A quick test on the roads around Rimini in the new 488 Spider. Yes, I admit it, this was me wanting a day in the sunshine. I wish the hardtop didn’t cover the beautiful intake plenum. Otherwise we would see a glass hood showcasing the beautiful engine with the top down.
Hardtop Review
Engine – Notice the smaller intake manifold. Not as beautiful as the naturally aspirated manifold. Why is it smaller? Forced induction from turbochargers works more efficiently with smaller manifold. Less turbo lag and more torque at lower rpm. Also notice that the intake manifold is not connected anymore to share the air volume. It keeps the pressure uniform.
458 Engine – Naturally aspirated engine. Notice the intake plenum is one big beautiful piece and each side of the manifold is connected by three ports.
