What is a Ferrari Spider?

If you’ve seen the SF90 Spider or the F8 Spider and scratched your head at the naming, it’s clear you haven’t experienced the thrill of piloting a Ferrari convertible. While Ferrari has branded their convertibles differently over the years — spider, spyder, GTS, aperta — they’ve always delivered the same promise: the excitement of Ferrari performance with the wind in your hair. Aperta means “open” and GTS is simply Gran Turismo Spyder… but why do we call convertibles “spiders?” It’s a story older than Ferrari.

Why Are Convertibles Called Spiders?

Many of the terms we use in the auto industry come from a time that predates the first car, and “spider” can be traced all the way back to the horse-drawn carriage. The spider phaeton was a lightweight carriage built for sport and show that featured a removable top (with minimal protection from the elements). While many other open-air carriages sported permanent side windows, the spider offered a true open-air experience.

Some speculate that the carriage, with its small body, large wooden wheels, and thin spokes resembled a spider, and the name just stuck. It’s more likely that the vehicle’s eight-spoke wheels earned it its name, as they were distributed unevenly: four pointing to one side of the wheel and four to the opposite, with a larger gap between them.

Is it “spider” or “spyder,” though? It often varies from automaker to automaker, though you can tell from the GTS and the current Ferrari naming convention: sometimes one era features a spyder while another features a spider.

The Latest Ferrari Spider Models

The current Ferrari lineup has a trio of spiders:

• SF90 Spider: Discover the feeling of nearly 1,000 hp with the top down on the convertible version of Ferrari’s hybrid supercar.
• F8 Spider: The F8 Tributo is named appropriately, serving as a tribute to many Ferraris that came before. The F8 is a Ferrari that embraces the past while looking forward, and it couldn’t do that without a convertible version.
• 812 GTS: A legend returns. The 812 GTS is the first V12 spider produced in half a century, the retractable hardtop means that the push of a button is all that stands between you and that unique Ferrari engine note.

Talk Ferrari with Ferrari Lake Forest

Whether you have your sights set on a new Ferrari Spider or you’re looking for something classic, Ferrari Lake Forest is here to help. Contact us today for more information.