Read our full 2014 Ferrari 458 Spider review.
The Ferrari 458 Spider has all of the supercar bases covered. From its stunning looks and convenient convertible hardtop to its shrieking engine and heart-stopping performance, it really does have it all.
Few will ever get to experience the 458 Spider’s galaxy of talents, but anyone can “build” one of their own with the car’s online configurator.
Unlike with more pedestrian cars, you don’t choose your 458 based on what the dealer happens to have in stock. There are plenty of important decisions to be made.
There are 26 exterior colors, for example. The configurator even includes a tool that allows online shoppers to see exactly how a given color will look in different sunlight conditions.
Of course, one must also be careful not to let the exterior paint clash with the paint on the brake calipers.
Moving onto the interior, there are numerous leather color, stitching, and carpet color options, plus four seat designs and 10 options for seatbelt color. Apparently, Ferrari customers do sweat the small stuff.
There are also plenty of opportunities to add Alcantara and carbon fiber trim to different parts of the interior; they seem obligatory for any performance cars these days. Other options include an iPod jack, cruise control, and a fire extinguisher.
The fire extinguisher will probably seem reassuring as intrepid owners try to probe the Spider’s performance limits. Ferrari says it will do 0 to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 199 mph, which is impressive no matter what color your seat belts are.
If you can’t afford the 458 Spider’s circa-$258,000 base price, why not waste time playing with the configurator and imagining what that feels like?
