Spyder vs Spider | FerrariChat

Spyder vs Spider

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by Lowell, Dec 27, 2020.

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  1. Lowell

    Lowell Formula 3
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    Apr 17, 2005
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    Lowell Brown
    A little while ago, someone in this Forum asserted that Spyder was used in America
    while Spider was proper Italian.

    Today I had occasion to look at the 1961 Ferrari Yearbook, which is entirely written in Italian. I ran across this:

    "Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia al volante dello spyder California."


    I inserted this into Google Translate to obtain the English:
    "Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia at the wheel of the spyder California."
    Then I wrote
    "Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia al volante dello spider California."
    in Google Translate into English and found
    "Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia at the wheel of the California spider."
     
  2. turbo-joe

    turbo-joe F1 Veteran

    Apr 6, 2008
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    southwest germany and thailand
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    romano schwabel
    and what you like to tell us with this translationmachines?
    spyder - spider, in my eyes it is the same
     
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  3. 375+

    375+ F1 World Champ
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  4. amenasce

    amenasce Three Time F1 World Champ
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    I had also heard that Spyder was used for US only cars or cars designed for the USA but who knows if it's true.

    Today it seems both are used interchangeably.
     
  5. Wheels1

    Wheels1 F1 Rookie
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    If I remember right, Marcel said Spyder was Italian and Spider was the English translation.
     
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  6. technom3

    technom3 F1 World Champ
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    My understanding of it is germans call it spyder and the rest of the world uses spider.

    Which when I researched this before had some actual continuity believe it or not.
     
  7. Lowell

    Lowell Formula 3
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    This is topsy-turvy I do believe.
     
  8. Wheels1

    Wheels1 F1 Rookie
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    Your right , just found what Marcel said which is below.

    Spider is Italian, Spyder is English.
    Forget any "lists" on any websites.........
    Marcel Massini
     
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  9. NYC Fred

    NYC Fred F1 Veteran
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    Coulda been worse...
    Coulda been 'bedbug'...
     
  10. Fennicus

    Fennicus Formula Junior

    Apr 10, 2015
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    Helsinki, Finland
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    Pekka T.
    Hi,

    FWIW a book could say “spyder” but Italian typewriters did not have the letter “y” in the 1950’s and 60’s.

    Thus even “Daytona” got spelled “Daitona” if someone in Italy wrote a report of the 24 hour event at the time.

    English “spider” is “ragno” in Italian.

    Cheers!
     
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  11. Solid State

    Solid State F1 Veteran
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    Feb 4, 2014
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    Maximus Decimus Meridius
    Learn something every day. Official modern buildings with Roman (Latin) influence use V instead of U when lettered.
     
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  12. italiancars

    italiancars F1 Rookie

    Apr 18, 2004
    3,338
    Hershey, PA
    More than likely it came out of the Marketing Department!
     
  13. Jack-the-lad

    Jack-the-lad Six Time F1 World Champ
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    Moot Pointe
    Porsche has consistently used “spyder” I believe.
     
  14. Lowell

    Lowell Formula 3
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    My very old copy of the huge Oxford English Dictionary has the 7th definition of "spider" that refers to carriages as in this article:
    but it makes no additional reference to automobiles.
    This Dictionary does not contain the word "spyder".
     
  15. Lowell

    Lowell Formula 3
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    Lowell Brown
    On the internet, this can be found:

    spiderspàidë› s. ingl. [propr. «ragno», in origine nella locuz. spider phaeton, nome di una carrozza leggera a due posti (talora dotata di sedile posteriore) del tipo phaéton (v.), con ruote molto larghe e leggere] (pl. spidersspàidë∫›), usato in ital. al masch. o al femm. – 1. Automobile, sportiva o da gran turismo, in genere priva di cappotta (o dotata di una cappotta a mantice in tela gommata, estraibile manualmente o elettronicamente, o anche rigida), a due soli posti (alcuni modelli del passato avevano anche un piccolo sedile di fortuna, posteriore), così dette perché, spec. in origine, la sproporzione tra le dimensioni delle ruote e quelle della carrozzeria, piccola e bassa, ricordava l’immagine di un ragno. 2. s. m. Nel linguaggio di Internet, potente programma, utilizzato nei varî motori di ricerca, per esplorare costantemente il web e reperire sempre nuovi dati e informazioni.  In Italia è in uso, nel sign. 1, anche il dim. spiderino ‹spai-›.
     
  16. Wheels1

    Wheels1 F1 Rookie
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    I always assumed, incorrectly it appears, that Spyders/ Spiders were so called because of the roof frame that looked like a spiders web.
     
  17. Jack-the-lad

    Jack-the-lad Six Time F1 World Champ
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    Jun 22, 2004
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    Perhaps, but regardless, Porsche has used the spelling since the 1950s as a proper noun which may explain the OED’s exclusion.
     

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