IT’S BECOME SOMETHING of a Maranello tradition to produce a limited-edition version of its sports cars toward the end of their production runs. At the Paris Motor Show in September, Ferrari introduced the newest member of this exclusive club: the 458 Speciale A.
Like Scuderia Spider 16M before it, the Speciale A is a drop-top version (the A is for Aperta, which is Italian for open) of Ferrari’s raciest V8 coupe. In this case, the closed car is the similarly named 458 Speciale, with which the Speciale A shares its engine, transmission, suspension, bodywork, wheels and tires, brakes, minimalist interior and, well, just about everything else.
So, yes, the Speciale A is simply a roofless Speciale. And having raved about the coupe in issue #132, we think this convertible has the potential to be the most exciting modern Ferrari this side of a LaFerrari.
![Photo: A is for Awesome 2](https://s3.amazonaws.com/forza-mag/images/big/1063/a-is-for-awesome-2.jpg?1534875826)
Ferrari’s eye-popping 458 Speciale A show car features triple-layer yellow paint, blue and white accents, grey wheels and blue carbon-fiber interior trim.
We expect the Speciale A will carry a noticeable premium over the $300,000 Speciale, but we also expect Ferrari will quickly sell all 499 examples it plans to build. As for whether the Speciale A delivers the driving thrills it promises, we’ll let you know in an upcoming issue.
![Photo: A is for Awesome 3](https://s3.amazonaws.com/forza-mag/images/big/1064/a-is-for-awesome-3.jpg?1534875830)
Ferrari’s eye-popping 458 Speciale A show car features triple-layer yellow paint, blue and white accents, grey wheels and blue carbon-fiber interior trim.
![Photo: A is for Awesome 4](https://s3.amazonaws.com/forza-mag/images/big/1065/a-is-for-awesome-4.jpg?1534875834)
Ferrari’s eye-popping 458 Speciale A show car features triple-layer yellow paint, blue and white accents, grey wheels and blue carbon-fiber interior trim.
![Photo: A is for Awesome 5](https://s3.amazonaws.com/forza-mag/images/big/1066/a-is-for-awesome-5.jpg?1534875837)
Ferrari’s eye-popping 458 Speciale A show car features triple-layer yellow paint, blue and white accents, grey wheels and blue carbon-fiber interior trim.