355 Back for the long haul!

After a long time thinking on what is really important to me, I searched for what I really wanted: a 355 F1 berlinetta. I strongly considered all of the newer models, including the Stradale and scud, the 458, and also one of my fave older cars, the 328. But the 355 has a delicate feel that is unique, and is just not found in newer cars. If you look a bit at other posts here, I have explained why I love the F1 in the 355 and why I actually prefer this “primitive” box to the more refined, newer systems. I was a bit unsure about the hard top as I do love the open GTS, but I could feel the solidity of the chassis in the parking lot. My goal is to service the car 100% myself, which is a bit scary, but totally doable with patience and the support of this community, without which I would be unable to even dip a toe into this pond. Cheers! Image Unavailable, Please Login


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Here are some pics from the journey home. I flew to Houston on Friday. We got to go to the reveal of the 720S convertible at McLaren of Houston, where I saw a paint job that cost a bit more than my car (78k). I also saw my first road version Ford GT, which is my personal top choice <mmmmm>.

We did an FCA rally that started with a Police escort right through downtown Houston and past the huge cars and coffee there. A fun rally for sure, but - sorry folks - the roads I have at home are worlds beyond.

Then a visit to Ferrari of Houston, which was also special, as I have watched the Risi team up close over the past few years, and it was fun to see their home base. Nolan was super nice and knowledgeable, and sold me some quite excellent replacement mats from Ferrari which is really all the interior of this very clean car needed.

And even more fun to visit with a small independent shop owned by a gentleman that has had some experience turning wrenches for both the team and many special cars. Meeting new people with such diverse experience and a shared passion is about as good as it gets!

Then a multistage drive home, 1600 miles, stopping at my uncle’s and a couple of friends places. The car is already very special to me, just for the chance to have such a great series of memories.

Yes, it’s going to be a project: I think the clutch setting on the F1 system feels sluggish and I am worried I will wear it out as is. I want an SD1.

And I think the shaft on the HVAC vent selector motor snapped a few miles south of Charlotte. I think there is a Saab part that is the same? All the old knowledge is hiding in my melon, and I will need you guys to help me out!

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Yes, Stuart got the car from Cats in Seattle. You all know how hard it is to find just the right combination. I wanted a coupe, I wanted the F1. Of course I wanted the best mechanical car we could find, but I also wanted something other than rossa corsa. I really like the black lower carpets, and I was absolutely thrilled to discover the leather in this car is just the best I have seen in any 355. Stuart sorted a few issues in Houston like the cabin air motor and solenoid for the bypass valve, and he also had a full Cappy installed; because any drive in a 355 without a Cappy steals joy from the universe.

There are many stories in between my prior 355 GTS (which I believe is still running around in Texas?) and this car, including the R8 that I ordered new, picked up in Germany with a friend (one of the guys I visited on my drive home), drove for near on 30k miles, but ended up having to sell to finance a project that I have been working on for a couple of years now. That project is at the center of a tumultuous 2018 that had a lot to do with the new chapter: I think I have a better picture of the things that are really important in life, and I intend to focus a bit more there.

I did a ton of work to my last car. Looking back now, much of it was in search of "improvements". I had a challenge stradale steering wheel and other interior bits with carbon and aluminum. I had better springs and shocks and challenge wheels, and sometimes I even ran p-zero corsa's. When I was talking with Nolan, we were discussing challenge steering racks or even the manual rack conversion, as I had been planning all of those old mods to this car.

I don't think so now.

The R8 was a superior car in every measure. Solid, capable, blindingly fast, comfortable, it even had a brilliant stereo. I would love to someday get my old car back. But it is a very, very different experience. Coming back, I think I want the experience of a 355, which is so different - maybe now that ALL cars are becoming so good - it is much more rare, a much more special event.

Take the steering wheel: I loved the CS wheel in my old car, and felt it may have been the best change I made, lending a more modern feel with it's thicker rim and more modern look. I then went to the very similar R8, which has modern steering: weighty and direct, but a bit numb. I never much like the shape of the R8 wheel, as it had little indentations and bulges that just never made any sense to me.

I grab the wheel in the 355 it feels molded to my hands, and it just feels delicate. In fact, that word just sticks in my head: delicate. Everything about the car has a similar feel, from the throttle to the shift paddles, the little reverse switch. It's all very light and delicate, and if you take the time, it all speaks back to you in a very light and delicate manner. The steering is light, but it's alive with feel (and yes, the coupe is much much stiffer, and this allows you to resolve much more detail).

Where before I tried to mask my perception of the shortcomings of the 355 as age slowly separated it from the inevitable advances, now I want to enjoy those very sensations that have been lost to progress. If I want something solid and fast and capable and comfortable, I don't need to look past my trusty S4. But if I want to go back to a time where things were different, where cars were small and light and agile and vocal and communicative, I think you the 355 occupies a very special place, one that will not be duplicated going forward.

Cheers all!

 

You can get the challenge rack, which is a power rack but with a faster ratio. I don't know the ratio in the manual rack, but I imagine it is more like the standard one.
He said the challenge rack is more direct for sure. But on my long (radio free) drive, I did some thinking: A quicker ratio makes the movements of your hands do more to the movement of the front wheels - less hands, more tire. But feedback is the tires moving your hands, and won't that be reduced? Again, more tire motion for less movement in your hands? I do notice my hands crossing up in tighter turns more than in a modern car, but I don't want to lose any feel, so I am not going to do anything to it, at least not without being able to try out a car with a challenge rack on the road.
I typically love manual steering, but I am worried that it may also detract from the overall sensations of the car; it just may not fit. I loved the steering in my 512TR, but the car had a heavy handed, deliberate feel in everything - steering, shifter, clutch - and it all seemed to match up.
The racks themselves are not that expensive, but it is a 20 hour job for an experienced shop, so budget the whole winter for a DIYer (or $4000 in labor). To do the manual rack the right way, you really should remove the motor and the power steering pump and reroute the belts. You don't have to, but I would not be able to sleep if I cut corners.

Right now I have other fish to fry: can someone point me to a fix for the cabin vent selector motor?

 

Unless there are 2 Rossa Fiorano 355F1 berlinettas that had major's at Ferrari of Seattle in 2018, that is the car. I will try to be a good steward going forward!

 

BTW I am going to have it coated with Ceramic Pro as soon as I get the HVAC settled. I think this will really keep the paint looking primo, as it is remarkable for a car of it's age.