Montezemolo's favourite motors

348 to 355 is an aweful lot of headache for 50 HP although it is smog legal HP. The 355 introduced us to aero undertrays in productions cars which you can put on your 348 or just use a wing. The 355challenge and above all used wings though Ferrari was resistent with the 360 for some part of the series. The 355 introduced us to huge quality control problems (valve guides/headers/cats) and poor execution of fantastic idea. I would say the introduction of the 360 aluminum chassis was a bigger inovation with designed in aero vs. add on aero than the 355 motor. A 100hp/liter grenade that dies in 30k miles does not impress me. But there are some people who like that sort of thing. Maybe it was the pinnical of the word "exotic" for its day and even today the aftermarket is still trying to sort out the exotic problems.

 

Gee Fatbillybob, why don't you tell us how you really feel about the F355...

 

For the record FBB drives a corvette! LOL!!!

 

Let's not forgret that this was the first car released by LDM, of course he is going to say how much better it was than a 348, it's in his interests to engage in puffery.

 

44,000 miles (7,000 of those between April 2011 and today) and my F355B runs like a champ.

 

Saw your great post, once again I could not of said this better myself. Montezemolo favorite motor, duh. He has been at this since coming on board and making Ferrari a mass produced car, great for the bottom line sucks for 355's, 360's and so on. The numbers just went nuts when he came on board (for that hats off) but try selling one of those cars. They will continue to drop in price, doubt they will ever go up. And yes its IMHO but you can quote me on this. Yes you read it here, doubt they will ever go up and if they do its going to take quite a few decades.

 

Wouldn't that make these models the 348's granddaughters?

 

Saying, or at least implying, that the 355 was totally new and had lots of 'daughters' like the 360, 430, 458 is just barking mad. The 355 was borne out of the 348 with loads of parts even being interchangeable between them.

The comments LdM made about the 348 were for a couple reasons. The first was he had bought one and got blown away at the lights by a hot hatch - not sure his ego could cope from the way he talks about it. The second was because when he walked into Ferrari, in an early interview he had with his new staff, the design team used the 348 as an example of why Ferraris were still building fantastic cars. He's been trying to say how wrong they were ever since. Afterall, if they were making great cars, why would they need him so much.

Personally I think LdM did a lot for Ferrari but the way he tries to put down older cars in order to try to lift the car that have been made since he's taken over is 'irritating'. Seen this vid? Love the cars but it is totally unnecessary to try to say the 599 has taken the F40's crown. Maybe it's a great car but it doesn't need to try to better a legend. The F40 was epic and like the 348 stood for pretty much the opposite to LdM's view of a car. There are no driver aids, no fancy electronics, just a raw drivers' car. The fact that LdM continually tries to show how far Ferrari has come under him shows, IMHO, a lack of inner personal confidence. May sound strange saying that about someone who comes over as arrogant but that's often the way. Anyway, enough psychoanalysis. He's done some great things, he really does't need to compare his achievements to those of Ferrari's past.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDYj8eI1ulA[/ame]

 

That vid is silly on many levels.

 

Actually SCCA race a corvette ferrari too slow. Driver is a 550M they don't break down. And for the record I love the 355. It is just a POS that's all. It is hard to rationalize being in a bad relationship but it happens. Nothing I know comes closer to that than Ferrari ownership. Lets face it if the 355 looked like a Mondial how many militant 355 lovers would be out there?

 

Congrats maybe you have a good one! I bet within 2 weeks someone will come on Fchat with some kind of 355 engine problem.

 

Good post. I've got a Zo6 with almost double the horsepower and TRIPLE the torque of a 355 yet I love that particular car simply on it's looks and the way it moved me growing up. I WISH it had an engine as blessed as the LS7 and a slightly taller final gear ratio to match.

 

He loves te 355 because he built more of them than 348s, then, made more money off of them for his dealers from the service side with those headers. If he is claiming the 355 was his big jump, he may want to rethink that one.

 

Mass production started with Enzo -- first with the Dino (the horror!) and then the 308.

LDM did not invent a mass produced Ferrari. Ferrari invented a mass produced Ferrari.

 

I agree with this. It goes back to his belief that the 348 was a poor car and he tried to turn the company around with the 355. And, in fact, the 355 did do that to a large degree.

On that one, you have to give the man credit. Ferrari could have been another BMW making Fiats as "Ferrari's" for 40 to 80 grand-- what a pity that would be. LDM realized he was in charge of one of the world's best premium brands before people really realized the power, value, and mystique of premium brands.

Say what you want but the guy did all right.

 

I have come to the conclusion that 348 owners must be the most insecure people on the planet.
What has the original post, and indeed this entire thread, got to do with 348s?
Yet immediately the owners leap on to bag the hell out of the 355 and tell how us how great the 348 is.
Why?

Idiotic.

 

The bashing of the 355, well it's not bashing but calling it like it is would be more accurate. And FWIW I am extremely secure in just about every aspect of my being.

 

You see this comment in every sub-section of F-Chat, just change 348 to another model. I think in the 348's case it gets bashed more than the 355 and the owners feel the need to defend, for some reason.

I happen to like the 348 more than the 355 but I own both. Nothing to do with insecurity.

Erik

 

If I raced cars as a serious hobby as FBB does, I wouldn't want much to do with a 355 either. It is complicated and has a touchy, intricate engine and underpowered by today's standards.

In a similar vein, I love British cars but would never race them. I went to Willow Springs many times. The Honda SCCA crowd, when they weren't on the track, were sitting around eating lunch and having fun....the British crowd was laying under their cars in the desert sun trying to fix what failed last lap.

Crazy.....but I still own British cars...in fact a rather unique & Infamous Lucas Triumph FI version that now has 180,000+ miles on it. Different longevity if it isn't raced and treated well.

From a drive-around-town perspective the 355 is a pretty sexy looking ride and the lines will never be duplicated. The history is fantastic and that 40 valve engine makes a wonderful sound. It is absolutely the coolest Ferrari on the road IMHO. It may not be all that great in terms of speed, maintenance costs, etc.....but it is one sleek design and not nearly as bad as many, many people make it out to be.

+200

 

LOL! I just said this in the 458 section yesterday about Scud people.

 

Have to agree, he did get it all right ..... I seriously doubt anyone could have done it better.

 

F355

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Hair Gel Rulz!

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All this being said, and F355 with a Capristo Level 3 exhaust is THE greatest sounding road-going F-Car ever produced; it is simply insane. And if it is the greatest-sounding F-car, then it is, by default, THE best sounding sportscar EVER. This, of course, is subjective, but I bet I would find many more in agreement than I would those who would refute this. Most all Ferraris sound great, but the 355 with a Cappy 3 is just...other-worldly.