Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M : Topless Thoroughbred !

Scuderia Ferrari is the Italian supercar manufacturer's Formula One racing arm, representing the tip of the company's spear. So when the factory rolls out a road-going car with "Scuderia" in its name, it is without a doubt a car to be reckoned with, and is so named as the car carries many enhancements developed from the company's racing efforts. And the Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M is no different. This new car started life, in a sense, way back in 2004 in the form of the Ferrari F430, which was an evolution of Ferrari's mid-engine V8 supercar, the 360 Modena. The original F430 came as a hard-top with a mid-mounted 4.3 litre V8 engine producing about 490 PS of power and capable of a top speed of 317km/h. It wasn't long before the Scuderia division got their hands on the F430 and in 2007, the F430 Scuderia was unveiled to the world by none other than the most successful Formula One driver in the world, and Ferrari's own golden-boy, Michael Schumacher. This F430-on-a-diet boasted a weight reduction of 100kgs than the standard and an increased peak power output to 510 PS.

After they won the 2008 Formula One constructer's championship and finished off all the victory champagne, the boffins over at Ferrari's racing division decided to take a tin-opener to the roof of the F430 Scuderia. And voila! The Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M was born, with the number 16 in its name indicating the number of times the Italian racing team has taken home the manufacturer's trophy. While the original F430 might not have appealed to some with its less-than-pleasing styling, las t year's F430 Scuderia gave the car a much needed nose-job, and now with the top off, the Scuderia Spider looks nothing short of beautiful. Sticking with Ferrari's traditional philosophy of "make one less car than you think you can sell", only 499 extremely lucky, and extremely rich, customers will get to enjoy this beauty though. The factory has also ensured rareness of this new Spider by festooning it with loads of exclusive bits.

Apart from the time-honoured Ferrari "Rosso Corsa" or Racing Red and yellow paint options, the Scuderia Spider is available in two special new patterns. Black with grey trim is available as a standard paint job while a tricolour livery is offered as part of the Carrozzeria Scaglietti Personalization Programme. A special badge on the rear grille of this car announces to the world that this special Spider is built to commemorate Ferrari's 16 constructer's championships in Formula One. The exclusivity is carried over into the cockpit as well, where a badge pasted on top of the air conditioning vents reveals the limited number this car is going to be built in. The car also comes with a top-of-the-line audio system which can be integrated with a special Ferrari-customized 16GB iPod Touch. Of course, no Scuderia car would be complete without a generous layer of exotic materials in the cabin, and this Spider doesn't disappoint as the roll bars now come with a carbon-fibre outer shell.

A car with the "prancing horse" logo has to be fast, and it needs to be even faster if it wears a "Scuderia" badge. Being a F430, the car still retains all its gizmos and electronic skullduggery such as a gearbox which can change gears in 60 milliseconds, Formula One derived traction control system, differential and electronic suspension that automatically adapts itself to driving conditions. The beautifully crafted rear-mounted V8 engine which is on display to the world under a glass cover now pumps out 517 PS of power. Combine that with a weight of a mere 1340kg, which is 80 kilos less than the standard Spider, and you have a car that can give you a good kick in the pants every time you step on the gas pedal. A good drag launch will see the Scuderia Spider hit 100km/h in 3.7 seconds and the car won't be out of breath until it hits a mind-numbing 315km/h. No small feat considering that this car doesn't have a proper roof. In fact, Ferrari engineers say that the 16M is faster around the Fiorano circuit than any other soft-top Ferrari built to date.

The Scuderia Spider is probably the prettiest mid-engine Ferrari that we've seen since the F355 from the 90s. But this car is not content with just looking good. What Ferrari has created with this new Spider is much closer to the perfect combination of high performance and exclusivity; a car capable of turning heads on city streets, and yanking your head off with lateral G-Forces around racing circuits. Definitely a car which can go from zero to in-your-heart in a fraction of a second!