Modifying Your 348/355 – Thoughts-Benefits-Risks-Options-Costs

I'll bite.

I'm a category 2 on this car (and most cars). Drive rarely, have tracked, track often (not with this car), have spun the 355 on track

• What have you done thus far? (I'm taking this as non-stock mods, routine maintenance doesn't count)
  • Brakes - Stoptech BBK Trophy Kit
  • Headers - Tubi
  • Infotainment - Wireless Apple Carplay setup, DSP, Scanspeak speakers
  • Seats - Had lotus seats installed until last week
  • Suspension - Rebuilt shocks with deltavee sport kit
  • Reliability things - Scuderia Rampante gold connector kit, extra alternator ground
  • There's really a limited aftermarket for these cars, so I think you're going to see the same things showing up repeatedly.
• What do you plan to do within the next year?
  • Nothing
• What do you plan to do or would you do if time and money were no object?
  • Get the cracked paint on the lower c-pillar fixed

 

In regards to valuation and addressing Category 1, let's take the 2 top recent 355's, which have traded at all time highs (in the U.S) and see what we've got.

1. Red/Black 97 Berlinetta. 15k mi. $220k

https://www.gaaclassiccars.com/vehicles/34550/1997-ferrari-f355-berlinetta



2. Red/Black 95 GTS. 19k mi. $240k.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1995-ferrari-f355-gts-2/


Car 1 is seems to be fully stock but with a black valve cover. Doesn't seem to be "restored." More likely well kept and hardly driven.

Car 2 seems to be mostly stock, but with a Tubi muffler and after-market sound system. Incorrect floor mats, stickies not really addressed, and cracked air vent. Wrong center AC vent and a hole cut out in one of the lateral covers. Not concours level, but a decent starting point if one wishes it to be.


I think the market is looking for specs first. Easily reversible mods are acceptable as if one wants to restore these cars to 100% stock, it wouldn't be a big hurdle. I've seen someone sell a stock 355 muffler on Offerup for $150 and even then I had to think about it . They do take up space . If one is passing up a car that is hard to find simply because it has after-market muffler or wrong floor mats, or a hideous headunit that person will never find a car at the price he wants to pay.

Both of these top of market U.S cars were not Classiche certified. They were cars with desirable specs and low enough mileage. Red, GTB/S, and manual.

 

I'm Category 3

What have you done thus far? --- I've owned my 1995 F355 Challenge for ten years and put on ~12,000 miles on tracks like Pocono International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway, Watkins Glen International, Lime Rock Park, New Jersey Motorsports Park, and Sebring International Raceway.

What do you plan to do within the next year? --- More of the same.

What do you plan to do or would you do if time and money were no object? --- Over the years I've had Jim McGee at Pocono Sportscar correct a few design flaws on my car which could have resulted in engine bay fires and catastrophic loss of engine oil. Jim was at Ferrari of North America in the early 1990s and was part of the team that developed the first 348 Challenge and the first F355 Challenge (my car). He's one of the best there is in this world to manage my car. I'm fortunate! There isn't much that needs to be done to a stock F355 to make it a great car. It was born that way. The Challenge kit made it a good, safe and reliable track car.

I'm not concerned about originality. Better parts ,when needed, were installed at Jim McGee's discretion. My car has been on its roof at Lime Rock Park and was involved in a few accidents when it raced in the Challenge Series. It's five different shades of yellow...maybe six. But it's probably straighter than it was when it left the Factory as it was put on a chassis straightening machine for its repairs after the Lime Rock Park roll onto its roof. I have no idea as to its value. The original owner and driver, Peter Sachs (Goldman-Sachs), could afford to pay for all its racing damage. I drive the car more conservatively and avoid trouble.

 

Ferrari appeased the masses with "cat 1"
ButI believe Ferrari produced what they really envisioned the 355 to be with the 355CH, which is essentially is "cat 3"
They did this in the past with cars like the f40 and continue this through out the different models with the CS, scuds etc. Ferrari is historically a motorsports company who sells cars for the road to pay the bills

 

I am between a Catagory 2 and 3. Budget and practicality constraints determine where I end up. Regardless of the modifications I make everything must be easily removed if I wished to go back to stock. My car is a 1997 355 Challenge.

• What have you done thus far?

Just general maintenance and some minor things like getting clear turn signal lenses. Car has a custom built exhaust and I just bought an MS Racing muffler and straight pipes but have not installed yet.

• What do you plan to do within the next year?

Engine out time for a major service. Install MS Racing exhaust.

• What do you plan to do or would you do if time and money were no object?

I would like to redo the interior like a black Challenge car that was for sale on a japanese website. All exposed carbon and alcantara. Also unsticky the buttons and switches. Exterior wise I would get some more of the original stickers from when it raced and try out a set of fixed headlights with clear covers. Money no object? Buy a second motor, send to Toda racing for their upgrades and install. Package up original engine and put on shelf.

 

So have I...


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I early-apexed Turn 2 at Lime Rock Park and ran out of track at track-out. Everyone has great pictures of their cars. So do I, on the track, but these are my favorites as they show what can happen if you lose concentration for just a moment. FORZA photographer Dom Miliano caught the drama as it unfolded that day.

In a spin, both feet in

Your StopTech brake and Tubi header upgrades are wise choices for the F355. I replaced my failing OEM manifolds four years ago.

The Delta Vee sport kit is a fine upgrade for the F355. Rob Schermerhorn rebuilt my Challenge shocks several years ago. Rob was at FNA and along with Jim McGee helped develop the 348 and F355 Challenge cars. He put together a fine upgrade making use of the Ferrari / Bilstein Active Damping System. My Challenge car does too.

 

I'm definitely category 3. Bought a cheaper car to improve, modify and make better than ever.

 

Category 2 for me. My car already has carbon seats so my plans for the car include:

This year (parts already acquired):
Tubi Headers
High Flow Cats
Capristo Stage 2/3
Gruppe M Intake
OEM Style reproduction Carbon bits and piece
Titanium lug nuts

Next year:
1 off Magnesium wheels
Carbon ceramic brakes
FHP mods if I can track them down/have them reproduced.
Revalve stock suspension by DeltaVee.
Maybe pre-airbag steering wheel...go back and forth on this one.
Possibly morimoto tail lights...on the fence as well.

Corner balancing the car this year probably as well.

I don't plan on selling it ever and everything I intend to do will be easily reversible should I change my mind one day.

 

I think I'm more category 2 also:

This year:
Big service with all seals ++
Manual conversion with all OEM parts
Tubi Headers
Tubi Cats
Capristo Bypass Exhaust Valve Kit
Fixed all sticky interio (change some carbon parts to OEM interior)
OEM carbon door plate with Ferrari script aluminium (1x OEM left side, 1x right side from @ShineKen)
All bushings upgrade OEM
New radiators up-rated version from Superformance
Challenge engine mounts
Challenge gearbox mounts
Titanium bolts
Speedline/Challenge wheels refurbished + painted gold
Refurbish gasstank change parts
All new covers under the car + diffusers
3x new floor mats from Lakewell (OEM look)
New Michelin 4S tires
New center caps
4x new backlight OEM
All new hoses + plastic
New brake Brembo brake disk front + back (OEM Fiorano)
New brake pads front + back (OEM Fiorano)
LED light using the OEM backlights
Change rest of lights LED OEM look
Porsche PCCM system, take away Porsche logo
New speakers OEM look, not shown
Paint front part of car fix stone chips
PPF front of car + mirror + targa roof

Also from before my car had Tubi exhaust catback.

I have for sure forgotten some stuff

 

Category 2.

Have done:
Aftermarket steering wheel, boss kit, challenge grill and the ever important fire extinguisher.
Headers, cats, exhaust - all aftermarket.
Lots and lots of maintenance. I use aftermarket parts where there are better than stock options like full alloy radiators, heat resistant oil lines, fuel lines etc.
Sent shocks to Bilstein for rebuild once, mainly because I wanted to keep the adjustable switch working but now thinking back I should have just gone aftermarket coilovers.

To do:
Next major I think I will switch to Hill Engineering tensioner bearings instead of the OEM ones.

Want to do:
Nothing. Just want to keep it on the road in its current state however if money were no object, a big brake kit of some form, then a single turbo conversion like the fueltech car along with a full standalone ECU setup.

 

Great list, anymore info on the carbon brake setup planned?


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I haven't done a ton of research yet but that last time I went down the rabbit hole I was looking at 996/997 PCCB rotor discs and then have custom hats made to adapt to the 355. Not sure on calipers...all preliminary guesstimating what will fit. It will be an exercise in stupidity but the end result should be cool.

 

Category 2
Driven 1/week in summer & shoulder seasons.
Occasional track days, which I consider "very spirited" driving, pushing 85-90%
Spun twice in 15 years, but never left the asphalt. (unlike 308 GTB, that's a beauty)

Minor mods:

• Capristo Stage 3 with de-cat test pipes.
• 18" Modena Starfish wheels
• Lower valences repainted rosso corsa to match

Next Steps

• Slick Shift Gate
• Titanium wheel bolts
• Powder coat wheels white. Loving the white on the challenge wheels, why not see how they look on starfish?

 

Paul,

I mowed the lawn at Lime Rock Park.

I'm happy to hear that you track your 348. I'm sure your car loves it every bit as much as you do.

The Hill Engineering Slick Shift Gate is perfect for the track. Before the advent of the Slick Shift Gate, Challenge car drivers would dremel the gates making the car faster to shift. Here's a close-up of my demeled gate...


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Titanium wheel bolts are always a great upgrade.

Barry

 

'95 gtb, I'm category 2, maybe 3. What's been done so far: H&R springs, challenge grill, hawk pads, challenge motor mounts, challenge wheels, test pipes, challenge style unmuffled exhaust, welded front shock towers, adjustable rear control arms, hill throwout bearing, slick shifted gate. I have f50 calipers and challenge rotors going on next as I could not get more than a few laps on modern tires without cooking the stock brakes, and even with the hawks they don't have good feel.

I still think that's mostly category 2, but even the challenge cars didn't have any internal engine or trans mods, so category 3 is kind of a rare thing I'd say.

If there were any reasonably available, I'd go for more aggressive cams as emissions aren't a concern anymore, and I'll look at a more modern engine management system along with cop ignition at some point. Other than that I'm not sure what else there is to do to the engine, and the trans is pretty bullet proof. There's quite a bit that could be done to lighten it up, but maybe not stuff I'd do to a street car. I love the stock interior and don't want to boy racer it up with a bunch of meaningless CF or alcantara. I plan to put different seats in and space the steering wheel, as while fine for normal driving, I don't like the driving position for performance driving. I may also go to a 550 wheel, depends on what I can figure out for spacing it closer, the factory airbag wheel is my least favorite part of the interior.

I don't want to turn the car into something it's not, but am after a kind of challenge stradale 355 that was never really built, and there are a few others in here that are after the same. Almost everything I've had to repair has been upgraded to challenge or hill replacements, so that will continue to be the case as things need repair and I can locate the parts. I had thought about buying some of the aftermarket cf body parts out there but not sure the juice would be worth the squeeze...

 

Cams are available from Cat cams ^

 

So no “boy racer” carbon interior but want racer wanna be Challenge Stradale - of which the 360 variant is full of “boy racer” carbon interior bits? I guess I take offence to the “boy racer” comment as it implies one is a poseur or a fraud. It’s a derogatory term. What if one just likes the clean modern look? If I wanted to be a “boy racer” I guess I could strip the interior again and throw back in the roll cage when street driving.

 

There's a difference between a factory a car that comes with factory carbon for racing and taking its streetcar and tacking on shiny carbon bits. It does smack a boy racer, right or wrong that's just how it is as a widely held opinion.

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Exactly what “factory carbon for racing” is in any street driven Ferrari? Aka: 360 Stradale, F430 Scuderia, 458 Pista, etc. Are the owners of these cars all “boy racers”? They would probably disagree and find the term offensive too. It’s childish name calling to make one feel like they are superior. Elitism and snobbery at its finest. So the factory carbon door panels and air vents are “ok” if an original spec but if added to a car that wasn’t optioned with them it’s “boy racer”? Fact is if you are an actual racer you aren’t driving anything close to a 355 if you want fastest lap times. So the gains from F50 brakes are pointless in the modern world unless you just want to point to everyone how you have “f50” brakes on your car so they can be amazed at how much a racer you are. And what is more “boy racer” than that?

 

Your right, everyone who thinks that was it wrong, I apologize on behalf of the world. Hope this brings closure. Let's move on.
Let's stick to the OP post topic, perhaps start a CF thread for your ruminations. It would be interesting to have it all there. Its a good topic.