Ferrari Cabriolets & Spyders

Language	English
Author	Jon Thompson
Editor	Tim Parker
Publishing	Oprey Publishing Limited, London, ISSN 0-85045-553-7, 1985
Dimensions	135 pages, 193 x 220 mm

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.

As part of the extensive series of Oprey AutoHistory books, there are 8 known issues highlighting particular Ferraris from the sixties, seventies and early eighties. Models covered include 12- and 8-cylinders Ferraris and the 6-cylinder Dinos.