The design of the standard Ferrari F430’s front air intakes harked back to the famed “shark nose” 156 that guided the Scuderia to its first Formula 1 Constructors’ championship in 1961.

It was therefore appropriate that when the time came to celebrate a 16th world title victory in 2008—which remains the Prancing Horse’s most recent grand prix success to date—Ferrari chose to christen its open-top variant of the 430 Scuderia the “16M”.

The Spider gained the same higher-compression, 503 brake horsepower, naturally aspirated, 4.3-litre V-8 as its closed-roof counterpart.

This model also marked the start of the Maranello marque offering a convertible version of its special edition, track-focused, mid-engined V-8 supercars, a lineage that continues to this day.

Engineers were required to significantly strengthen and stiffen the F430 when it came to removing the roof.

But the 16M’s revised front and rear bumpers, plus forged alloy wheels, reworked steering and front suspension contribut...