This open-top V8 sports car entered the lineup in 1995 as the Spider derivative of the F355 family, bringing a convertible body style to the mid-engined road car that had arrived the year before. It kept the same basic design language as the coupe, with Pininfarina styling and a strong emphasis on aerodynamic development, but adapted the structure and roof packaging for open-air driving. The model quickly became one of the most desirable versions of the 355 range because it combined the visual purity of the original car with a more relaxed grand-touring character. In 1997, the range was updated with the F1-style electrohydraulic transmission, creating the 355 F1 Spider and marking an important step in Ferrari road-car gearbox development. The nameplate ran through the end of the 1999 model year, after which it was replaced by the next-generation open-top V8 successor.
MODEL HISTORY