The scene of Ferrari's media unveiling of its latest open-top sports car was exactly what you would expect from the Prancing Horse: a tucked away vineyard, in a small beautiful old town, somewhere in northern Italy’s Emilio Romagna region.

That open-top, named the 488 Spider, however, is not what the world has come to expect from Ferrari. This new Ferrari is different from ones past, because it makes a nod toward emissions, specifically, lowering them. The world is looking to curb fossil fuel use, and even Ferrari must abandon its high-revving screamers for turbochargers and even hybrids.

We knew this day was coming of course, but now it’s here.

You might think this sort of acquiescence would be sacrilege for Ferrari, for the Tifosi, for Italy, for the Pope — but it’s not.

In fact, this might be the best thing to happen to the open-top Ferrari in a long time.

Spider

Not that you’re thinking about any of that when you're faced with a lineup of red, yellow, white and blue 488 Spiders to choose from.

Red — I think — is appropriate for a nice drive into the mountains and over to the coast befor heading back to the vineyard for a few glasses of the local Sangiovese once the driving is done.

Roof down, getting in can be as elegant as you like. You sit low, deep in the car, dashboard in front, all controls pointing at the driver. The myriad of switches and dials are overwhelming at first. Controls for the navigation are tucked behind the right side of the steering wheel. The horn is on a pair of buttons on the front of the wheel.

On the move though, it all becomes intuitive. In a car with this much potential, distraction could be dangerous.

The leather is soft, and the fit-and-finish second to none. This is a luxury product as much as it’s a performance car. It’s comfortable too. I didn’t think it would be so comfortable.

Ferrari says those who buy Spiders — convertibles — rather than coupes, use their cars more. They’ll drive them to dinner, or to a meeting or the opera, not just to a track day or for a Sunday blast in the countryside. Spider buyers also tend to drive with a companion more. So comfort and usability are more important than you might think.

Start the twin-turbo 3.9-litre V8 and more of its high-tech mechanical crescendo floats into the cabin. This, alone, might be the single best reason to get the Spider over the Coupe. As the speed rises, the sound only gets better.

It’s not the 9,000 rpm time-space tearing noise of the old V8. It is different. The redline is lower. But the noise is still wonderful even with the muting effect of the fuel-saving, power-boosting turbos. At high-speed it’s like being inside a well-tailored tornado.

Switchbacks

The best roads are in the beginning of the drive.

The little map, just to the right of the central tachometer, shows a dozen symmetrical hairpins ahead.

The 488 Spider is just like the 488 GTB Coupe. The additions of a folding hardtop and some underbody bracing only increased weight by 50 kg. And the 0-100 km/h times are identical: 3.0 seconds. Hitting 200km/h takes just 8.7 seconds and top speed is north of 325 km/h. Yikes. The engine also produces the same 661 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 561 lb-ft of torque at 6,750 rpm.

On the switchbacks, the engine's lack of turbo-lag immediately inspires confidence. You don't have to worry that the 488 is about to jump sideways on you when boost kicks in. Ferrari’s clever engineers actually restrict torque in lower gears to make response more linear. This means you can push harder, and harder, faster and faster. The 488 Spider covers ground unlike any car I’ve driven: feeling light and nimble, pointy and linear, with a meaty mid-range and a strong top-end. It makes the 458’s power delivery feel a little thin. And that car was no slouch.

Despite what the purists might think, turbos improve the product in this case. I was skeptical, but after a drive like that there can be no doubt.

This car was built to entertain. It has a way of making you feel heroic as it flows through corner after corner. Understeer? Not really. Oversteer? There if you want it, once you switch the Manettino to the CT OFF position. It happens quickly but the E-Diff and ESC provide a strong safety net. The driver gets to focus on driving, on the sound of the engine and air rushing over the cabin, and the excitement of speed and lateral Gs. I defy you not to smile driving one of these.

Heading home

After that adrenaline rush, the rest of the route is more relaxed. On the highway, other traffic moves aside to let the red Ferrari through. This is Italy, after all. Ferrari is nearly a religion, especially here in the north, so close to The Prancing Horse’s home in Maranello.

That the new Ferrari 488 Spider, which starts at US$275,000, is both faster and more fuel efficient than its predecessor is no surprise. But that it hasn’t lost anything — that it has in fact gained something: excitement, a little shock and awe — in the process, is a surprise.

The future looks very bright for Ferrari.