Please explain older ferrari models

Whats the goal?
Whats the budget?

Is this a discussion thread or a genuine purchase interest?

Stop light racing? Mountain roads? Full track capabilities? Whats the thought process... people drive them because they want them, not to drift against a Yaris

Pre 360..

The late 90s got it right!
355.. immediate precursor to the 360
V12s
456 2+2 GT car loads of power, fast, comfy sublime styling. Some well known maintenance quirks
550. Near perfection, similar in platform as the 456

Early 90s
Saw the end of the TR platforn with the 512M
348.. not all the moves, without some help
Mondial phased out T was similar to 348

80s
308/328 v8 mid engine, iconic looks and sounds, performance is sporty, but by no means fast compared to anything today
Original Mondial variants... 4 seat coupe or convertible of above car. Different and quirky, but not gonna win any races.
Testarossa. V12 wild looks, great power for the times, expensive to operate.
Ill glaze over the 400 series (GTO too)

As you go back in time car become expensive over something you are going to race much (anymore). Even the popular icons.. Daytona, 275, 250 cars arent necessarily fast by todays standard, but thats not what they are about

 

Whats the availability in OZ of anything?

 

Just bear in mind that by affordable its the purchase price. They are older and that will entail more maintenance costs and unobtainium parts. Everyone loves to quote the 355.. but it is expensive to maintain. My 928 was the same and the guys who said it was an easy car to maintain usually had air tools, a 4 post lift, and a lathe in their garage. I still love the 348, but not at todays prices compared to its maintenance needs.

V8 or V12?

V8 it seems its the 308, 328, 348, 355 or Mondial.

V12 it's the Testarossa, 512, 512bb, and 400 series.

 

I have a 348 that isn't particularly "fast", but it gives me more joy than any other car I've owned. Modern cars are just too sterile for me.. Drive a few and decide for yourself.

 

You're going hundreds of miles per hour in a plane, but how does it make you feel?
You're going 30 mph on a bike down a hill, how does it make you feel?

 

The 348 is a hidden gem. Coming out at a time when its rawness was out of vouge. Also, let's be honest, the competitors were faster.

Now that its competitors are all 'slow' too, so you have an NSX, which is an awesome car - but feels numb comparatively (at least to me.)

It was not lost to me that Tyler Hoovie (who owned 100+ cars, including many exotics) says the 348 is his favorite.

 

308 / 328 / 348 / 355 / Testarossa / its that simple . Build quality degradation starts with the 355, so find one that has all the defects repaired .

Thank you ,

 

Testarossa on mountain roads is glorious, would not trade for anything except a faster mid-engine 12 cylinder Ferrari with a stick and no power steering
It is very fun and engaging to drive, fast enough to get in trouble, and it makes the most amazing noises.
See the "One Take" video with Matt Farah or the "Drive Experience" with Davide Cironi.

 

Look, your asking questions that only you can really answer by driving them . 308 / 328 / 348 / 355 are great designs and reflect Ferraris Formula 1 efforts for those periods of time , including the Testarossa which is more of GT car , rather than a canyon carving machine. They all have decent power and suspensions, and are considered true analog cars, other than the 355 F1. They all have fantastic brakes , at least when it comes to public roads. Even though the car in the videos is a bespoke restomode, you can see what the driving is like, you will have as much fun in a stock 308 / 328 / 348 /355 I have had my 89 328 for 23 years and 104,000 miles and would not trade it for anything in the world.It has a TUBI exhaust, test pipe , K & N filter , and it runs and feels great . The 308 , 328 , 348 are 3 of the best examples of build quality Ferrari has produced in the mid engine car spectrum. There are modifications to improve things, just like on any other car, with that being said, the driving experience outweighs any complaint of wanting more HP. I think all of the above could use a bit more power, even my 328, buy I have never complained or thought about modifications Im happy with the way they all came out from the factory.

 

I have 2 toy cars right now. I will be buying a 3rd in the coming months so I can understand where you are coming from.

1999 Dodge Viper RT/10 and an 85 Mondial QV. The Mondial has half the hp of the viper. It is, laughably slow. It is slower than my pickup truck. If I floor it on an on-ramp I will fail to overtake cars that have no idea I am trying to outrun them. The Viper is fun on on-ramps. Floor it for 4.5-5 seconds and then drop the car into 6th where the engine is turning 1500 rpm at 80. Thing is, you cannot lay into it very often or for long or you are getting arrested. The Mondial is like driving a go kart that makes F1 noises. It has enough power on the highway to pass unless someone doesn't want you to. On back roads you can really push the car without getting into trouble. TBH it is more fun on a highway than the viper. I am looking to move right now to somewhere with mountain roads and if I am being honest the mondial is better suited for it. Acceleration is not everything. The illusion of speed makes up a big part of it and the Mondial provides that very well. It is why I am not considering selling it to fund a more expensive 3rd car.

I have a mondial because I could take it somewhere and have more space to put in it than a 308/328. Wanted to be able to do weekend trips, but to be honest it is loud as all get out. (road noise) I have considered swapping out to a 348. Big fan of the styling. The increased costs and engine out service do not seem worth it. The Testarossa was a poster car as a kid, but the more gt like feel is off putting. 512TR is out of my budget and I frankly prefer the styling of the original. The 355 does not seem worth it due to the poor steering feel and potentially expensive fixes.

If you are going to shop you really should ask what you want to use it for? Cruising on the strip? Any will work. The Mondial will probably get you some hate and questions if it is a kit car. If you want to canyon carve, any of the V8s will. Just a question of if you want to drive a slow car fast or a fast car slow. Its also a question of how much you want to spend to maintain it.

 

Enzo believed in the V-12s he built. Buy a 550. Fairly easy to maintain, great power and 3 pedal. It's a modern Daytona. Great for touring and spirited driving on all sorts of roads. But it's not a track car.

If you have to have a V-8........then a 355 6 speed would be a good choice. Smaller than the 360 and later cars with precise handling, enough power and F1 music behind. While the engine has to come out for a major service that is once every 5+ years. As others have said the build quality is marginal. But the 355 was and still is a fun Ferrari

 

Geeez I thought this thread was going to be about some properly old Ferrari's....you know 212's,250's,275's etc.........carbys,clutch and remote centremounted gearlevers and zero electronics.
Instead it's about stuff a 25YO thinks is old........well that pretty well dates me.

 

Unfortunately , those cars you mentioned are so expensive, that most cannot afford them, they are sitting in rich owners climate controlled buildings, never to be seen outside, unless they are inside a covered transport on their way to sit on a lawn, so other rich people can look at them. Its a ****ing joke, but, hey , thats the way it is. Are they true drivers cars, you bet your ass they are !!! If you would like to see these cars, you can go to that Ferrari circle jerk up in Monterey that happens once a year, thats where you will find them, and thats it .

Thank you ,

 

My 1995 355GTS is the "slowest" car I own (other than my Rubicon) and the most enjoyable to drive.

 

I drive primarily in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. I love my F430 Spider for this. It hits all the bells and whistles. You won't be able to use all of the horsepower in the mountains, but you can get close. For me, mountain driving is best experienced in a spider version of a car. If you go older than a 360, you're getting into some very expensive routine maintenance on the car that will far off set the larger upfront costs of a 430. Downtime for that maintenance and repair is also something you should keep in mind when it comes to Ferrari. Fancy a 355? Well, every 3 years you're supposed to change the belts and that means the entire engine is removed from the car. How long will it sit at the service center for that work? Personally, if its your first Ferrari, I would buy as new as you can afford if you aren't skilled with a wrench. I think your ownership experience will be more satisfying. If you do go 360 or 355, a manual is a must in my opinion.

 

Nonsense. I know plenty of folks that own vintage cars, do much of their own work, drive them when the weather allows. Most are wealthy, some rich, but they have one thing in common: passion.
A good friend of mine was just invited to Pebble Beach to show his 63 year old Ferrari. The meticulous restoration he performed over a 5 year period has produced a remarkable late 50's example. I agree that there are some check writers who enjoy showing off their cars and wives..... but not all enthusiasts fall into that category.
I drive my C/4 weekly and do most of my own work.

 

Well.....maybe not all travel in a trailer. My 330 GTC gets out a lot. Not a platinum car but rather a nice looking and sound driver that I had mechanically re-built. Including some improvements over the original. This weekend we drive the 330 in the mountains to Highlands NC for a fantastic car show. It's not a multi-million $$ car but it's my favorite of all the Ferraris I have owned over the past 45 years. I drive it!!
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Same here, although with "just" a 456GT. Still rather new to me, but i drive it as often as I can. Have forgotten its a 27 year old car. It leaves me smiling and gets the blood pumping

 

Beautiful machine !!!

 

Sadly, many folks won't ever experience taking a sweeper while heel and toeing and hearing the beautiful clickety clank of the gated over a Dino V8.

I still prefer that engine family over my more convenient F113/F133/F136