Osprey AutoHistory, issue spider (1985) Osprey AutoHistory

Ferrari Cabriolets & Spyders; 166 Inter to Mondial Quattrovalvole

Ferrari Cabriolets & Spyders is about those open sports cars - not the racing sports car commonly known as sports-racing cars or sometimes known as sports prototypes - the road-going, everyday driving Ferraris. Why cabriolet and spyder, why not just convertible? It's really a matter of association. The word convertible is American, common and uncomfortable as a description of an Italian classic. Cabriolet, although a French by origin, is international and has come to mean a four-seater with disappearing top. Spyder, both German and Italian in origin, usually means two-seater and folding top of fixed rollbar and rear screen. Thus the car described within fit nicely as either cabriolets or spyders; disagreeably as convertibles.

Here we have six sub-groups of cars - each and every one is something special and none have been adequately serialized before. The early custom-bodied cabriolets from Touring, Vignale, Bertone and Ghia, and of course, Stablimenti Farina to become Pinin Farina.
Cabriolets for the elite - cars for the conspicuously wealthy. Production cabriolets from Pininfarina - from 250 GT chassis, through 275, 330 to 365. The V12 spyders from Scaglietti - aka California, 275 NART and Daytona. The V6 and V8 Dino/308 series.
Finally, the one-offs, rebodies and conversions (the last, in recent times, have rejuvenated interest).

Not all open Ferraris are beautiful, but all are supremely interesting.

Chapter 1

Early custom-bodied cabriolets

Chapter 3

Production cabriolets from Pininfarina

Chapter 5

Dino and 308 spyders and cabriolets

Specifications

Index