While all eyes and focus were on another historical feat as British F1 driver Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 F1 Drivers Championship, becoming the first black and youngest ever winner of the sport, Ferrari quietly celebrated their 16th Constructors title with the announcing of their Ferrari F430 16M.

By Ferrari’s accounts this will be the fastest open-top car ever from the Italian sports car giant, gaining a number of weight advantages over the regular F430.

The new car also sports a special plaque on its rear grille commemorating Ferrari’s 16th Constructor’s World title.

The interior is also underscored by the silver “limited series” plaque just above the air vents at the center of the dashboard.

Other exclusive features include a roll-bar with a carbon-fiber outer shell and an audio system that can be combined with the removable customised Ferrari iPod Touch 16GB media player.

The Scuderia Spider 16M is available in a choice of two new colour schemes: the standard version is black with grey trim, while a tricolour livery is also available as part of the Carrozzeria Scaglietti Personalisation Programme

Only 499 examples will be produced and they should go quick despite a price tag that should be in excess of $277,000 USD, the base price of the regular F430 Spider.