Saw this thing fly by with the sunrays coming thru the trees...

man if tail lights are the worst of my 360 woe's.... i'll consider it a win!

 

How often have you done that brother?
In almost 5 years of ownership I've had to do it once to change over to the Challenge grill

 

I am pleased to know that this has been a great experience for you.

My maintenance efforts have resulted in a great deal of knowledge regarding Italian engineering. Actually, if I did not have a sense of humor nurtured by the time I have spent buried in the engine bay, I fear my alternative would be to run through town screaming that giant ants were after me.

 

I am attempting to change incandescent bulbs to LEDs.

 

You think changing rear bulbs caused you pain - you should try removing and replacing the rear panel to a challenge grill on a 360 spider! I was half way thru it when I thought I should put it back together. But continued and now all the wounds healed and I'm just loving it!

 

+1 Agreed.

 

I would not call the 430 an evolution of the 360. They are really different enough that I would be pleased to own either.

Edgy modern looks and more hp... vs classic retro flowing lines and a sweet sounding high winding 3.6... with that old school mechanical feel.

No need to pick just 1 to love.

My 2nd f car will be even older... F355 gated spider.

 

I think of F355 --> 360 --> F430 as a progression of improving sports cars (and cars in general), but slightly worse Ferraris.

To me at least, half of "Ferrari-ness" is sound and prettiness, two qualities that I think gradually decline in that model sequence-- even as lots of quantitative stuff gets much better.

So I'd love to own one of each. Having room for only one for now, I find the 360 a nice "sweet spot".

 

That’s not mine, but is identical to mine.
I prefer the rear Challenge grill, but the solid rear isn’t bad. Debating whether or not to try to find a rear Challenge grill. Ricambi is out of them I believe.

 

I thought I would elaborate a little ...

I would suggest that the Manual 360 Modena has similarities to the Porsche 993 in terms of where it fits in the family tree and that it was truly the last in a line of a particular philosophy and mindset. I also believe that the manual coupes will head higher over the medium to long-term. Let me state my case below:

I started my 360 search at the end of 2016 and only just found one that I purchased. I was being very picky as I wanted a low mileage, berlinetta, low owner, gated shifter in rosso corsa with a fully documented main dealer service history in exemplary mechanical condition. I must have seen close to 25 cars across the UK, Monaco, France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. I even investigated a few cars in Sweden and the US (Texas, Illinois and Ohio). I was agnostic about whether it was was left hand drive or right hand drive car. Condition and provenance trumped everything else for me as my eye is on the medium to long+term.

I believe that the 360 is a completely misunderstood car. Yes, the 430 is far superior in terms of power and handling. But that is, in my opinion, what makes the 360 endearing to me. Apart from being the first fully aluminum chassis, body and engine build, in my view it is the last truly analog manual Ferrari. It was a car that was built at the turn of the century with one foot in modernity yet the other firmly planted in the past, nodding with respect to everything that came before it. All you have is a steering wheel and a gear shift. It doesn’t get more raw insofar as a modern car is concerned. No manettino, no LEDs, no displays, no computers - it’s all down to the driver. It’s also not as easy to drive as a 430 - the F430’s e-diff (among other advances) led to measurable improvements in handling and predictability. The 360 has often been described as being “twitchy” when driven close to the limit. But here again is what appeals to me - not everyone can drive it correctly. It isn’t handed to you on a silver platter. She makes you work for it then rewards you. The truth is that 360s are not twitchy - people just need to learn to drive a mid-engined rear wheel drive car and get the weight transfers executed smoothly. If done correctly, it is an incredibly rewarding experience.

Then comes the looks. At launch and throughout its production it wasn’t particularly appreciated. It was a clear departure from the more aggressive angular lines of the 355 as well as the mid-engined cars of the 70s and 80s. It almost had a “smiley face” front end that was seen as being “soft” in nature. The rear end, in my opinion, is aggressive and means business. It comes across as complete, something that iI feel is lacking with the 430. please note that I am not bashing the 430 - it is an incredible car in its own right. My reason for comparing the two is due to the fact that they were built on the same platform.

My view is that the looks of the 360 have only improved with age. I see the design as throwback to the F cars of the 50s and 60s; full of sexy curves. A sexy, voluptuous lady for lack of a better way of describing her. Whilst clearly different cars (not only reflected in the monumental pricing differential), I can’t help but see 250 LM cues when I look at a 360 Modena; the upper air intakes, the rounded front wings leading to prominent perspex covered lights (see the pictures below). This is clearly a comparison that has no base in reality - we are talking apples and oranges - nonetheless, you can’t help but see the 360’s direct lineage. Maybe it’s just me and I am talking my own book - but I strongly believe that the design will only become more beautiful (and will be increasingly appreciated and coveted) with the passage of time. After all, the achallenge Stradale is a beautiful specimen.

The engine - very few people talk about the engine. The V8 power plant was the final iteration and development of the engine that started life as the Ferrari’s F1 power plant of the late 60’s. Whilst delivering a significant increase in power, the 430’s power plant was actually a Maserati engine. The next actual Ferrari engine wasn’t introduced until the 458.

Pricing differential vis a vis the Challenge Stradale. In the UK, prime examples of Challenge Stradales are trading well above £200k. In some instances close to £230-240k. That is a huge level of dispersion when compared to its Manual 360 coupe counterpart. This represents a 140-189% premium vs. the average asking price of manual 360s in the UK (c. £83k). There is no question that the Challenge Stradale is a very, very special car. In many ways it shares a somewhat similar aura as the F40. Unlike the Scuderia, Speciale and Pista, it was a race car that was converted into a road car as opposed to the other way around. Nonetheless, there was only a c.30-40% price differential when the manual 360 and Challenge Stradale when they were still being produced. Also, the Stradale didn’t come as a manual - and THIS, in my humble opinion, is hugely important in terms of the desirability of the manual coupe in the years to come. There is, however, a clear reason for the meteoric price rise of the Challenge Stradale - production numbers. There were only c. 1,288 produced. This compares extremely favourably to the c. 1,312 F40s produced. As we all know, rarity leads to desirability. I personally believe that Challenge Stradales will settle closer to £400k over the long-term, Consequently, I believe F40’s are a steal at current prices (even after recent rises) - but only if one has a long-term view. Under the aforementioned scenario I find it hard to believe that the manual Modena will stay where it is if the Stradale heads higher towards my price target. Again, let me reiterate that I am talking about the long-term.

This brings me to my last point. Everyone always talks about the significant production numbers of the 360 and why it will never attain classic status nor will it ever become rare. The truth is that prime examples of manual 360 coupes are actually very rare. Many have patchy service histories, high numbers of owners, a significant number have had accident damage as well as poor work and repairs carried out by unqualified repair shops. Clean ones are hard to come by. By saying “clean” I don’t particularly mean super low mileage, low owner, accident free vehicles. Just good vehicles that have had the proper care and attention. Putting that aside however, let’s look at actual numbers. Take these numbers with a pinch of salt - there is nothing official and different sources have various guesstimates - but I think they are in the ballpark:

Global Production of 360s:

360 Modena: 2,630
360 Modena (F1): 6,170
360 Spider: 2,119
360 Spider (F1]: 5,460
Challenge Stradale: 1,288

Total Global Production of 360s: 17,667

As you can see from the numbers there weren’t a whole lot of manuals produced. The same goes for the 430s where there were even less manuals - but for the reasons I mentioned above this discussion is primarily focused on 360s. Not only are manuals not commonplace but reasonable mileage examples are very hard to come by. For many, the 360 Modena represented the first disposable Ferrari, unworthy of collector status. They were driven and enjoyed. Furthermore, the onset of the financial crisis resulted in significant price declines that contributed to high ownership, minimal care and high mileage.

We also shouldn’t forget that the 360’s production years (1999-2004) coincided with 6 Formula 1 constructors titles for Ferrari and 5 world championship titles for Michael Schumacher. A very special time for the company indeed.

Whilst I am cognizant that we have probably seen the peak in prices for this cycle, I genuinely believe that on a 10 year basis, prices will be significantly higher than where they are today for the best examples of the manual coupe. This is a modern classic in the making that represents an important period in Ferrari’s history. All this will be appreciated in due course.

I’ll leave you with an image that, for me, firmly entrenches the 360s place in the family tree:

 

Agree... was thinking queues of the Dino as well.

 

360 always reminded me of the 246 as well. I loved the 246 when I was a kid, it was one of the first Ferrari's I ever saw and over the years I heard plenty of negative comments about it. By time I was 18 the 360 had come along and it instantly struck me as being inspired by the 246. I knew then that I had to have one, despite the many negative comments about them too!

Thanks to the FChatter I ripped this photo from a long time ago

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I agree 100% !!