Hi Sy, Andrew already told me about going out in your machine. Think it made his mind up to get one for himself one day so guess he like it quite a bit. How's your's going? Any closer to a decision on the LM engine?
Yes Andrew, I know....has he had one yet?....seems he has but I hadn't read about it????....Andrew?.......
Oh yes, and it was a wonderful experience! Model Specific Discussions > 348/355 > "My first ever Ferrari ride - Sy's Ferrari 348!" Perhaps I'll bump the thread with some additional thoughts. All the best, Andrew.
WARNING - SPOILER. THIS MONTH'S EVO ARTICLE Well all, I've just read an interesting article. This month's EVO contained a group test of a carb 308, a 348, 355, 360, 430 and 458. Really interesting read. I read it with a little trepidation as, although I love my 348, that's one heck of a line up to sit along side. I know Aircon and many others have implied that the 348 can't live with it's siblings and I really didn't want this article to agree. I started reading and when I got to the 348 the author's comments didn't fill me with confidence: "The 348, if I'm honest, was probably the car I was least excited about driving, assuming it would just be a poorer, slower first stab at the 355." Not what I had hoped for. This bloke was just like everyone else. The 348 was inferior in his mind before he even started. As I read on, however the next line grabbed me: "But now I'm excited because it's instantly obvious this car has some of the best steering, possibly THE best, that I have ever sat behind." Now that is what I found when I drove the car. It is, in short, fantastic to drive. I read through all the other cars, all had their merits, then came the conclussion: "But the reassuring thing is that the 458's astounding pace and wizardry don't diminish the other cars here. There are similarities and differences from first to last but each has its own distinctive personality and you could find multiple perfectly rational and perfectly irrational reasons for being excited by any one of them. For example, my highlight was probably the 348's steering, and that's not something I'd expected at the beginning of the day." The guy drove a 308, 348, 355, 360, 430 and 458 and the bottom line was HIS highlight was behind the wheel of the 348. Sounds to me like he had a distinct 'change of perception' about the 348 and all it took was to actually go out and drive one. Perceptions can't be changed? I say again, Aircon, you're wrong. Go out and drive a well set up 348. Maybe you'll be surprised.
Its in EVO Magazine, possibly the leading performance car mag in the UK. It's out in digital format for the ipad and subscribers have been sent it already. Will hit the shelves in the uk in a week or so.
I just read the whole article. Very well written and what suprised me was how much the writer refers to the 348. He also seemed to have gone into the test with some of the pre-existing thoughts about the model but clearly changed his mind as things progressed. The comment about the steering is interesting as well when you think of all the things that would be going through your mind after a day of driving such awesome cars. Of all the thoughts you can put on paper, you refer to the 348's steering as the highlight of the whole affair. That alone speaks volumes about the underated nature of this car, and how, as things get more and more technical, the raw and unassisted legacy of the 348 will change. More and more people will explore these things and realize how great this car really is. The legacy will change and the 348 will have the last laugh to be sure.
It's good to see that some motoring journalists still have a sense of humour. Lucky there was no NSX in that article
It funny, I started this thread arguing that a change of how people perceive the 348 is needed. It's a great car and if people actually go out and drive it rather than listen to some of the nonsence out there, they'll realise that. If there's a better way to demonstrate that than have someone who holds these misconceptions go and drive it alongside the v8 Ferraris that came before and after it and find the highlight was while driving the 348, then I don't know what it is.
well that's the trouble isn't it? How are we going to get the millions of people who think, rightly or wrongly, that a 348 is a HOS to drive one? Are you offering?
There was a 355, though. Want some quotes on how EVO rated its steering, suspention, feel etc compared to the 348? Sorry, that was uncalled for. I'm not going to sit here and go 'nah, nah, n-nah, nah'....... I'd rather just sit here being smug
The steering on a 355 is total crap. Without doubt it's the second weakest part of the car, excluding mechanical. The lap times of 355 v 348 tell the rest of the story though. Of course the ultimate of them all is a road registered 355ch, but I digress. (but the steering..the steering!)
Hey wait a minute....*I'M* not saying there's anything wrong with a 348!! I've never driven one or even BEEN in one....so again, I'm not wrong If there's a reason for me to not like 348s, it's only because PAP has one.
http://www.germancarforum.com/internal-combustion/40130-evo-group-test-ferrari-v8s-308-gts-458-italia.html
Possibly a tiny breach of copy right there somewhere but at least our american and ausi brethren can read the article.
Sorry mate missed the WE in that one. Well having a 355 owner say that it's not such a bad car is akin to persuading a 'Normal' person that it's the best car in the world so maybe it won't be as hard as I thought. Mate I like your car, I'm more of a fan of it than the author was but if you're saying that it's quicker than one of the road legal 348 GTCs that's been race tuned for Le Mans then we may have to disagree there a bit. Ok you're not wrong, sorry will stop saying that. You realise that the perception of the 348 is not only not earned, its total rubbish. One 355 owner down, bloody thousands to go.... Joking aside I can start threads here and in the UK that point out where the bad press about the 348 comes from. I can show that much of the negativity origionated from Ferrari in the form of LdM basically dis-owning the car for 'political' reasons and the motoring press lept on it. I can say its actually a more racecar like setup than the public generally are used to, it needs careful setting up but the results if you do are a car that not only keeps up with it's peers in terms of envolvement/fun factor (what many buy a Ferrari for) but in some cases it surpasses it. It can be difficult to drive near the limit but it does exactly what it says it will. It is in short a fantastic car. But I'm just a 348 owner who has the opportunity to find all this out because I ignored all the tripe, went out and drove one. Many people avoid it and me chirping away on a forum isn't going to do much to change that. When Mags like EVO test it alongside its siblings in the form of every V8 Ferrari (barring 328) from 308 to 458 and say the steering responce and feel of the 348 was the high light of their test, more people will listen. As I said earlier its about time for the perception of the 348 to change and although it'll take time it just feels like it's starting to move in the right direction. If you get a chance to drive a well set up 348, especially on a track, take it. You're not going to change it for your 355 ch (great car BTW) but you'll see why owners say its such a fantastic car. All the fun of a go kart wrapped up in the body of the worlds greatest marque.
won't make any difference...sorry....as long as PAP348 owns one, it's public reputation is doomed. p.s. that's a joke.
Interesting thread. I thought my Ferrari-buying story might be relevent and worth relaying: I was in my mid teens when the 348 came out. It was THE car that I wanted. I was totally in love with the looks and always imagined that if one day I could afford a Ferrari, that was the one to have. I also remember reading many a road test at the time, and can't recall one that was anything but positive except for the occasional "interesting handling on the limit" comments. I couldn't care less about that, and if anything it added to the mystique of the car. There was no doubt, if and when I could afford one, I wanted a Ferrari 348! Fast-forward twenty or so years, and although I'm a fan of all the mid-engined Ferrari's I still liked the 348 / 355's styling more than the rest. I imagined a 355 to be just a "tweaked" 348, and frankly the 360 / 430 styling really doesn't do it for me. About 18 months ago, Ferrari ownership started to look like it might be possible. I thought that I may actually be able to buy that 348 I always wanted! I spoke to a good friend of mine who is in the car game and told him of my exciting news. He asked what Ferrari was I going to get? I told him - 348. He said: "Don't. Bad reputation. Either stretch the budget and get a 355, or get a really good 328 for the same money" I was very surprised to say the least, and more than a bit disappointed. I figured I better do some research... I was amazed. Everything I could find online and everyone I spoke to really didn't seem to have anything positive to say about the 348. I was more than a little deflated, as I wasn't sure that I could stretch the budget to a 355, and although I love them I really didn't want a 328 either. Just a bit too old. I wanted a "modern" Ferrari. The whole experience really surprised me, as I couldn't recall anything particularly negative about the 348 back when they were new, but now it seemed hard to find anything that WASN'T negative about them. (I know the NSX was considered a game changer, but come on. It's a Honda for God's sake!) The end result was that after a very long haul and much pushing of the financial envelope - and a very patient wife - I bought my gorgeous 355 and I really could not be happier. I truly, truly love that car! It is everything I could have hoped for and much more. But I can't help wondering what the 348 is really like. One day I hope to have a go in one, just to see... (I should add for those who are wondering why I didn't just go and test-drive them all: Ferrari's of any kind are pretty thin on the ground around here, and the idea of popping down the road to test drive a bunch of them is simply not possible.) Anyway, interesting thread. And I hope that eventually the 348 will get the recognition it deserves.
