The Official "Spyder vs. Spider" Thread

Check the archives. This has been beaten to death there.

 

Drew, like Robert said, this has been beaten to death (and still, i don't think a clear answer ever emerged), however if i recall correctly (which i seldom do), the started using the word spider rather than spyder when they started with the 308s... This, of course, could be horribly wrong and i would definitely second Nuvolari's advice on scoping out the old board's archives... Please let us know what you turn up with; some of us could use to refresh our memories...

 

So I'm washing the car and the girlfriend says "Why do they call it a Spider?" and I came up empty.

Just curious what is the word origin for Spider? How does it equate into convertible?

It's used on non-Italian cars (Mitsubshi for example) - and our friends across the pond often spell it with a "y" (Spyder).

I checked Websters and did not see anything relevant. Any ideas?
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Spider equals - "Speed-Air" as pronounced in italian. That's what I was told.

 

SPIDER: an American horse-drawn carriage of the late 19th century, the spider-phaeton was ideal for the gentlemen driver to use for horse-show work, Now it is another word for an open two-seater sports car.

j3nzo.

 

Thanks guys..I'll check with my neighbor...he was born in Italy and speaks Italian...

 

Jenzo is correct. At one time spider or spyder (spelling depended upon the whim of the coachbuilder) was a rather generic term for light two place roadsters. Over the last several decades became mostly used by the Italian motorcar industry and then aped (see Mitsubishi) recently by companies wanting to add a little Italian pizazz to their line.

 

jenzo is always correct........

 

It was my understanding that the term spider came from the appearance of the convertible top bows looking like a spider when looking up at the top from the cabin.

 

...or that the wheels sat higher than the cabin as a spider's legs are taller than its body.

 

OK, as long as we're all guessing.......spider comes from the fact that a spider has two main sections to it's body, we'll call them the head and the thorax. In between these two sections is a open area where, many years ago sat a targa top, now removed from mutations.

 

What is the right way to spell "Spider" for Ferraris? I always thought it was 360 SpIder since that's the way Ferrari spells it. Alot of people seem to be spelling it SpYder instead. I know that Maserati uses a Y but why are people doing it to Ferraris? Isnt spelling it with an I the proper way? Even some 348/355/360 Spider owners are using a Y... Any imput on this topic?

 

oh dear. this has been discussed ENDLESSLY. please check search the archives.

doody.

 

Go to:

http://www.ferrarina.com/Welcome.html

Then hit the Ferrari Emblem and see the
current Lineup AND correct spelling.

 

Is it just me or are there way too many that think it's called Spyder instead of the correct, Spider?

Well if you didn't know before, now you do. ;-)

 

What does your pronoun, "it," refer to? The 360?

Ferrari has used both words throughout its history, hence the confusion in modern times when they went with the "360 spider." But, you may be surprised to learn that in fact, "spyder," and not the current "spider," is the original term - 250 California spyder, 365 California spyder, and so on.

 

I'm sorry, "it" is the 360.

I'm not so into old Ferrari's, but I learn something everyday, even though, Like big newspapers do wrong by saying 360 Spyder in articles and such, I see alot of people saying Spyder instead of Spider, ooh well.

 

Yeah, the 355 was a "spider" as well. I'm not sure when this move from "spyder" to "spider" took place, but since Ferraris have historically had both designations, I know I sometimes get confused too!

 

But then I would wouldn't I !

 

I know that at the time they built my 328GTS the letters were clearly listed as standing for "Gran Turismo Spyder".

But of course that was never completely correct, since the term Spyder was generally used to describe what we would call a true convertible, not a Targa-top car like mine.

The first real "spyder" in the 3x8 series didn't appear until the 348. But since they already had a Targa-top "spyder" in the series, the convertible was called a "cabriolet" and really muddled things up!

I do believe Ferrari is now spelling it "spider" but again I don't know when they made the switch.

 

And since the state of Georgia has no term to describe a semi-open car like mine, they consider it a convertible!

 

Just to add:

The first "spyder" was the 1947 159 Spyder Corsa, followed by the 166 spyder corsa.

Anyway, I believe the 348 was the first car to bear the name "spider"

 

According to the Beaulieu Motor Museum the term has its roots in Italy where the word became a generic term for a 2 seat sports car with a retractable roof.The framework of the hood was said to resemble a spider.According to Beaulieu , the alternative spellings can be traced to some Italian car makers choosing to vary the lettering for export markets.
An alternative theory is that the term has its roots in the 19th century when it was used to refer to a type of horse drawn trap.These had retractable tops and large wheels -often higher than the carriage itself-that resembled a spider's web.

So know we know

 

Yeah I heard it was from the horse drawn carriages that were 'convertibles'. I suppose from the inside the frame of the roof looked like a spider's web... ?