The thrill of having the wind blow through your hair while cruising on a warm summer's night with the top down can be had for very little in a first-generation Mazda MX-5 — but there won't be much power sitting underneath your right foot.
If drop-top power is what you're after, there are plenty of cars on the market to fulfil that need, but none can match Ferrari's latest addition; the 812 GTS.
Considering that this convertible is based on the 812 Superfast, you can probably guess that slow is one thing that the GTS is not.
Under the hood sits the familiar 6.5-litre V12 from the Superfast, which produces a stonking 588kW and 718Nm of torque. This plethora of power makes the GTS the most powerful series-production convertible in the world, and the performance figures reflect this.
Ferrari claim that the 812 GTS can make the 0-100km/h sprint in under three seconds, and 0-200km/h in 8.3 seconds. As you might have guessed, these figures are a little slower than the hardtop variant, but the 340km/h top speed remains the same.
This naturally aspirated V12 will happily rev all the way to 8,900rpm, and 80 per cent its torque figure is available after 3,500rpm, so we can imagine that it would be a blast to drive.
Interestingly, this is the first drop-top series-production Ferrari to feature a front-mounted V12 since the Daytona Spider in 1969. The Italian performance marque has offered a range of open-top V12 cars since then, but all were extremely limited, and weren't series-production models.
Just like the F8 Spider that was announced yesterday, the GTS' retractable hard top roof can open and close in just 14 seconds, at speeds up to 45km/h. The rear screen can also be lowered and raised while the roof is up, allowing the passengers to enjoy the V12 soundtrack.
To accommodate the folding roof, the rear compartment has been redesigned, and two large buttresses have been added behind the headrests. The diffuser has also undergone a makeover, and a vent has been added on top of the rear fender.
Pricing of the 812 GTS is yet to be announced, but if you have to ask...
Click here to view all Ferraris on Driven.
