I've been mostly posting in the flat-12 section, so for those who don't know me, I'm 41 years old and living in France (Paris and Provence). Last August I bought a 512 TR and found it so charismatic and engaging to drive (in particular the peerless unassisted steering and involving old-school gearbox), that I wanted to complete it with it's in-period little sister, the 348. The idea was to have an open-top 348 as a wind-in-the-hair sports car to contrast with the 512 TR grand tourer. Sounds simple, but I did spend a lot of time considering the 348 vs 355 question... It wasn't easy as until recently the 348 was off my radar, I had always adored the 355 and the 355 is undeniably the better car... Still, I opted for 348 over 355 in the end, due to: - a more raw old-school feel, making for a more engaging and involving drive. That is REALLY important to me. - in particular, I am very sensitive to how a car steers and shifts. I've had a 360 before, and found the steering unremarkable and the shift action too easy and unmemorable. The 512 TR was the opposite, and the 348 promises the same kind of mechanical feel and challenging drive. - simpler maintenance - lower running costs - stronger more interesting less modern styling (to my eyes). And of course, a look that goes well with my 512 TR. - sure the 355 has more power, but to me ultimate power isn't what classic Ferraris are about. It's more about driving feel, through all 5 senses. Besides, I find a certain pleasure in working harder to extract the performance. - as the last old-school V8 berlinetta, I find the 348 undervalued compared to the similarly old-school 328. This is surely in large part due to the teething troubles of the 348 and the period press reports of tricky on-limit handling. I am willing to bet that the tricky handling will be seen as less and less relevent as the cars become collectors items. Who cars that a 911 2.7RS has "tricky on-limit handling"! - besides, a 348 with all the factory upgrades is said to handle pretty much as well as a 355 anyway ------------------------------ Then I spent a good many more hours considering the TS vs Spider question... Ultimately, it could have gone either way because I like both! I prefer the design of the TS, but I prefer the glamor and more open nature of the Spider. Seeing as I like both TS and Spider, it was more down do other factors like color (I wanted a non-red one), provenance, service record, etc. But if it was a TS, I wanted a post-1992 example with the main suspension updates. Finally, why not combine driving/ownership pleasure with investment potential? The investment factor helped me decide between TS and Spider. With only 1090 built, a Spider seemed a wiser buy than a TS. So, I was looking for a nice non-red Spider (hard to find in non-red!) when I saw a lovely looking and very rare 348 GTS come up for sale... With only 137 examples built (or 218, depending on the source), the rarity of the GTS makes it very appealing to me. Also, the GTS has enough interesting technical and cosmetic differences to sufficiently set it apart from the TS. So although it was Rosso Corsa 300 (I would have preferred Nero or Blu Sera, but with only 137 built, impossible to be picky on color), it appealed to me both as a rare Ferrari to own and enjoy, and as an investment too: the GTS currently commands a premium over the TS, and the price gap will invariably widen as the cars become more collectible and sought-after. I kind of regret not buying a more special-feeling and rarer F512M (in red) instead of my 512 TR (in black), so I figured this time I'd go for a red example of the rarest model! I tied up the deal on the phone. The car is some 1000 Km from my home in France, in Prague, in Czech Republique, so I had Ferrari Prague do a PPI (green light) and my automobile expert check the history and paperwork. Photos coming up!
My 348 GTS is chassis 96824, first registered November 1993. According to Keith Bluemel in his book "Original Ferrari V8", this chassis is the very first 348 GTS built. That's a nice bonus. The car is 100% factory original (except for a Tubi, which is the exhaust I wanted!), has done 49.000 Km with two owners, full Ferrari service history (just had cambelts done), and is well preserved. Here are some photos ; I can't wait to see it in the metal, take the top off and DRIVE it home! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
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For the GTB/GTS (and Spider), Ferrari reconsidered and upgraded many different aspects of the car compared to the TB/TS. I am passionate about these cars (and trained as an automotive engineer) and tend to get really involved in all the little details, lol. These are the differences I know about - if you know any other differences, I'd be glad to learn! F119H ENGINE: - New pistons, rods and cams - Raised compression ratio (from 10.4:1 to 10.8:1) - Fuel pressure raised from 3.4 to 3.8 bars - Stainless steel fuel lines - New taller plenum (with asymetric design of cooling slots) - Lightweight harmonic balancer shaft - Modified cam bearings - Single-muffler exhaust - Redline raised to 7800 rpm - 320 BHP TRANSMISSION: - modified shift linkage - new pignons with different numbers of teeth - rubber boot visible under the chrome gate shift, to stop coins dropping into the linkage - single-mass clutch - new driveshafts (same as 355) - new differential - new wheel bearings REDESIGNED BODY SHELL: - increased rigidity - lighter weight (-25Kg or -50Kg depending on sources) - smaller fuel tank and modified bulkhead to free up more room to stow the Targa top - battery relocated to front (TB/TS had this from 1992) SUSPENSION & HANDLING: - new wishbone mounting brackets (TB/TS had this from 1992) - 4 new springs and 4 new dampers (TB/TS had this from 1992) - the GTB/GTS have slightly different rear springs and dampers from the updated 1992 TB/TS - 50 mm wider rear track via different wheel offsets - new hubs / uprights (TB/TS had this from 1992) - new geometry settings (TB/TS had this from 1992) ELECTRICS: - Upgraded alternator (TB/TS had this from 1992) - Upgraded starter motor - Detail changes to fuse box and wiring harness EXTERIOR COSMETICS: - Body-color painted lower body - Body-color painted engine cover - New front grill with more verticals and a black outline - Rubber spliter beneath the front spoiler - Chrome Cavallino badges front and rear (to me, the original TB/TS is more elegant thanks to its black lower body, but a lot of people prefer the body-colored lower parts) INTERIOR COSMETICS - Plain (non-straked) door card uppers - Steering wheel with perforated leather inserts and "348" stamped on the lower branch - Drilled metal pedals - New lower seat structure to prevent sag To me, the car is sufficiently upgraded from the TB/TS to warrant wearing the different GTB/GTS bootlid badge, and to me it makes the car more desirable as a last-of-line model (a bit like the F512M that succeeded the 512 TR). In many ways, the GTB/GTS were an intermediary model between the early 348 and the later much more modern F355 cars. These last-of-line 348's were Ferrari's last raw old-school V8 Berlinettas ; that makes them very desirable to me and I consider myself very lucky to be buying one. And never mind if it's red!
That's wonderful news, Alex. Congratulations and welcome to the 348/355 section. Enjoy in good health. That 348 looks absolutely stunning! Kind regards, Nuno.
Double good news: I see you've managed to secure the rarest 348 of them all, a GTS! As I said in another thread you started, I believe it was the right choice in terms of what you intended to achieve by buying a 348. Kind regards, Nuno.
Alex, congratulations from another visitor from the 12 cyl forums. Though you are now a paid up member here and your car looks amazing. I nearly bought a 348 a few times in the last year. Would love to hear your views on the car as you take ownership. Drive safely and speedily.
congrats!! pretty cool having the first one too! Nice list you've put together as well. I do not mean to hi-jack your thread, but I like to learn more about the differences myself as well and especially about the years. I've always lusted over the 355 and I do not know as much about the 348 as far as the specif details/years/specs...etc..
Wow, what a beautiful GTS. Congratulations on finding something this rare. Looking forward to your pictures and adventures. Edit: Is that painted top original for the GTS?
Car looks amazing. Congratulations. Enjoy your adventures in ownership. Please continue to update is on your travels and hands-on experiences. Robb
Great car. If I was looking for a 348 it'd definitely be a GTB or GTS. Very rare and desirable cars. Well done.
None of the 348 TS/GTS models came from the factory with painted tops, they all came with the black "grained" finish. When the 355 GTS came out, that too had the same black "grained" finish top from the factory.
Awesome Alex!! What an amazing car! Congratulations!!! As a 348 GTB´s owner ( You can check some pics of mine here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/348gtb/ ), I have to tell you just one thing: ENJOY IT. You have bought an incredible car. I think due to the few GTB/GTS built, they are probably the best investment of the 348 model.
