Ferrari Amalfi Spider: The V8 Convertible That Has Been Named 2026 Car of the Year
There was a time when the idea of a Ferrari winning a Car of the Year award would have seemed almost inevitable.
Today, it means something different.
As the automotive industry moves rapidly toward electrification, increasingly complex hybrid powertrains and the gradual disappearance of traditional convertible sports cars, Ferrari’s Amalfi Spider has arrived as something of a statement — and now it has been recognised as The Times and Sunday Times Car of the Year 2026.
The award places Ferrari’s newest open-top GT at the centre of a changing automotive landscape.
The Times praised the Amalfi Spider for retaining a conventional petrol engine, eight-speed gearbox and folding roof at a time when those characteristics are becoming increasingly uncommon.
And underneath the beautiful bodywork is a specification that remains unmistakably Ferrari.
A Ferrari Built Around the V8
The Amalfi Spider is the open-top successor to the Ferrari Roma Spider and uses a 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8.
The engine produces 640 CV, approximately 631bhp, and develops 760Nm of torque.
Power is sent exclusively to the rear wheels through Ferrari’s eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The numbers are serious.
Ferrari’s Spider can accelerate from 0–100 km/h in 3.3 seconds and continue to a claimed 320 km/h (199 mph) top speed.
That means the Amalfi Spider is not simply a luxury convertible designed for cruising along the coast.
It remains a genuine high-performance Ferrari.
The Roof Is Part of the Experience
The Amalfi Spider uses a fabric roof rather than a folding hardtop.
The roof can be opened or closed in approximately 13.5 seconds, including while travelling at speeds of up to 60 km/h.
Ferrari has also worked to keep the Spider visually close to the Amalfi Coupé.
The result is a car that retains the long bonnet, low nose and flowing proportions of the fixed-roof car while giving occupants an entirely different experience when the roof disappears.
There is also an active rear spoiler, which contributes to aerodynamic stability as speed increases.
Auto Express reports that the Amalfi Spider can generate up to 110kg of downforce at 250 km/h.
How Much Does the Ferrari Amalfi Spider Cost?
This is where the word “entry-level” becomes rather amusing.
In the United Kingdom, the Amalfi Spider starts at approximately £227,260–£227,500, depending on the published source and pricing reference. The Times lists the car at £227,260, while Auto Express lists £227,500.
Ferrari pricing, of course, can climb considerably once options are added.
In Australia, Ferrari Australasia has announced a starting price of A$569,400 before on-road costs and options, with deliveries scheduled for the second half of 2027.
In Italy, the published starting price is approximately €270,000.
So while the Amalfi is positioned as Ferrari’s entry point into the range, it remains very much a six-figure luxury performance car.
The Numbers at a Glance
Specification| Ferrari Amalfi Spider
Engine| 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power| 640 CV / approx. 631 bhp
Torque| 760 Nm
Transmission| 8-speed dual-clutch
Drive| Rear-wheel drive
0–100 km/h| 3.3 seconds
Top speed| 320 km/h / 199 mph
Roof| Fabric, power-operated
Roof operation| Approx. 13.5 seconds
Dry weight| 1,556 kg
Fuel tank| 80 litres
Boot capacity| 255 litres
UK starting price| About £227,260
Italy starting price| About €270,000
Specifications vary slightly by market and equipment.
What About Safety?
There is an important distinction here.
The Ferrari Amalfi Spider does not currently have a published Euro NCAP safety star rating.
That means it would be misleading to give the car a five-star, four-star or other Euro NCAP score.
Euro NCAP ratings are based on its own crash-testing programme, and the Amalfi Spider is not listed with a published Euro NCAP result.
The car does, however, incorporate modern driver-assistance and active-safety technology. Ferrari has developed the Amalfi with electronic control systems designed to manage the car’s considerable performance, while the Spider also benefits from the structural reinforcement required when converting the Coupé architecture into a convertible.
The absence of an NCAP score should therefore not be interpreted as a crash-safety rating. It simply means there is no published Euro NCAP test result to quote.
The Car of the Year Award
The biggest headline is ultimately the award itself.
The Times and Sunday Times named the Ferrari Amalfi Spider its Car of the Year for 2026, with the publication highlighting the significance of its traditional powertrain and retractable roof.
That recognition comes at an interesting moment for Ferrari.
The company is developing electrified models and has already introduced hybrid technology across much of its range. Yet the Amalfi Spider continues with a relatively traditional formula:
front-mounted V8, rear-wheel drive, eight-speed transmission and a roof that folds away.
That combination is increasingly unusual.
The award therefore isn’t simply about acceleration figures.
It is also about what the Amalfi Spider represents.
The Points Behind the Award
Rather than inventing a numerical “Car of the Year score” where none has been published, the important measurable figures are the car’s actual performance specifications.
Performance:
– 640 CV
– 760 Nm
– 3.3 seconds, 0–100 km/h
– 320 km/h top speed
Pricing:
– £227,260 UK starting price reported by The Times
– €270,000 starting price in Italy
– A$569,400 in Australia before on-road costs and options
Safety:
– Euro NCAP: no published rating
The Amalfi Spider also carries Ferrari’s extensive electronic chassis-control technology, allowing the car’s performance to be managed across different driving modes.
Why the Amalfi Spider Matters
Ferrari has built faster cars.
It has built more powerful cars.
It has built cars that are far more exclusive.
But the Amalfi Spider occupies a different position.
It is Ferrari’s attempt to combine the everyday usability of a grand tourer with the drama of an open-top sports car, without abandoning the V8 engine and conventional gearbox that have defined so much of Ferrari’s modern road-car identity.
And that may be precisely why the award matters.
The Amalfi Spider arrives at a time when the traditional combustion-engine convertible is becoming increasingly difficult to find.
Ferrari has not simply built another Spider.
It has created a modern interpretation of an increasingly endangered automotive formula — and The Times and Sunday Times have now named it their 2026 Car of the Year.
For a car that costs more than £227,000 before options, “entry-level” may be difficult to say with a straight face.
But as the automotive world changes around it, the Amalfi Spider may prove to be something much more significant:
a Ferrari from the end of an era that arrived just in time to be celebrated.
