The 2000 FERRARI MODENA SPYDER- If there was ever a time to regret not investing in that Internet stock, this is it. Kick yourself in the butt. Pace in your office, frustrated and angry. Drive yourself home in that meager mode of transportation, that's sensible and cost-effective. Go to Vegas and try to win big, try to pry open junior's college fund and see what's in it. Your most desired possession has just arrived, and you can't afford it. Welcome the Ferrari 360 Modena Spider, the drop top cousin to the famed coupe that arrived a short time ago.

The new Spider replaces the much loved F355 Spider, sold here from 1995 through the rest of this year. The most important feature about this car is that it isn't just some beautiful topless conversion.

Though not far from the same roots that brings about the coupe, the Spider is distinct in the top area and rear deck. It's shoulders don't line up directly behind the headrests, they're in fact an aspect of the design that keeps the rear deck from appearing too flat; they also serve as the outboard mounting points for the two asymmetrical rollover hoops. This beauty came from the masterwork of Pininfarina, the designers responsible for all of our beloved stallions. The 360 Spider bodies will be built at the Scaglietti coachworks facility in Modena, Italy.

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Following the smooth flowing lines onto the rear deck, you notice perhaps the most unique piece of styling yet: A piece of flush-mounted glass sits, covering the engine compartment, where two beautiful four-cylinder manifolds sit in perfect symmetry. The Modena uses the engine and even some of the chassis rails as design elements, each a demonstration of the many artistic ways to cast, machine, and finish aluminum. Power is provided by Ferrari's 3.6-liter cinquevalvole (five-valve/cylinder) V-8, and its 400-horsepower rating and wailing 8500-rpm redline are unchanged for Spider duty. The six-speed gated shifter, an Italian curse, is standard while Ferrari's new-tech F1 sequential paddle shifter transmission is optional. With its nigh-identical weight to the Modena, we've no reason to doubt its ability to rip off sub-4-second 0-60s.

We first got a look at this work of art in March of last year at the Geneva Motor Show, The new Spider replaces the much loved F355 Spider, sold here from 1995 through the rest of this year. The most important feature about this car is that it isn't just some beautiful topless conversion. It was designed from scratch as an open air model, and chassis stiffness and aerodynamics were a priority from the drawing board. Raising and lowering the top is a one-touch deal: Press the button, the top unlatches and lowers on its own, and resembles, both visually and spiritually, a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.

The interior is also just as accommodating as the coupes. The interior is also just as accommodating as the coupes. Unlike the cramped F355, the new cabin is downright spacious providing plenty of room to spend hours behind the wheel of this beauty. And it's good to know that Ferrari's pipe benders, muffler makers, and aerodynamicists worked very hard at creating the balance of engine, intake, and exhaust sounds to give the Modena its ethereal scream-its voice is just that much better in top-down, Spider form.

Ferrari has yet to release prices for this 2001 model, but expect it to command about a $25K premium over the Modena's current $138,225 base; add yet another 10 grand if you want the F1 transmission. Is the 360 Spider worth it? Of course. A bargain, actually, when you consider the price premium that many classic Ferrari convertibles draw over their coupe counterparts. AZ/AutoNetDirect.com

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