Following in the footsteps of Ferrari’s brilliant Scuderia Spider 16M, the 458 Speciale A (short for Aperta) was introduced to the Ferrari lineup in 2014 as a limited-edition convertible sibling to the 458 Speciale Coupé, offering exhilarating performance and the thrill of open-air motoring coupled with the 458 Speciale’s glorious exhaust note.

The key to the allure of the Speciale A is a suite of modifications, many of them inspired by and, in some instances, co-developed alongside, the LaFerrari supercar.

A key component of the car’s amazing agility is side-slip control (SSC).

This system calculates the car's slip angle and makes near-instantaneous adjustments to match the driver's inputs.

The system works in tandem with Ferrari's electronically controlled rear differential (E-Diff) and traction control (F1-Trac), with the result being superb reflexes without sacrificing ride comfort and everyday usability.

At the heart of the Speciale A is a 4.5-liter V-8 that develops 597 hors...