7 Things You Might Not Know About the Ferrari SF90 XX Spider

The Verde Minerale SF90 XX Spider from the If You Don't Know series

Here at Romans International, we see a lot of fast Ferraris. Very few arrive with a fixed rear wing, nostrils on the bonnet and a badge Maranello had never before put on anything you could drive to the shops. The Ferrari SF90 XX Spider is one of those cars, and the Verde Minerale example featured in our "If You Don't Know, Now You Know" series with Tom Jaconelli is about as special as they come.

Ferrari's XX programme has always been a members' club for the track. This is the first time that club has been let out on the road with the roof off. It is lighter and more powerful than the SF90 Spider it is based on, but as Tom points out in the video, the real story is the aerodynamics, and the details you only spot up close.

So, without further ado, here are seven things you might not know about the Ferrari SF90 XX Spider...

Fact 1: The SF90 XX Spider Is the First XX You Can Drive on the Road

Number 32: the SF90 XX Spider is an XX car with number plates

Since the FXX of 2005, Ferrari's XX programme has offered a small circle of expert clients the most extreme cars the factory builds, with one catch: none of them were homologated for the road. The FXX, the 599XX and the FXX K lived at the circuit and only came out for organised track events. The closest most people got was the road-going version of the 599XX, the Ferrari 599 GTO.

The SF90 XX changes that. Ferrari fused its Special Version formula (think 458 Speciale, 488 Pista and 812 Competizione) with the XX programme to create a car that is homologated for the road yet wears the XX badge. In Spider form it is also the first XX that lets you take the roof off, in 14 seconds and on the move at up to 28 mph. A road-legal XX with a retractable hard top. Who saw that coming?

Fact 2: It Is the First Ferrari Road Car With a Fixed Rear Wing Since the F50

Tricolore end plates on the first fixed wing Ferrari has fitted to a road car since 1995

Ferrari spent the best part of thirty years avoiding fixed rear wings on its road cars, preferring clever underbodies, ducts and active spoilers to do the work quietly. The F50 of 1995 was the last to wear a proper wing, right up until this car arrived.

The wing was developed on the track-only XX cars and works with a redesigned "shut-off Gurney" behind it. In its low-drag setting the mobile element lifts to let the car breathe on a straight. In high-downforce mode it drops and uncovers the fixed section, pushing the tail into the tarmac. Ferrari quotes 530 kg of downforce at 155 mph for the Spider, roughly double what the SF90 Spider manages. On this car the end plates are painted in the tricolore, which is a lovely touch.

Fact 3: Only 599 Spiders Exist, So It Is Rarer Than the SF90 XX Stradale

The plaque every owner sees on the way in: Limited Edition, 1 of 599

Ferrari built 799 SF90 XX Stradale coupes and 599 Spiders, 1,398 cars in total, and every one was allocated before the covers came off in June 2023. The little plaque on the door panel makes the point each time you climb in: Limited Edition, 1 of 599.

That makes the Spider the scarcer car by a clear margin, and the only way to have an XX with the roof down. Rarity plus open-air V8 noise is why, whenever these cars change hands, the Spider tends to be the one collectors ask us about first.

Fact 4: Those Front Nostrils Cost You the Luggage Compartment

Air in through the nose, through the radiators and out over the bonnet

The most distinctive feature of the SF90 XX is the pair of nostrils on the bonnet, and they are not there for show. Air comes in through the nose, passes through the radiators and is channelled up and out over the bonnet, which improves cooling and adds downforce at the front axle.

The trade-off is that the front luggage compartment has gone. Lift the bonnet and instead of somewhere for a weekend bag you find exposed carbon fibre, the hybrid electrics and a little manual prop to hold it all up. Ferrari ditched the hydraulic struts to save weight, which tells you everything about the mindset behind this car. The upside? You get to read the spec plaque, and on this car there is rather a lot on it.

Fact 5: There Are Louvres Everywhere, Even on the Door Panels

Louvres on the front wings, the rear wings and, if you look closely, inside the doors

Look along the flanks and you will find louvres cut into the front wings to pull hot air out of the wheel arches. Keep going and there are more on the rear wings, helping the engine bay breathe. Ferrari liked the theme so much that it carried on inside, with the door panels picking up the same louvre motif. It is the sort of detail you only notice once you have spent time with the car, which is rather the point of this series!

Fact 6: The Rear Window Drops on Its Own, So You Can Hear the V8 With the Roof Up

Roof up, glass down, V8 in the cabin

This is the Spider's party trick, and the one Tom rates most highly. Unlike the SF90 XX Stradale, the Spider has a small rear window between the roll hoops that lowers independently of the roof. Leave the hard top in place, drop the glass and the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 is suddenly a great deal more present in the cabin.

Or you can do it properly. The carbon fibre roof folds away, and with 1,030 cv (around 1,016 bhp) from the V8 and three electric motors, 0-62 mph takes 2.3 seconds. Ferrari fully intended you to listen to that with nothing between you and the sky.

Fact 7: The Spec Plaque Tells the Whole Story of This Car

Personalisation specifications for chassis 326141, and there is rather a lot of them

Every one of the 599 carries a plaque under the bonnet listing its personalisation specifications, and on this car it reads like a novel. The paint alone is a special four-layer colour, paired with a Nero DS 1250 livery edged in Canna di Fucile that runs the whole way through the car, circle numbers "32" outlined in Argento Nurburgring on the doors, airbrushed Scuderia shields and those tricolore end plates.

Inside, the cabin is trimmed in Verde Venaria Alcantara with Grigio Chiaro stitching, a Cavallino on each headrest and an embroidered silhouette of the car on the door panel, all wrapped in matte carbon fibre. Then comes the carbon list: front splitter, side splitters, rear diffuser, engine covers and even the (now empty) front luggage area. Ferrari's Special Equipment programme at its most thorough.

SF90 XX vs SF90 Stradale: What Actually Changed?

Carbon splitter, louvred arches and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, the XX difference up close

On paper the gap looks modest: an extra 30 cv, taking the total to 1,030 cv, and around 10 kg less weight. In practice it is a different animal. The V8 runs a higher compression ratio with a retuned exhaust, an "Extra Boost" logic in Qualify mode lets the electric motors add a burst when you are pushing hardest, the springs are lower and stiffer, ABS Evo brings bigger rear brakes, and the gearbox is recalibrated for sharper shifts.

Then there is the aero. Fixed wing, shut-off Gurney, nostrils, a sealed underbody with S-ducts and all those louvres give the XX the most efficient aerodynamics of any Ferrari road car, comparable only to the LaFerrari. Top speed is just shy of 200 mph and 0-124 mph takes 6.5 seconds. Inside, carpets make way for bare aluminium floors and carbon bucket seats are standard. Numbers only tell part of the story, but these are still quite something.

If You Don't Know About the Ferrari SF90 XX Spider, Now You Know!

The car in Tom's video is a 2026 (75) SF90 XX Spider in four-layer Verde Minerale with just 50 miles on the clock, specified through Ferrari's Special Equipment programme with the livery, the door numbers, the Verde Venaria Alcantara interior and carbon fibre on almost every surface you can name. It has since found its new home, which given the spec surprised nobody here. It is the third SF90 XX Spider we have sold.

If you are looking for one, let the team know, because these cars rarely sit on a forecourt for long and being on our list matters. In the meantime, our current Ferrari collection is the place to start, and if structuring the purchase makes more sense than writing the cheque, our sister company Elev8 Finance arranges tailored finance on exactly this kind of car.

If you don't know, now you know!

Ferrari SF90 XX Spider FAQs

How many Ferrari SF90 XX Spiders were made?

Ferrari built 599 SF90 XX Spiders alongside 799 SF90 XX Stradale coupes, 1,398 cars in total. All of them were allocated before the car was unveiled in June 2023.

Is the SF90 XX road legal?

Yes. The SF90 XX Stradale and SF90 XX Spider are the first XX cars Ferrari has homologated for the road. Every previous XX car, from the FXX to the FXX K Evo, was track only.

How much is a Ferrari SF90 XX Spider?

The UK base price was £746,057 before options, and it is not uncommon for an SF90 XX Spider to carry £200,000 or more of extras on top. With the production run sold out, the price is now set by the secondary market and depends on specification, mileage and provenance.

How fast is the Ferrari SF90 XX?

1,030 cv from a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and three electric motors gives 0-62 mph in 2.3 seconds, 0-124 mph in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 199 mph (320 km/h).

What is the difference between the SF90 XX and the SF90 Stradale?

The SF90 XX has 30 cv more (1,030 cv against 1,000 cv), weighs around 10 kg less and adds a fixed rear wing, bonnet nostrils, louvred wings, a sealed underbody, stiffer suspension, ABS Evo brakes and a stripped, carbon-heavy interior, for roughly double the downforce. The Spider adds a retractable hard top and a rear window that lowers independently of the roof.

Explore More From the If You Don't Know Series

To see Tom's full walkaround of this SF90 XX Spider, watch the If You Don't Know short on our YouTube channel, and follow Romans International on YouTube Shorts for the rest of the series.

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•     Browse our current Ferrari collection