| RE: Ferrari 360 Spider
Against a 360 Spider, you'd be surprised at what the SLK55 can do. The Spider is a bit heavier than the regular 360 and since it is a manual or F1 paddle type of transmission, it takes a bit of skill to not only launch it properly (since it has much less torque than the SLK55), but also shift properly and quickly. The 360 Spider tested in the magazines to do a quarter mile of 12.8 seconds at 110 mph (the coupe is a bit faster). The SLK55 has done 12.7/12.8 at about 109 mph. Pretty darn close and in the real world, the SLK55's performance numbers are much easier to replicate thanks to the faultless 7G transmission and plenty of torque down low at launch or rolling starts. So I'd say it's about even and in most situations, the SLK55 would win since not everyone driving an F360 Spider is a professional racecar driver with "mad rowing skillz" or at least know how to operate the F1 paddle shifter effectively [:)] | 
