Last weekend’s supercar event saw Vietnamese tycoon Hoang Kim Khanh showcase his impressive collection, with a convoy of luxury vehicles cruising through districts 12 and 1 in Ho Chi Minh City. Notably absent was the McLaren Senna, but the highlight was the return of the million-dollar megacar, the Koenigsegg Regera.
However, one supercar that garnered a lot of attention was the Ferrari 488 Pista Spider, which Hoang Kim Khanh has owned for almost four years.
Ferrari 488 Pista Spider with its previous license plate
Hoang Kim Khanh’s Ferrari 488 Pista Spider with its new, easier-to-remember license plate, valued at over 40 billion VND. Photo: Phatscar – Car Passion
Upon its arrival in Vietnam, the Ferrari 488 Pista Spider sported the license plate 51H-395.44. However, the tycoon was not a fan of the number 44, so he recently changed it to 51K-858.68, which follows the theme of his other luxury vehicles with license plates ending in 5, 6, or 8.
While the new license plate 51K-858.68 may not seem significant to some, it holds a special meaning for Hoang Kim Khanh, symbolizing prosperity and good fortune. This new license plate complements the plate on his soon-to-be-delivered Lexus LX600 VIP, which bears the plate 51K-858.85. The new plate for the Ferrari was acquired through an auction for 140 million VND.
The Ferrari 488 Pista Spider is a high-performance variant of the Ferrari 488 Spider. With the addition of the 488 Pista Spider, Vietnamese tycoons can boast an even more impressive collection of supercars. So far, three units of this model have been brought to Vietnam.
Ferrari has engineered the 488 Pista Spider to achieve an ideal weight, resulting in a lightweight construction of just 1,380 kg, which is 100 kg more than the Coupe version. The key difference between the 488 Pista Spider and its Coupe counterpart is the retractable hardtop, which can be opened or closed in 14 to 16 seconds. Additionally, Ferrari has included a rear wind deflector to minimize wind noise in the cabin.
The first Ferrari 488 Pista Spider to arrive in Vietnam marked a significant milestone as the 50th Ferrari convertible in the country. It also boasted the most powerful V8 engine in the history of Ferrari convertibles at the time of its launch.
Under the hood, the Ferrari 488 Pista Spider is equipped with a 3.9-liter V8 engine with twin-turbochargers, delivering an impressive 720 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 770 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm. Compared to the Ferrari 488 Spider, the Pista Spider offers an additional 39 horsepower, and a significant increase of 113 horsepower over its predecessor, the 458 Speciale Aperta, of which only 499 units were produced.
The engine is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch F1 transmission, which has been calibrated for faster gear shifts, approximately 0.03 seconds quicker than the 488 Pista. As a result, the 488 Pista Spider can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.85 seconds and reach a top speed of 340 km/h.