Made my dream a reality this week when I purchased my first Ferrari, a 1998, 355 F1, Spider, fly yellow. This is the model I love the most. I hadn't even driven a Ferrari until after I paid for it and was ecstatic as it took me wailing through the Rocky mountains from Calgary to Vancouver Canada across 650 miles of varied terrain. What a blast!!! Question 1: Prior to buying my car, I printed several tech spec pages all saying the Kerb weight of the spider is 2976lbs. In contrast, my owners manual says the kerb weight of the berlineta is 3262lbs, the GTS = 3284lbs, and the Spider = 3340lbs. That's a big difference for the spider vs. the 2976 benchmark in the tech specs. Does that square with other's understanding. Question 2: I've read the 360 spider has more HP, but also weighs more, and I've read reports of 0-60 times of 4.6 secs for both, BUT a 13 for quarter mile for the 355 vs. a 13.2 for the 360. Does that square with other's understanding? Observation 1: I hate overuse of the word 'awesome' but there's just no other word to describe the 355 F1. The sound is just incredible and it goes like a banshee. My only comparator right now is my supercharged BMW M5 that churns out 465hp. Under full throttle, however, the Ferrari experience is akin to pure adrenalin, vs. the BMW which is simply a tamer, more "civilized" experience. Observation 2: My worries the Ferrari would create a wedge between me and other people faded rapidly as kids, and the "kid" in adults came up to admire the car and ask just about every question you can imagine. I felt like I made 15 potential new friends just during the drive from Calgary to Vancouver. Am looking forward to participating in this online community. Shawsan
Congratulations on your new Ferrari, and welcome to the site. In checking the Ferrari NA web site I see the weight figure of 2976 pounds. But I find it peculiar that the exact same weight is given for all four 355 models (Belinetta, F1, GTS, Spyder). This seems highly unlikely to me, given the differences among the cars. FWIW, the web site quotes 3726 pounds for a 550 Maranello, while my owners manual shows 3902. (In both cases, the number set forth is referred to as "kerb weight".) Regarding acceleration times, I've often seen different times for the same car in different tests by the same magazine, and of course by different mags. So it's really hard to judge which is correct. Obviously conditions do vary from one test to another. If you could find a comparison test in a given publication in which the two cars were run the same day, I think that would be the most valid.
I have both the 360 and 355. They are both great cars. The 360 is a far better all around car, but for the price difference the 355 is hands down the way to go. Weight.... You must be looking at the dry weight of the 355 at 3,000 pounds. I think the 360 is about 200 pounds less than the 355. Enjoy!!
Congrats on your purchase. Glad to hear your questions are just "details" and your travel experience shows you're thrilled with your purchase. Not sure the answers there, but I'm sure others will have em for you. The F-experience is just great isn't it?
One of the nice things about the 8s is that they are tossable. Highly recommend a fresh set of sneakers and, after you've spent some time burying the tach and getting the handling down, let us know. (Also, buy a Valentine radar detector if you don't have one). Enjoy~
Congrats and welcome to F-chat! I think your observations are spot on the 355 is a pleasure to drive on both short and long trips. Enjoy!
Congrats Shawn and Welcome! The 355 is my favorite Ferrari. I've had mine over 2 years now and I smile every time I slide behind the wheel. Hope you had the top down, the sound is even more enhanced. Love the lines and more visciral then the 360's I drove...IMHO. I noticed the same thing about the weight....the 364 lb difference...thought perhaps north america cars with epa/dot requirements...but that's not it. As you go along in the owners manual you'll find other contrasts and that the writers of the manual, well...don't have the best command of the english language. Come here often - excellent tech section and all the info is great.
Congratulations and enjoy !!! Who did you buy it from here in Calgary ? If it's from one of two particular places (and I am 99.99 % sure it is).........I know that car and it has been in an accident. If that's the case, I hope it was disclosed to you at the time of purchase.
Congrats. Ironically I have the EXACT same car. I've had it for a little over a year and love every minute of it. The only real problems I've had are with the top, (goes up but won't latch). Even after multiple attempts at fixing it it still won't work. I now only drive with the top down which is fine with me anyway. Putting that thing up and down is a big pain in the a$$. Good luck. Ben
