Ferraris are known for their performance, beauty, and rarity, but this 430 Scuderia Spider 16M is interesting for another reason. Launched in 2008 to celebrate 16 World Constructors' Formula 1 titles, the exotic cabrio had an iPod Touch from the factory. Although the company aims to reduce distractions by putting nearly all controls in front of the driver, this limited-run model does things differently.
Piston Heads spotted the 430 Scuderia Spider 16M up for sale at H.R. Owen in the UK. Ferrari made only 499 units but not all of them had the iPod Touch. Alternatively, the car was also offered with a traditional Becker Cascade radio with iPod and Bluetooth connectivity. We did a bit of digging and discovered the 16GB iPod Touch was offered in an Alcantara sleeve and came with a quick reference guide. Dutch shop Baroli Automobilia had one for sale, without the actual car.
Coming from a time before Apple CarPlay, the removable iPod Touch sat in a dock in the center console. Ferrari has generally been against touchscreens because it believes having a center display takes away from the pleasure of driving. Modern models bundle everything into the instrument cluster although things are changing since the Roma and 12Cilindri have a center screen.
Fun nerdy fact–Ferrari was the first automaker to fully integrate Apple CarPlay back in 2014 when the FF came out. As for the iPod Touch, Apple discontinued the product line in 2022, rendered obsolete by the iPhone. Since you already have an iPhone in your pocket, what's the point in carrying another device with you that does the same thing?
When the 430 Scuderia Spider 16M came out, Apple was offering a 32GB version of the iPod Touch but Ferrari chose to use the 16GB model instead. Given the car's lofty original asking price of $313,350, you'd think the peeps from Maranello would spring for the higher-capacity model. In its defense, perhaps Ferrari wanted to retain the "16" theme.
