It was surely only a matter of time before Ferrari took the roof of the 458 Speciale. Just as night follows day, so spider versions of Ferrari’s range-topper follows the coupés. The Speciale A (that’s a for Aperta, most recently applied to the 2010 open-top 599) has just been made official, after a few rumours and leaked images.
Borrowing the coupés 587bhp V8, itself the most powerful naturally aspirated road-going Ferrari V8 engine, makes the Speciale A the most potent Ferrari spider ever. The coupé’s active aero is carried over, and so is arguably its best party trick, the Side Slip Angle Control – the electronic driver aid that helps you drive the car sideways and make you look more skilled than you are.
But this is a convertible, so of equal importance to the 3.0sec 0-62mph time and 190mph top speed is the 14sec it takes for the aluminium roof to raise or contract. Such alacrity means no opportunity to pose will be missed. The aluminium roof helps to keep the A’s weight disadvantage to a reasonable 50kg compared to the coupé.
The car will make its debut at next week’s Paris show in yellow with a Blu Nart and Bianco Avus central stripe – which is a nod to the North American Racing Team colours. They’re winning colours, too; John Surtees’ Ferrari 158 was painted in NART livery when he won the F1 world championship in 1964. That theme is carried inside, where you’ll find blue carbon fibre, and Alcantara trimmed seats in what Ferrari calls ‘3D technical fabric.’
With production limited to 499 cars, the Speciale A will be as rare as a LaFerrari.
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