2009 Ferrari 430 Scuderia 16M arrives

The fastest soft top production car ever made by Ferrari has officially arrived in Australia, although its introduction is merely a formality with the entire local allotment already sold.

Just 15 examples of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia Spider 16M were made available for Australia and New Zealand from the limited production run of just 499 worldwide, ensuring its performance is surpassed only by its rarity.

Weighing 80kg less than the standard F430 Spider, the Scuderia Spider 16M shares a 4.3-litre, V8 engine with its hardtop sibling which produces 375kW at 8500rpm and 470Nm – earning it a best-in-class power-to-weight ratio.

Its F1-SuperFast2 transmission represents the latest evolution derived from the brand’s involvement with Formula 1, further reducing the gearchange time to just 60 milliseconds.

This has resulted in zero to 100km/h performance of just 3.7 seconds while tests at the Fiorano circuit recorded lap times lower than any other Ferrari spider model designed for the road.

Although power is only part of the performance equation, with the Scuderia Spider 16M also featuring a carbon ceramic brake package which offers greater braking efficiency, improved heat dissipation and optimised brake pedal feel.

The latest model to boast the Scuderia namesake has also maintained its most necessary creature comfort, featuring a unique audio system consisting of two woofers, two midrange speakers and two tweeters integrated in the carbonfibre door panel, operated by a removable Ferrari-personalised 16GB iPod Touch housed in the centre of the instrument panel.

Unfortunately the one key specification not mentioned by Ferrari was the price tag, although with all cars finding an owner before touching Australian soil it must have been a relative bargain – or a must have.