Ferrari Spider catches new award in its web

The Ferrari 458 Spider has been named the 'Best Sports Car and Convertible' in a newspaper survey.

A special edition issue celebrating the  'Top 100 Cars on sale today' in a  Sunday Times review, said the car was "simply sublime".

The paper added:  "A 458 is not a pure-bred sports car. Yes, it drives like one, but it’s also a singer and a model and an athlete. It’s a heptathlete with the lungs of Pavarotti and the face of an angel. The best convertible sports car on the market.”

The 458 Spider continues a long tradition of mid-engined V8 convertibles for Ferrari, but this is the first time that a mid-engined sports car has featured a folding hard-top, combining glamour and style.

This award is the latest in a series  for the 458 Spider, and it will sit alongside the BBC Top Gear Magazine’s “Cabriolet of the Year” in 2011, and also the two consecutive awards from the International Engine of the Year in 2011 and 2012 for the “Best Performance Engine” in the category over 4 litres, for the naturally-aspirated 4.5 litre V8 which is shared by the 458 Spider and the 458 Italia.