The Ferrari SF90 Spider is here: Maranello’s drop-top PHEV debuts in Malaysia

By daryl, 06 June 2021

Wealthy Malaysians now have two flavours of Ferrari’s first ever PHEV to choose from: Stradale and Spider. Less than a year after the former made its debut here, along came a Spider, bringing with it all the same electrified qualities and quantities as the SF90 Stradale, but with that irresistibly good-looking retractable hard top we’ve seen time and time again in some of Maranello’s finest drop-top creations. 

The mechanism is very familiar after all; it’s largely the same RHT as the one that premiered on the 458 Spider back in 2011, but refined over the years for better space and weight efficiency. Ferrari claims it occupies only 100 litres of space – the traditional system would take up to twice as much – and weighs 40kg less too. It can be lowered in 14 seconds on the move, at speeds of up to 45kph. 

To fit this contraption into the SF90, Ferrari shifted the SF90’s cockpit forwards, narrowing the A-pillars and making the windscreen more raked in the process. The result is a roof that sits 20mm lower than before. And at the back, there is an adjustable electric rear window to keep things civil in the cabin for owners who want to experience that wind-in-hair magic while blasting down the North-South highway (once it’s permitted, of course). 

Despite weighing 100kg more than the SF90 Stradale, the SF90 Spider will do 0-100kph in the same 2.5 seconds. The power-to-weight deficit is more evident from 0-200kph, but only by a marginal 0.3 seconds; hitting the 200s in seven seconds flat is still a monumental feat by any measure. Then again, with 986bhp of combined output on tap, the SF90 is the most powerful series production car to have ever graced Ferrari showrooms after all. 

sf90 spider
sf90 spider

A bulk of that power – 780PS to be precise – comes directly from the four-litre turbocharged V8, along with a side of 800 torques. It’s Ferrari’s familiar, award-winning engine, bumped up to four litres in capacity and hooked up to an eight-speed DCT that has since found its way to the Roma and Portofino M. The electric portion of the powertrain – two motors up front and an F1-inspired MGU-K in the rear – adds 162kW to bring the total combined output up to 1,000PS (986bhp). So, it’s not so itsy-bitsy after all. 

Like the SF90 Stradale, the Spider can clock up to 25km as a front-driven EV – the V8 only powers the rear wheels, making the SF90 AWD with both sources of propulsion working in tandem. The battery only holds 7.9kWh but is quick to recharge on the move in true Formula One fashion when in Qualify mode; something we discovered when driving the SF90 Stradale on Malaysian roads for the very first time. 

Owners who really want to embrace the car’s motorsports-driven DNA – SF90 is a nod to Scuderia Ferrari’s 90th anniversary after all – can dress their Spider up in the Assetto Fiorano pack, which adds on Multimatic shocks derived from Ferrari’s GT cars, enough carbon fibre to shave 21kg off the car’s weight, a redesigned spoiler that supplies 390kg of downforce while cornering at 250kph and road-homologated Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres that fit the SF90’s forged wheels like a glove. 

Before venturing further into the options list, there is the matter of the Ferrari SF90 Spider’s base price to resolve. In Malaysia, that figure starts at RM2,088,000 before any duties, customisation costs, taxes and insurance are factored in. However, it does include seven years of maintenance with yearly intervals of 20,000km for added peace of mind. 

Who said saving the environment had to be boring? 

New Ferrari SF90 Spider: same crazy performance, less roof
New Ferrari SF90 Spider: same crazy performance, less roof
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Ferrari SF90 Stradale review: Maranello’s first-ever PHEV driven in Malaysia
The 986bhp Ferrari SF90 Stradale is the latest PHEV on sale in Malaysia
The 986bhp Ferrari SF90 Stradale is the latest PHEV on sale in Malaysia