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Ferrari 458 Speciale A Is One Hell of a Spider

Right now, you may be wondering if the “A” in the tile is a typo. The answer is no. Dropping the arachnoid connections (read: Spider) for the convertible incarnation of the 458 Speciale, Ferrari has decided to add an “A” at the end of the supercar’s designation. By the way, the letter stands for “aperta”, which in Italian stands for open.
Ferrari 458 Speciale A Is One Hell of a Spider 10 photos
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As expected, Maranello will only build 499 examples of the 458 Speciale A, which makes this just as exclusive as the LaFerrari.

On a diet

Following the recipe of the coupe, the A loses 90 kg (198 lbs) compared to the standard 458 Spider. With a dry weight of 1,340 kg /2,594 lbs (1,445 kg/2,205 lbs kerb weight), the open-top model is nevertheless 50 kg (110 lbs) heavier compared to the fixed-roof Speciale. We’ll mention this is the exact value that differentiates the standard 458 Italia and 458 Spider.

At the middle of the car, we find the Coupe’s 4.5-liter V8, which delivers 605 naturally-aspirated prancing horses. This number offers the powerplant he greatest specific power output (naturally aspirated) in the world.

In the Speciale fashion, all of the supercar’s tech areas to have been tweaked, which means the suspension, steering and brakes have also been upgraded. Once again, a connection with the LaFerrari is present. As the Italians put it, “all of the components in the Brembo braking system have been evolved from the solutions introduced on the LaFerrari.”

The thing may be rear-wheel driven, as in not all-wheel drive, but its 0 to 62 mph time will sit at 3 seconds flat, while the 0 to 124 mph (200 km/h) sprint will take place in 9.5 seconds.

The exterior aero treatment, as well as the interior bespoke details are mostly borrowed from the coupe, but there are a few color-related elements. On the outside, we have a dedicated triple-layer yellow livery with a Blu Nart and Bianco Avus central stripe. As for the cabin, the fresh bits involve blue carbon fiber, as well as a new seat design that mixes Alcantara with contrast stiching and 3D tech-look fabric.

Love it and hate it

We’ll start with the unpleasant part - while the tech upgrades are more than welcome, the thinner windows and the firmer seats of the coupe make this impossible to use everyday. We’re expecting the Speciale A to be no different.

Then again, Maranello’s decision to slap twin turbos to all future V8 engines means we’re probably looking at the last naturally aspirated 8-cylinder Prancing Horse. Now that’s a thought that will keep us pinned to the thing next week at the Paris Motor Show.

That’s when we’ll also find out the pricing, but this isn’t exactly a secret. You should expect the extra letter to bring a premium of over 10 grand, regardless of the currency.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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