The most recent version was the Huracán Evo RWD Spyder, a convertible version of the rear-wheel-drive variant that debuted in 2020. The Italian automaker introduced the Huracán Spyder in 2015 as a convertible variant of the Huracán LP 610-4 and continues to be a part of the Lamborghini stable. Collectors pay handsomely for these Italian cars. Only 240 examples of this model were built in 1954 (181 of which were for lefthand driving), but that didn’t stop the Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider from becoming memorable. Fiat brought back the “ Fiata” in 2016 but discontinued it in 2020, even though the car was decent. The original Fiat 124 Sport Spider was manufactured from 1966 to 1985. The latest is the plug-in hybrid SF90 Spider, a sibling of the SF90 Stradale coupe. Its 3.9-liter V8, which won the International Engine of the Year award in 2019, provides a high level of performance, while the Spider also sticks to modern emissions standards and is 44 pounds lighter than the preceding 488 Spider. You’ll find many other “Spider” models in the Ferrari lineup because the Italian supercar maker often uses that term for its convertible body style. The Ferrari F8 Spider began life as an offshoot of the F8 Tributo, but the modifications to the convertible give this car a distinct style. Despite being widely praised, Audi plans to kill the R8 Spyder line as the company moves toward electric cars. The downsides are the R8’s poor gas mileage and small cargo area. The 2023 model packs a powerful V10 engine that provides a palpable sense of speed and quick acceleration while still being smooth around tight corners. The Audi R8 Spyder carries a hefty price tag, but the German luxury sports car’s general excellence makes it worth the money. Four generations of the Spider were made, the first of which gained a more significant imprint in America thanks to its presence in the seminal film The Graduate. The original Spider went out of production in 1994, and while Alfa Romeo made other versions after that, the Italian brand’s struggle to generate sales forced it to stop lines like the 4C Spider in 2020. The Alfa Romeo Spider debuted in 1966 as a successor to the brand’s Giulia line. Here are some of the most famous: Alfa Romeo Spider Many models named “Spider” or “Spyder” have rolled off production lines in the past few decades.

What are the best-known ‘Spider/Spyder’ cars? So if you see a Spyder on the road, it likely has Italian roots. Power, Italians spell it that way because there’s no “i” in their alphabet. There’s no way to know how much of that origin story is true and how much of it has been exaggerated, but it’s a fun addition to the history of why so many car names include “Spider.” There’s no sense of romanticism in why some automakers spell it “Spyder.” That’s down to the particulars of different languages. Instead of calling it the Speeder, the magazine printed the car’s name as “Spider” because that’s how Italian speakers would pronounce the word. His co-workers understood some details, such as the 550 Speeder having no roof, but the car’s name got lost in translation. The Porsche 550 Speeder impressed the journalist, who phoned his publication in Milan. The writer traveled to New York to attend an auto show in 1953.ĭuring the show, he spied a new street-legal Porsche model that later became synonymous with the ’50s teen icon James Dean after he died behind the wheel of one in 1955. Mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door convertibleĭOHC 24-valve flat-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionīrakes (F/R): 16.1-in vented, cross-drilled ceramic disc/15.According to a possibly apocryphal story, the transition of “Spider” to its more modern use in car names is due to an Italian automotive journalist’s misunderstanding of English. But we're okay with trading stopwatch ticks for experience. The Spyder makes the sprint to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, which is a couple of ticks behind a Boxster GTS powered by a 365-hp turbocharged flat-four and equipped with the launch-control-enabled dual-clutch automatic transmission. But hearing the engine work harder and longer is no burden. Effortless acceleration at 4000 feet becomes more of a chore at 8000. The higher we climb, the more we miss the earth's oxygen.

You need to hold gears to redline, commit to the throttle over crests, and trust that those brakes were worth raiding your child's college fund. Without turbos to provide low-end thrust, the 718 requires real work to go fast here. Sherman Pass Road-with its off-camber twists, broken seams, pointy rocks disguised as pine cones, and crumbling road edges-isn't for novices, and the Spyder isn't a starter sports car.

Even in a place where grip is inconsistent and the surface far from perfect, we find confidence.