Spidey sense

FERRARI 296 GTS 

- Jason Barlow

When is an open-top Ferrari a GTS and when is it a Spider? Back in the day, a GTS was effectively a 'targa', ie it had a removable panel rather than a fully folding roof, as debuted on 1977's 308 GTS (remember the opening credits of US telly classic Magnum PI?). On the Nineties F355, you could have a GTB, a GTS or a Spider. Since 2011's 458 Italia Spider, open Ferraris have had a retractable aluminium roof and ingeniously packaged conduits for high-speed hedonism without structural integrity wobbles. That's the deal with the 296 GTS, the first road-going Ferrari, erm, Spider to use a six-cylinder engine. If you discount the Dino GTS, which was never badged as a Ferrari. Or in fact a Spider, because it only had a detachable roof panel. Crikey.