The Ferrari 360 Spider sports car
The Ferrari 360 Spider – A close look at the performance, technical data, features, rivals comparison, history and used prices of this classic sports car.
From classic to modern:
CAR
The 1999-2005 Ferrari 360 Spider sports car was considered by many to be the best convertible produced by the company up to that point.
To counteract the loss of stiffness caused by the removal of the roof of the 360 coupe, Ferrari reinforced the sills, the front of the floor, the rear bulkheads, the sides of the car and the transverse reinforcements in the front part of the engine. along with redesign of the windshield frame.
With all these additions, the 360 Spider weighed just 60kg more than the Modena variant, due to the extensive use of aluminum in the body and chassis panels.
There was a glass cover over the engine so it could be easily seen.
Due to the position of the hood when it was down, the large louvers on the side of the car provided an additional supply of cooling air for the engine.
The top was electrically actuated and took about 20 seconds to complete the two-stage folding process between the cab and the engine compartment, where it was covered by its own tarp cover.
For added protection, a tubular steel roll bar was placed behind each of the two seats.
Beneath the leather cover of the bar was a special material designed to lessen the effect of impact with the head of an occupant.
Anti-roll bars were added and it had ventilated 13-inch disc brakes throughout and connected to an ABS system.
As a result of the chassis design, the interior of the 360 Spider was more spacious than that of its 355 counterpart, and shared the same interior specifications as the Modena.
The aerodynamic design of the cabin was such that, with the top down and driving hard, the pages of a newspaper on the passenger’s lap weren’t even wrinkled, along with the fact that the cabin was almost free of drafts.
When production ended in 2005, a total of 7,565 units of the Ferrari 360 Spider sports car had been built.
THE MOTOR
The 360 Spider was powered by the same 3.6-liter V8 engine, with five valves per cylinder, as that used in the 360 Modena, and with most of the torque available around 3000 rpm.
It was equipped with either a six-speed manual gearbox or an F1-style paddle gearbox.
However, the additional weight of the Spider affected its performance with the result that top speed was reduced from 189 mph in Modena to 180 mph, along with a slightly higher 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds compared to 4.2 seconds. in Modena. .
COMPETENCE
Typical competition for the Ferrari 360 Spider sports car included the following: Aston Martin DB9 Volante and Corvette C6 convertible. Ferrari performance:
SPORTS CARS FOR SALE
On the second hand market, a Ferrari 360 Spider, in good condition, would sell for around $ 55,000, while a flawless specimen would cost around $ 100,000.
One of the classic Ferrari cars.
This marks the end of my Ferrari 360 Spider sports car review