Super exotic lightweight track specials aren't usually prime candidates for the drop-top treatment. Imagine training really hard for a marathon, then finding out you have to run it in high heels and a top hat. Trust us, it hinders you.

So what is Ferrari playing at with the 16M? It's basically a chop-top version of the hardcore 430 Scuderia - a lightened, even sharper version of Ferrari's already crisp, mid-engined F430. Everybody knows that not much softens a car like lopping the roof off, but here it is.

It's called 16M to celebrate the recent F1 constructor's title Ferrari won - its 16th - and only 499 will be made. The stats are compelling: 503bhp from a sonorous 4.3-litre V8, 347lb.ft of torque and a top speed of 197mph. The 0-62mph blast comes in a mere 3.7 seconds. Industrial strength chest wig glue not included.

That 0-62mph time is only a tenth of a second slower than the hard top's, and everything else that separates the Scuderia from the standard F430 is present and correct. The Ferrari e-diff, which changes the dynamic behaviour of the car via a steering wheel mounted 'Manettino' dial, remains, as do the lightweight carbon body panels and interior trim.

The 16M weighs in at a scant 1,340kg - a full 80kg lighter than the F430 Spider - and is the fastest open top car ever around Ferrari's Fiorano circuit, making it even faster than the new California GT.

The lightweight convertible comes in a variety of colours thanks to Ferrari's Carrozzeria Scaglietti personalisation scheme, with tasty tri-colour livery available. You can also specify a custom 16Gb Ferrari iPod Touch that integrates neatly into the dashboard.

For the 16M we're willing to throw our principles aside for once. It makes perfect sense, really - people rich and clever enough to buy a hardcore Ferrari deserve to have the rest of us jealously gaze at their beautiful windswept barnets, right?

Mark Nichol - 10 Nov 2008