What is the most collectible Ferrari challenge car?

There are not many books or result lists, or documentation about the fantastic Ferrari Challenge cars.

Why? Not interesting enough?

What do you think is the most collectible Challenge car/Modell?

348, 355, 360, 430, 458,...?

I mean also the racing history, Michelotto cars etc.,..

 

5 Generations of challenge cars. Pictures are taken from the 20 years Challenge celebration.
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Great photos- thanks for sharing.

 

Still run mine fairly regularly (and know of a couple of other nice ones) but yes, most of the survivors are indeed somewhat rough.
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To me it is either (but no Challenge car) the 308 Michelotto or the 360 NGT (also Michelotto and based on a Challenge)....But only the real deals.

Ciao
Oscar
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to me there is some value in possibility of road registration. 355 CH has the edge in that respect as it is arguably prettier and faster that 348. I am partial too.

 

@thibaut: I agree, street, road registraton is a big Point. So mostly 348 and 355.

 

And don't forget the rarest of them all: 360 GTC

 

Ferrari F355 Challenge ALITALIA

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaiP6PJf-yQ]Hockenheimring Ferrari 355 challenge on board - YouTube[/ame]
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In my opinion it's the F355.

 

The 348 was the first of the series.. Only a handful of them were built compared to the other models and all could be registered for street use. I do think the 355 is a very near second and don't think a guy could go wrong picking up either model.

 

@time, correct, I agree. I am sure, the street legal Point is really big.
It is nice to have it.

 

I agree Rob. Your car will no doubt appreciate. The race history of your car is fantastic, and in time this car will be very valuable. One of the reasons I strive to keep the cars close to stock in CCR is I don't think of them as "retired challenge cars." They are not this. They are vintage racing Ferraris.

 

I'm partial to the 355 Ch with street registration. Of the Challenge models, the 355 is first in my book in terms of the collectible criteria of beauty, provenance, and supply/demand.

Btw, I don't think the NGT and GTC are considered Challenge cars, are they?

 

They are based on a Challenge car, but I think you are right, they are a different league.

ciao
Oscar

 

The '95 355 challenge's were arguably the very last of the street legal (able) racecars built by Ferrari. I'm not aware of any after that made by the factory, so for that reason one would be my choice. I'm also partial to the 355, but for good reason.

 

I think some of the later 355s (OBDII??) were delivered from the factory as Challenge racers and not street legal. IIRC, Jim Kenton got one of the very last "kit-able" cars (I helped install that kit at FoW), after that, they were built as Challenge cars.

I once asked Dr. Earle why he and Jim K didn't team up? He said (somewhat paraphrasing here), "He's too tall, we couldn't make the car fit both of us. I mean, I *COULD* cut him off at the knees to make him shorter, but I don't think he'd go for that!" Hahahaha....

Dr. Early and Jim K were my favorite drivers in the Challenge series in those days. Oh, Jim Place, too - super nice guy.

As another funny aside, Jim P owned some Pizza Hut restuarants. Of course, PH is owned by Pepsi. So when he saw me coming out of the trailer with a can of Pepsi, he said, "You know, for every one of those you drink, I get a billionth of a penny, so keep drinking!"

Ah, the good old days.......

gp

 

I think that the 45 348 factory challenge cars will be the most collectible. They're all hot rodded and borderline illegal, not overly complicated, highly limited in production, the very first run of factory built challenge cars, and the only group of cars that are street legal. I especially love the few that were unraced and perfectly cared for. Not to mention they're the cars that kicked off a whole series. I do love the whole Challenge series of cars. I have been thinking of adding others. Regardless, no Ferrari collection is complete without at least one Challenge car (any series), just as Porsche collectors have Cup cars.

I think the 1995 355 Challenge cars are also a close second because not only are they street legal(able) but they're supposedly the fastest of the 355s according to Tom P who won the series in 1995 or 1996 or both if I am remembering right. But there are no unlaced 355 Challenge cars so if you're going to buy one, buy a great on with history, like Rob's.

Here is 348 TB Challenge: number 24 of the 32 TBs. Never raced but it still comes with every challenge part. I'll install the roll bar and seats and drive it like that.
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interesting discussion, thank you, go on

 

Drool...

 

While they all had a VIN, only the 348s and 95 355s came with a title.

I'm looking for a 95 with a title if anyone has any leads.