So I finally got my 348 . . .

Using and enjoying it like they were designed for, cant beat that!

Dave

 

I knew that my 348 was a keeper from day1. Well its been almost 17 years now. With all the negative press that the 348 gets....our brotherhood continues to grow with happy owners. They are great cars......and I am sure that supply wil outstrip demand!!!

 

True!! Life is short "drive" the damn thing!!

 

I had a great 400+ mile ride in my 348 this rainy weekend. A group of friends of mine had planned this road trip from San Jose, CA to a fabulous steak house out in Coalinga, CA (middle of nowhere) with a few friends in their Corvettes, Porsches, and BMW – via twisty mountain back roads.

As the big day arrived, rain was in the forecast and it was definitely raining when I made phone calls at 7AM to confirm our 8Am meeting spot. One by one, everyone dropped out like flies - saying, 'well, its raining, lets call it off.' Plus, I was thinking, I had just washed/wax/conditioned the interior of the 348 just 2 weeks ago and it hasn't been driven since that time. All right, I got sucked into the group thinking and we all called off the ride.

I then proceeded to call my female riding companion to let her know our ride/lunch is being cancelled due to rain. When I told her this, she said, "We're not riding on your motorcycle right? A Ferrari is a car that can go in the rain, can't it?" Since this would be her first time seeing and riding in my 348, she wasn't aware of the fact that sports/exotic cars will melt when used in wet weather!!

At that point, I came to my senses and realized it is just a car and we had planned this trip for a few weeks and I'm not going to let rain stop me from going. Besides, I've ridden my Ducati motorcycle on raining track days and have gotten caught in storms while on it in the Santa Cruz Mountains -- and in looking back, it was a whole lot of fun because everyone else was at home. I figured, just give yourself more time to react to unknown road conditions and be very smooth on the gas and brakes and everything will be fine.

I then called everyone back to let them know I was going to head out in another 1.5 hours -- and if anyone wanted to join me, to meet me at the original meeting spot. I figured I'm going to be going alone on this trip, so off to the local auto parts store to get some emergency supplies - just in case. Cause you know, owning a Ferrari is like having a mistress - expensive to maintain. On top of that, owning a 348 is like an unfaithful one (according to the press and the cars general reputation). So far, I've been very fortunate and my 348 has been very faithful to me and has never left me stranded. But . . . you can never be too careful and have extra emergency supplies on hand just in case.

I felt much better when my friend showed up in his Porsche and decided to brave the rain/showers with me and my riding companion. I warned him our cars will be coming back full of mud and debris. He just said, 'So be it'. So off we went. 198 miles to Harris Ranch Steak House for lunch via back mountain twisty roads. For the first half of the trip, we were riding through rain/showers for 1/3 of the way. The last 2/3 of the way, it cleared up and the sun came out and was so beautiful. We stopped, took pictures, enjoyed the fresh air and made fun of our friends for not being here today to enjoy this wonderful ride of ours.

On the way back, we all switched cars - just to get a different perspective of the riding experience of a 93 348SS TB and a 2004 Porsche Carrera S. When we all sat down to discuss the days events, my Porsche friend made it clear the 348 was definitely a more road hugging, more high speed capable car. The Porsche was very comfortable and easy to drive. However, it tended to slip more easily and did not feel as planted to the ground as the 348 is. Both cars were very enjoyable to ride through the hills.

Then we both asked my riding companion for her opinion on both cars from the passenger perspective. she said the 348 felt more solid and stable around the corners. She also like the fact you could hear the engine noise coming from behind and could predict what the driver was doing from listening to the engine. She also claimed from the seating perspective, sitting in the 348 with the carbon seats was more comfortable.

When we switched cars for the final leg of the trip home, my friend said it best when he handed me my car key, "Man . . .that car is just so fun to drive as compared to my Porsche." I agreed, but didn't want to say it. I was just glad to get back into my 348 for the ride home.

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera in my friend's car. However, I did find two pictures I took with a cell phone camera when we switched cars at Harris Ranch. I'll post some more pictures when I retrieve my camera.
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Your car is totally awesome, man! I really like the 355 wheels on it and I am looking for a set for mine. But, you really should refer to your car as a 348TB SS. : o P

Can you tell me what number in the SS series is your car? I'm keeping track of them. Mine is 078.

Vince

 

So are you going to meet up with us this weekend or what??

;-)

 

simply awesome car!
Im glad to see you are driving it too.

 

Beautiful car!!!

Congrats on a great find!!

Love the wheels, but KEEP the SS taillights, they are so attractive on the 348 IMHO.

Enoy

 

Finally got my camera back that I left in my friend's Porsche . . . so some more pictures.
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Mine is number: 072/100.

On that raining Saturday, I did show up with my vehicle at SR as the meeting spot for my friends, but not a single soul out that day! Due to my working schedule (Late Friday until early Am Sat., it is a little difficult for me to get out there - but I will.).

Yes, I'm going to now leave the car as is. I'm starting to grow to like the SS lights. Maybe change out the center console to a carbon fiber one and replace the inside door handle to another material - and that will be it.

 

That's a beautiful SS - Your car looks NEW.

Nice to see another fellow SS owner in the Bay Area. PM me if you want to chat and share some literatures.

Here's my Speciale 005/100. Bought it in 2000. Since then, I have added Challenge wheels, standard seats, carbon fiber console, door panels, and Tubi with *ahem*.
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your car is so great looking, i'm looking for some 255 wheels if you know anybody

 

It's been a real pleasure owning my 348 that I just had to do some more upgrades. A few more upgrades left that I will save for a summer project.

The first, was getting an Enzo Key (from Jimmy) and taking the key to a machine shop to have them machine the key to match exactly the 348 key. Then taking the key to a local locksmith who didn't know the key was just recently machined and having it duped. Looks and works perfectly.

Next came the carbon fiber interior pieces - the center console, parking handbrake and dash trim. All from Powerspeed - can get them on ebay.

Finally, the billet pieces for the turn signal, lights and windshield wiper stalks and door locks (forgot to take this picture) - made by Hill Enginneering, purchased from Ricambi.

Next comes the replacement of a new windshield! I let a friend borrow the car and it was hit by a rock or something on the freeway!

Hope you enjoy the pictures! Untill next time . . .
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Does the passenger foot rest match the finish of the hill pedals? I have to get that, car looks sharp, I have a ton more work to get to that level though I have most of the parts, minus those killer SS seats!

 

Also, are those carbon fiber parts overlays or replacements? Didn't find any on ebay. I know the forum sponsors offer replacement parts, but they do have a nice ferrari "tax" on them.

 

That is an AWESOME car....makes me want a 348.....hmmm

 

Nice add-ons! Car looks sharp!

 

Very nice mods!!
I LOVE that Enzo key. I gotta get me one.

 

It can match it if you want. I would choose the 'shiny' finish instead of the frosted finish (which is what I have)

Those are overlays. You can get them from here: http://www.powerspeed.com.au/carbonsp/
They will ship it to you within a week from Japan!

Thanks everyone.
As I do more changes I will let the brotherhood know about it.
Cheers!


http://www.powerspeed.com.au/carbonsp/

 

Are you going to get the gauge rings? Wanted to put those on after the carbon fiber though. I need the inside mirror triangles also. Thanks for the link.