Ferrari 849 Testarossa Spider review

More spacious than the 849 coupe, on account of the great expanse of sky above your head once you open that roof. It’s a lift ‘n’ flip retractable hard-top familiar from the SF90 and 296 Spiders, which opens or closes automatically in 14 seconds, at speeds up to 28mph.

Beyond that, the cabin is business as usual from the 849 coupe. Which is to say a heady blend of the convincing and the slightly-less-than-convincing. The gear selector – aping a trad open-shift manual – is a work of magnificent whimsy. The return of physical buttons on the steering wheel is very welcome, while the manettino and Big Red Starter Button remain a joy.

But when Ferrari were bringing back the buttons, why didn’t they ditch the haptic selector for drive modes? Flipping between electric, hybrid, race and quali modes requires engaging with a vague touch-zone at the base of the steering wheel. Lewis Hamilton doesn’t have haptic pads in his SF-26, Ferrari. We don’t want them either.

Any other gripes?

Space. Plenty of room for humans, but if you’re planning on carrying any luggage larger than, say, a child’s pencil-case… yeah, sorry about that. Not going to happen. As with the coupe, your only storage space is the meagre 74-litre frunk. At least in the cabrio, you and your passenger can each don a vast stovepipe hat in which to store your vital belongings.

But eh, you want practicality, buy a Skoda Superb.