Released a year after the coupe, the F355 Spider came to complete the body line-up that also included a targa and a coupe berlinetta.
The nomenclature for the 355 does not follow the Ferrari formula which is made up of the engine capacity and the number of cylinders. The 355 takes its name from the engine capacity and the number of valves per cylinder (3.5 liter engine capacity and 5 valves per cylinder).

This was also a first for Ferrari, by putting an electronically powered semi-automatic soft top on one of its cars. 3,717 units were made in both 6-speed manual and 6-speed automated F1 gearboxes.