The Ferrari F430 Spider is the only mid-rear engined convertible to feature a fully automatic electric top while still leaving the engine exposed through a pane of glass.

I read this while leafing through Ferrari press kit notes, and wondered how many prospective buyers of the exotic super car would base their decision on this fact. “But honey, you can put the top up by pressing this button, and look, you can still see the engine.” My guess is none.

Instead, what appeals to the well-heeled who plop down hundreds of thousands of dollars for something that ultimately achieves the same as a $14,000 sub-compact - that old A to B thing - is that a Ferrari is so much more than two dozen Toyota Echos could ever hope to be. Even if you disassembled all 24 of them and remade them into some outrageous 96-cylinder rice rocket.

It’s a little like asking, why pay a hundred bucks for a Baccarat water glass when you can score a free one with a bucket from the Colonel. A combination of “because I can” and “because I like the best” is part of the typical response.

After driving in and drooling on a Giallo Modena (that’d be ‘yellow’) 430 Spider one recent sunny West Coast day, if I won the lotto and bought one of these sublime sports cars, I’d add this bit of newly acquired millionaire advice to the debate: “Get in. Cancel all your appointments for the day. We’re going for a drive.”

As you’d expect of a super model, the Ferrari F430 made its world debut in Paris. The highly anticipated replacement to the 360, called ‘Evo’ within the inner sanctum of Ferrari, the F430 was the belle of the 2004 Paris Auto Show, and by the summer of the next year, Ferrari dealers throughout Canada and the United States were selling the select few they could get their hands on. No wonder.

With subtle yet so strong styling by Pininfarina, a 483 horsepower 4.3-litre 90-degree V8, big carbon ceramic brakes by Brembo and a chassis that is, for all intents and purposes, built for the race track, the F430 Spider is the strongest contender for super car of the century, young as it is.

Before braying from Bugatti Veyron backers begins, and poisoned penned pleas from Porsche Carrera GT fans flood my in-box, I would ask all those in disagreement with this claim to go down to their local Ferrari dealer, press their nose up against the showroom glass and take a long and lingering look at the F430’s lines.

RM Auctions, in association with Sotheby’s, will offer an exciting line-up of important Ferrari sports and racing cars when they return to Maranello, Italy on May 18th for the much-anticipated ‘Ferrari: Leggenda e Passione’ auction event. Headlining the list of significant consignments for the single-day event is a pair of rare and ultra-desirable California Spyders, a 1951 Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe Pinin Farina with celebrity provenance, and a 1951 Ferrari 340 America Coupé with a superlative racing history.

London, England (April 14, 2008) – Ferrari aficionados will have a rare opportunity to peruse and bid on some of the marque’s finest – and oldest – sports and racing cars next month when RM Auctions, in association with Sotheby’s, returns to Maranello, Italy for their much-anticipated Ferrari: Leggenda e Passione auction event.

To be held May 18th at Maranello’s legendary Ferrari factory, the single-day event will present dozens of significant vintage Ferraris for auction, as well as a selection of newer Ferrari models, and items from one of the world’s most important Ferrari memorabilia collections, Jacques Swaters’ famed Ferrari Francorchamps Collection.

“Our upcoming Ferrari Leggenda e Passione auction is set to be a truly historic and international event, highlighting over 50 years of Ferrari history,” said Max Girardo, Managing Director of RM’s European Operations.

“We have received tremendous early interest in the event and have secured a magnificent assortment of consignments, including some of the earliest Ferraris produced, making this a ‘must attend’ event for professional collectors and those with a predilection for the Ferrari marque,” he added.

Headlining the growing list of significant consignments are no less than two rare and ultra-desirable California Spyders – a magnificent 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder, (s/n 0923GT) and a stunning 1961 Ferrari 250GT SWB California Spyder (s/n 2377GT) with celebrity provenance. Completed on March 3, 1961, 2377GT was shipped to the US in the 1960s after being purchased by Academy Award winning actor, James Coburn, who shared a passion for Italian sports cars with close friend and fellow Ferrari enthusiast, the legendary Steve McQueen. Over the course of his 25-year ownership, Coburn was a regular sight in his Spyder, using it as a daily driver to and from the movie studios. Additionally, on weekends, he, along with McQueen and fellow actor James Garner, could often be found testing their driving abilities through the winding Hollywood hills. Throughout Coburn’s ownership, he repainted the vehicle three times, first in dark blue, followed by silver and finally burgundy; today the car appears in its original black and includes extensive documentation relating to its restoration and maintenance.

Another star attraction with celebrity provenance, and just confirmed for the May auction, is a fabulously restored 1951 Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe Pinin Farina (s/n 0265EU). Fitted with a prototype 3.0-litre 250 type V12 engine, this unique example was purchased new by renowned film director Roberto Rossellini and used on a road trip to Sweden by him and his wife, three-time Academy Award winning actress, Ingrid Bergman.

Also set to cross the block at the Maranello event is a legendary 1951 Ferrari 340 America Ghia Coupe, (s/n 0150A). Regarded as one of the rarest of all early racing Ferraris, this example was the last of four 340 Americas bodied by Carrozzeria Ghia, and the only one with a superlative racing history. Sold new in 1952 to noted Ferrari patron, Antonio “Tony” Paravano, the car was subsequently shipped to California before making its racing debut at Torrey Pines in July 1952, closely followed by an appearance at the grueling Carrera Panamericana in Mexico, where Jack and Ernie McAfee drove it to a respectable fifth place finish.

To coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Ferrari Daytona, the May event will also offer an ultra-collectible, award-winning 1971 Ferrari GTS/4 Daytona Spyder, a fully restored 1971 Daytona Coupe; and a totally original 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, with just one owner from new and 2,500 original miles.