transmission. The hybrid powertrain offers up to 217 horsepower of boost for a total output of 986 horsepower and a healthy 590 pound-feet of torque, all of which are sent to the pavement via an innovative all-wheel-drive system.

And since the SF90 Spider is a hybrid, it has a smallish 7.9 kWh battery pack, good for around 16 miles of all-electric driving using the front motors. In this mode, the maximum speed is limited to 84 mph, which is still zippy despite the limited range. The new Ferrari SF90 Spider also comes with the same touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel to control everything from the headlights, the windshield wipers, and the 16-inch digital instrument display.

The 2021 Ferrari SF90 Spider is available with the Assetto Fiorano handling package which throws in Multimatic spool-valve dampers, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, bespoke exterior livery, and carbon-fiber trim. Expect base prices to start at around $558,000 when the SF90 Spider arrives in U.S. dealerships by the end of 2021.