Who would put a 10 year old 355 on the track?

A 1997 Ferrari 355 Berlinetta with 56,000 kms {35,000 miles} that looks babied as far as I can tell. It's never {owner claims} been on a track and by the way the car starts and sounds, it's in great shape. I want to send it out of Province to the nearest Ferrari dealer and when I told the current owner this, he agreed to pay for transport if the car came back with a problem reported as well as the repair. It had it's 30,000 mile service at the dealership where I want to send it. It was completed about 16 months ago.

My question is; would you put a ten year old 355 on the track if it's never been to the track? Am I risking ruining what's left of the suspension? Am I going to pound the motor too hard for it's current "break in"? I bought cars before knowing full well they haven't been pushed very hard and within due time they failed in someway or another due to the stress of being raced. On the same note I bought other cars for the same reason that were punished {and prepared for it} and even still, I bought cars, prepared them for abuse myself and they lasted quite awhile.

This would be the most expensive "used" car I'll have bought. I don't want to sink 5k into the brakes, another 15k into the motor after the fact because the car wasn't able to handle the stress. I'm familiar with preparing suspensions and braking systems on the few Bimmers I've had as well as American muscle but I don't have any experience with Ferrari drivetrains, the closest would be some very limited time with a 2003 Maserati Cambiocorsa.

I suppose I should be more clear about "on the track". The track I would most likely use is only 40 minutes away and the layout is nice but it's bumpy. Very bumpy in places. We have long cold winters here and the frost does it's damage every year. Would the car rattle itself to death more than say my 540 of the same vintage?

P.S. Also, does one ever get used to a colour of a car that they don't particularly like the first time they see it? It's that yellow that {to me} looks too yellow. I can't really describe it and forgot the name but I see a lot of this yellow on the Ferrari cars.

Just questions for now, I'm still looking for cars, this is just the one that's closest to me.

 

I track my 24 year old 308. No it is not good for the car, but hey, neither a 308 nor a 355 needs to be preserved for posterity.

Oh and btw: I enjoyed watching 250 GTOs being raced hard around Goodwood a couple of years ago. And those owners didn't seem to mind.

Having said that, if you plan on going to the track often and regularly I wouldn't recommend any Ferrari for that matter: Maintaining them just is too costly. For that I'd get some beater.

 

A somewhat dissenting opinion:

These cars are made for the track. I have tracked my 30yr old 308GT4 several times, without any issue. Yes, you do create more wear and tear, but it really isn't that bad. Maintenance, and specifically preventative maintenance is key. You will be replacing your brake pads, your tires, etc. It ain't cheap, but it's not horribly outrageous either, unless you are doing it very frequently.

Remember the supermodel analogy: Having a ferrari and not driving it hard is like being married to a supermodel and not F***ing her...

 

Thanks for the reply. Do you actually race the 308 or do you drive around short shifting? I would track the car every year but not every weekend. I would want to get out and put probably 50 - 60 kms (30-35 miles} on the car for a weekend and for about 6 weekends per month. I guess I'm asking if the car would be fragile.

Thanks for the post. I was thinking along those lines but there aren't many Ferrari's near by and my experience is quite limited with part durability and abuse threshold.

 

I think a Ferrari or any real sports car needs to be taken to the track to really enjoy it.

Its gonna be expensive but well worth it.

 

10 years old?

dude are you under the impression that a 10 year old car is old? I see 30 year old cars that are kept in shape that are in better condition than 2 year old cars..

Age has nothing to do with a well maintained car.. it is a machine.. parts can be replaced/repaired..

Take age comepletely out of the equation and ask this - "Would it be ok to track a well maintained ferrari 355" <-- this is all that matters..

We're not talking about human beings here, if you came to me and said "can I take my 103 year old great grandpop up the face of mount everest this winter".. I would probably advise against it..

 

Not going to the track is whack. They were designed to be flogged on track.

 

It seems like you are going to track the car occasionally, but not make it a dedicated track car.
If this is what you're asking, then i think you should be fine. If you track it all the time, then yes, maintenance costs will be very high. But if you drive mostly on the street with an occasional track day thrown in here or there you should be just fine (provided you let the car warm up properly, etc...)
You will (obviously) go through components faster--like tires and brakes, but the wear and tear on the engine and driveline shouldn't be too bad if you don't track it but a few times a year.

 

I wouldn't spend the kind of money it takes to buy one just to have it sit in a garage. I was just making sure the car can be reliable

I believe a race car that's 10 years old is old. This car however doesn't seem to be used as a race car. Which is good news for prospective buyers.

As for age, I can't believe anyone would take it out of the equation. I would also consider mileage. If I bought a 20+ year old Ferrari anything I wouldn't track it. If it had over 80,000 kms I wouldn't track it. To me those numbers are lines in the sand that shouldn't be crossed. Maybe I've got it all wrong, it's the just the way I feel about tracking expensive cars.

Yeah yeah, they're supposed to be on there, going 'round and 'round but the older they are, the less they're able to go 'round and 'round... or at least that's the train of thought I'm on.

This being said. I've kicked the crap out of older cars before and newer cars that cost a lot but I'm really going back and fourth on this.

1. Get the nice newer car and have fun from time to time on the track and drive it on sunny days there after.

or

2. Get a nice 3xx and get a S 2000 or Boxster or race prepared real race car and have two cars for the two different purposes at the same cost as option one.

I've been going back and fourth for months.

 

I'd surmise a weekend on the track (club day, not racing) is probably easier on the driveline than dumping the clutch twice on a Saturday night downtown.

 

That's what I hope! Track the car and costs go up a bit for wear and tires and brakes.

My worry is gaskets blowing, brake lines popping and general money pit scenarios.

Illogical perhaps but a worry for now.

 

It's funny you should say that, I just blew the snot out of something on my 5. Large quantities of oil are pouring from underneath the car right now. There's a puddle that reaches from the front right to the front left tire and extends outward about 3 feet in front of the car and about a foot behind the front axle. I built a wall of saw dust around the puddle!

Fun times! Now if it was a 355, I wouldn't have posted it, due to "OMG you have to sell you house" or "You're an idiot!" replies. But it being a 540, no one here will hold the damage against me!

 

I drive it as fast as I can on the track, but not racing it. I wouldn't call that short shifting. I short shift on the street, but not on the track where you need to go towards the redline to get the max hp.

6 weekends per month? Where can I buy that?

 

Ok good to know, sound like what I did with my 924!

Yeah, I meant 6 weekends per year. About 1 weekend per month for the 6 month car season.

 

+1

As mentioned, plan on going through a lot of tires, brake pads and rotors. Not sure if the 355 has these as OEM, but you might want to consider upgrading your brake lines.

I think the engine would enjoy some track time.

Unless you're doing all out, bumper-to-bumper endurance races, I don't see how you'd be blowing gaskets any more on the track than idling in traffic. The cars have high redlines and strong drivetrains.

If you have the usual 355 issues under control - valve guides, cracking manifolds, etc - then I wouldn't worry. But I would keep on the belt service interval and do it every 3 years like Ferrari specifies.

I hope it's a six-speed - those F1 pumps sound expensive.

Regarding color, yellow happens to look great on 355s. But if you don't like it, don't buy it. Red is common, and there are some incredible grigio titanio and silver 355s out there (IMO, best colors). I'd have one of those.

The hard thing is when you want a Ferrari and don't like red. I went through agony finding my 328, because IMO red doesn't flatter the shape of the 328 as well as it could. Still a beautiful car, but not at the same level. Don't ask... anyway I wouldn't buy a color you're lukewarm on and then hope it will grow on you. These cars are expensive.

 

I don't mind buying tires, I go through a set per driving season on all of my sportier cars. As for the brake line upgrade I assume once I get the correct parts, any certified tech can install them?

Like I said I have a few worst case scenarios rolling around due to the expense of the car and basic lack of experience with them. I'm sure once I drive it for a few months it'll pass.

A question I had about the "issues" is can these internal potential problems be checked out at the dealership without pulling everything apart? {As in tests} Or should I expect to have a large labor bill for the PPI?

It's a manual.

I do like yellow cars, I think the Lotus Elise looks fabulous as well as other cars including Ferrari's but this yellow looks abrasive.

I think I'll have to make a decision on the colour before going too far, I don't want to waste time if I'm not sold on the colour.

As for red, if it was red I would be pleased. I don't think I've seen a red on a Ferrari that I didn't like. I can understand your search being tough, there are soo many Ferrari's that wear red.

 

I have an Alfa 105GTV as a tarmac rally/race car. Some work has been done to it but it's not all race prepped as some. Full cage, proper seats and harnesses, diff done
(5 years ago), a few new syncro's but standard box, standard clutch. A few valve springs went a couple of years ago and hence the head was redone with comp springs and SS valves. I have had it for 7 years now and have never been down the bottom end! About 3 years ago we did the springs and shocks. But it is a 34 year old car and most of it still is. Each time it goes out on the track it gets the living daylights squeezed out of it. I am in a club of guys that also have 105's and Alfetta's etc. They are truely fabulous cars and will take a thrashing. It has been amazingly reliable and has to be on a tarmac rally. Have one DNF out of 40 stages and you are history.
Surely if these old things can take the punishment a Ferrari can. As a stock car it is certainly made for more performance in every way, engine, gearbox/diff, brakes and suspension. You should see the size of the brakes on the 105, they are puny! It still pulls up well and you don't get to the end of a race with plumes of smoke coming from the wheels.
I have just purchased a 308GTB fibreglass for this very reason. It will replace the 105 and be my track car. I have every confidnece that it will be great on the track and even more fun than the 105, if that's possible. Previously I had a 308QV for ten years and it was amazingly reliable. In ten years all that broke was a drop gear and one of the Digplex's had an intermitent fault.

As long as you can come to grips with the colour (I reckon it is a great colour) then buy it and go for it. It won't go through heaps of tyres, brakes and the likes. It will handle the track just fine. And if the engine goes up in smoke because it doesn't like a 10k redline or the tyres last 10 laps then it might be the bloke behind the wheel and not the car.

Maintain it well, drive within your limits and you will have a blast.

 

Of course you can take a 10 year old 355 that has never been out to the track. Tomorrow I am taking my Daytona out and I'm planning on having a ball. I only have about ten days at the track so far (none with the Daytona) so I'm not the most experienced. My experience thus far though tells me I use breaks, tires and gas.

I use the excellerator just as much on the street as on the track. All of it. Now admittedly I can't stand on it too much or too long on the street. But I brake much, much harder on the track. Muuuuch harder.

Drive within your ability. The car has alot of ability. I don't think you'll hurt it.

Be safe and enjoy.

 

I purchased a '73 Carrera RS some years back. It's yellow with black graphics. I didn't like it at first and only really planned on having it a short time. I kind of like to be understated so this car wasn't my real idea of being understated and sophisticated.

Now I love the hell out of it. I just had it out. It was a beautiful afternoon and a beautiful drive. I got alot of admiring looks, and that's not all that bad. All the car guys were looking real hard. My silver 456MGT and maroon Daytona hardly ever get noticed. So to get noticed for once feels pretty good now.

The point is though, that the yellow is great and it's a keeper.

 

348 and above love to be on track. They do not overheat, love to be run hard,and brakes hold up fine. They are actually cheap track cars because you do not need to put lots of money in to have fun. They are ready to run. No special brake pads are needed, no aftermarket calipers and rotors or oil coolers etc that would be required for a normal street car like a C5 vette. You will be surpised at how fast you can be with nothing more than new brake fluid, bleeding brakes, stock brake pads and decent tires. That's it have fun. That's how I started then this happened.
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Wow the front wing came flying off the car behind you and stuck right in your rear! What are the chances?

 

Man, get that green thing off the car now. That is ugly. No matter if it works or not.

 

And when things go wrong, both drain your bank account dry

 

Why not? If the car is in good shape that is why you buy it. NOT tracking it is the heresy
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In just over two weeks we're either shipping the car for an inspection or I'm going with it, depending on what's on my plate.

The colour isn't the best choice in my opinion but it isn't a wreck either. Besides at the price I can live with a 98% perfect car.