WTF is this guy talking about!? “It was also the first truly reliable Ferrari,” adds Hartley Junior. “Unlike the Testarossa and 348, you could invariably put one in for a routine service without being hit with an astronomical bill.” Sigh. Yet another bash the 348 and swoon over the 355 article. It sort of ruins the overall point which is that the 355 HAS become a modern classic and rightfully so. But Hartley Junior...come on man.
I took that statement from the point ov view of when the 355 was brand new. It was more or less the 1st Ferrari and super car that you could live with on a daily basis. Even today, a fully sorted 355 is brilliant. The longer I own mine, the more I wonder why I waited as long as I did to acquire one.
It is easy to say that both F355 and 348 are classics. Both are dated by their respective eras. Both fun and striking cars. I'd be happy to own either. Robb
"I can see this particular example being a quarter-of-a-million-pound car within the next 10 years.” Why sell it then, Tom? better corner the market, buy some 500 extra of these magnificent machines, and retire in 10 years as a Multi millionaire...
For a start, this is a nearly three year old article. I think you'll find they're already multi-millionaires. If you're familiar with the kind of cars they deal with the 355 would be pretty much the bottom end.
Correct. A quick look at their current inventory tells you they don't really need to talk up 355 values to try to make a buck. I'd also add that a F355 Spider (a car that I saw in person several times) sold in the U.K. last year for £160k so I guess £250k in ten years time is not out of the question. Not that it really matters. Having said that, the comment that you can take your 355 to the dealer for a service confidently knowing you won't get a surprisingly big bill is pretty funny, in a not very funny way.
It's the body lines...I still remember back in the mid 90's going to a Ferrari event walking around and stopping at the 355, the wide low stance from the rear was just perfect. Just look at Robb's profile pic...that says it all
Don't get me wrong, I like the 355 quite a lot. But I really think the 348 interior is worlds better. I have always disliked the "open center" under the dash and above the console on the 308/328 and then 355/360/430, etc. I like that the 348 has a true "up to dash" center console. Also, the door panels are just Italian exotic sexiness with the strakes and hockeystick flip up. The gauges are just absolutely classic--sort of like classic VDO font on Porsches (and many Volkswagens including my old Corrado VR6)---that mean orange font. The 355+ gauges are just meh. They smoothed out some of the dash features, the power steering (no thanks), the jellybean front bumper. I love the angular front bumper of the 348 with the side intake. The one thing about the 355 that I actually do like better are the open intakes on the doors--and the tail is a debatable detail. But the lack of power steering and that interior to me is what sets the 348 apart. And the lack of all of the "355 issues" that everyone always complains about. Yes, would I love to have that higher rpm and sound? Sure. But is it worth it over everything else about the 348? Not to me.
That also being said, considering that basically all Ferrari did was take a 348 and put a new front and rear bumper on it and removed the door strakes, the 355 looks surprisingly cohesive. I've always found that pretty amazing.
Yes, I was first smitten with the 355 when I saw it in GOLDENEYE, but as the years wore on, the 348 actually started looking better to me. Plus, the 348 gets a lot more real world "wow factor" when driven on the street, probably because of the baby Testarossa strakes, which look unlike anything else on the road (except a Testarossa, of course.)
The ZZR1400 and Concours get my attention every time. . Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
