355 F1 Owners

No problems at all in 6 years and 30,000 miles.
I did replace the clutch at one of the major services whilst the engine was out, but it was only 50% worn.
The key to 355 F1 Transmissions is to respect the clutch.
For example, minimise reversing when cold (especially up hill), try to avoid a lot of stop start traffic, place in neutral when stopped at traffic lights, avoid fast take offs...wait until the clutch is fully engaged before using the power etc.etc.
Do a search on this subject and you will find out more info.

 

I've never had a problem

 

i was told that gentle starts acually wears the clutch out faster than aggressive starts. Is this true?

 

Comes down to semantics, excessive slippage will wear the clutch through heating, while agressive starts will send more torque through the clutch while it's still slipping and wear it too.
I never do agressive starts, neither with my manual cars, but I modulate the throttle to ensure that the clutch closes as soon as possible.

47'000 km, no mechanical problem or failure to report relatively to the gearbox, clutch is still stock. The rest comes down to the unsolvable F1 vs stick debate. My advise, FWIW: go with a stick if you expect to do a lot of bumper to bumper heavy traffic, consider F1 otherwise if you like it.

 

You guys gotta quit worryinmg about things like clutch slippage,etc.

None of us get these cars to drive them like they are made of glass.

Warm it up, then wind it up !! The harder you push it, the better it runs.