A tribute to the 348

I have to admit that I never cared about the 348. It had a general bad rumor and to be honest my eyes was always on the F355. But I stumbled on a 348 a short while ago and I'm getting to appreciate it much more than I ever thought I would.
What turns me on is the lack of servo, no airbags and raw interior and exterior - I'm still very young and love cars you have to "fight" with and cars that feel harsh and mechanical, as opposed to most of todays high end cars packed with nannies and comfort futures.

Hope this model gets more kudos than it has, because it really does deserve it. Take it for what it is and it's a great car.

Those spiders look fantastic.

 

I am sure the car will pop. It is a matter of if my lame photo skills can capture it.

It is like having a 5 year old go capture the Sistine Chapel with a note pad and some crayons.

 

The 348 is the mischievous little sister to big brother F 40. The Testa Rossa is just the child in the middle.

 

Nice interview Mike, Way to represent!

Cheers

 

This is the basic appeal of the car, that it is a raw, less refined kind of exotic car. The 355 started down the slippery slope of the taming of the supercar with power steering (really!), adjustable shocks, power convertible top, F1 autoshifting transmission and hair dryer plugs. Now we have the 458, an amazing car, but full of too much tech and refinement.

My idea of an exotic is essentially one step above track racer in raw performance, with few if any creature comforts and everything sacrificed to weight reduction and performance. I feel that the 348 was the last Ferrari in this mold. We will never see an F40 or 288GTO again. Even an Enzo for that matter. Too bad. We get AWD cars now with a kamback or a 599GTO that requires all the electrical nannies and more to keep it on the road and even they can't tame it.

What we need are Challenge Series cars that have minimal additions to a driver's comfort. Strip them down, lighten them up and sell them for a decently lower price. Dream on!

 

Boy, that's a good summation! The 'rawness' factor I don't think is understood by many for some reason. I love the lack of doors skins on the f40....power steering is just sad... one could go on and on here... I think time will be good to the 348 for these reasons.

 

Can't wait to drive it and make it bleed my ears and hurt my back!! Totally agree, it appeals to me in the same way a Challenge Stradale does - and this is probably the single most significant reason that it's starting to grow on me bigtime. I don't need it to be comfortable on long journeys or have a great interior, that's what BMW M5's are for... For the big roadtrips I would never trust a Ferrari anyway, no matter how new...

I know some people will think that it's a cheap entry to the modern Ferraris, but there is no difficulty for me to gather and pay cash for a 360 Modena right now or a F430 already next year, and at this moment I don't see any reason at all to why I would want a newer car when I will get the whole Ferrari experience in a non-snobbery package! I would honestly upgrade to a Challenge Stradale or a 430 Scuderia but that's about it.

Besides, I feel comfortable with around 300 hp in a street car. A 500 hp F430 is almost too fast for 99% of the roads...

GREAT cars, ones you figure out their appeal.

 

Yes:
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I collect diecast cars. I wanted one that matched my black/tan 348TS but they are only available in red/black that I have found in 1:18 scale. So I decided to do something about it. I tore the red car down and painted it to match mine. It was a fun little project. I also thought that this is a nice "little" tribute to the 348 as well that will now sit on my desk. I made sure to give her proper fender badges. I am sorry that the pics are not better. I just finished it and it is 3:30 am. By the way, those are my initials on the tag.
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model looks great, nice job !!! Very detailed

 

Impressive detail for for 1/18th!

 

Thanks for the nice words on my model 348. It looks good on my desk.

 

Cool!

All the best,
Andrew.

 

OK Here's a short video after changing exhaust.

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

 

Mike, good interview. You did us proud. Now, How do I get my little Ferrari on tv LOL

 

Great job on TV Mike!! Nice vid!

 

Mike, It just so happens that the misses and me are going to Detroit then into Canada this summer, Would there be a Ferrari meeting then