Aesthetics of a 355 vs. 360

F355 is more of a classic/true Ferrari, sitting position is low, the interior is minimal, it has nice lines and flow. It sounds FANTASTIC, especially with a Tubi and test pipe, better than 360 of any set up.
However if it comes to Spyder, in my opinion the 360 spider is the most beautiful droptop out there, period. F355 is nice, but 360 is nicer.

 

In order to answer & properly respond to this question....I'm going to need some more details about your friend. If we're talking about the fit around the waistline, then let's leave this alone....BUT if we're talking about the bust, we're gonna needs some high-res pics!!!!!!

I too have a 355 spider: LOVE IT. No doubt it is one of the nicest drop-tops ever made and will always be breath-taking. As for your question, I break the car down to 4 areas: front, side-view, rear and interior.

The interior of the 360 is just plain nicer. More room, more modern, comfortable and exquisite. The 355 is basically functional. The 360 is like fine dining.

The sides are about equal IMO.

The rear goes to the 355. It's low to the ground, has a nice shape and is all business. Very few cars have a rear-end that you can actually admire. The 360 rear does not appeal to me...it's bulky, higher off the ground and while it's more modern, it somehow lacks something.

The front-end of the 360 is often criticized as a squashed frog..but it's still very sleek and certainly sexy...it dials-in some curves and swank, it has personality. The 355 is a wedge, it's just classic sports car and simple. Elegant, sweet...but still rather simple in it's dimensions.

Eh...apples and sugar-coated oranges!

It would be fascinating to do a "morph" of the 355 and 360 front-end!!!!

As for performance, I've heard many people (including 360 owners) say the 355 is more "fun" to drive. I'm not sure I understand that...but in time I hope to explore that notion. Either way, I'm lovin' the life Ferrari

 

I am wondering how you got ASP from asethetics & sex appeal?

Well I drive mine well over 2K/year, track it occassionally and yes I pay good sum of money to make sure it is in top shape. While I always admire F355 I fell in love with 360 as soon as I saw it. And I still think it is better looking than guess what, F430.

 

fwiw, I prefer the 360 coupe to the 355 coupe and I prefer the 355 Spider to the 360 Spider. But I saw a Murcie roadster in the flesh the other day and that beats any recent Ferrari Spider hands down. It's truly a work of art!

Sadly, I'm totally unimpressed by the 430.

Aesthetics can be so subjective!

 

Yes they can be, and personally I find almost all recent Lambo's (Countach on) way too..."out there". No elegance or finesse; almost crude and brutish in there styling. Not for me, but of course, YMMV. Even the latest stuff leaves me cold.

As for the back ends of cars rarely being that good looking...while 911s in general are kind of tame styling wise, the rear view of a widebody 911 (993(tt), 996tt, c4s, etc) is totally hot. My wife loves my tt, largely because "it has a gorgeous a$$". lol Generally speaking f-cars have it over Porsches by a good deal in the sexy styling department, but the rear view of a widebody 911 can compete.

As for the question at hand...the 355 has clean, classic lines, but the 360 is pure sinuous grace. I gotta give the edge to the 360.

 

i have owned both a 355 spider and a 360 spider...there is no way a 355 is more fun to drive....not even close!!! the 360 has better steering feel, better handling, better braking, much much shifter and clutch and better seats...and i had tubi on both and with the tubi, the 360 sounded better...not to mention that the 360 was and felt faster at all speeds and in all gears....i actually had both cars for several months together so i speak from experience...as far as looks, that is subject...they are both beautiful in their own way,the 355 with more classic ferrari lines and the 360 with a more modern look..the interior of the 355 always seemed cheap to me, esp those gauges, which looked like something out of kit car..the360 was abig improvement...also the pedals are too darn close in the 355 for some one with size 11 shoes...the 360 didnt have that problem..much better ergonomics inthe 360..just my 2cents worth....

 

i know its all personal preference, but 355 with Tubi is definitely a better sounding machine than 360 with Tubi.

 

shawsan, that is a beautiful car, no doubt.

 

On the other hand, you have a "wood ear"...with that handicap, who's gonna listen to you?

Gary

 

355 with a tubi has a louder deeper sound compared to a 360. 360 with a tubi sounds like a lion's growl. i take the 360.

 

355 for me but then i'm biased As for exhaust, choose your weapon;

http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~richmet/video/exhausts.mpg
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I bet if you listen to a 1999 or a 2000 360 with Tubi you will find the sound much more pleasing since they didn't come with precats in the manifolds, just like F355.

 

I just traded my 355 GTS for a 360. I have to say, the 360 IMO looks like a Ferrari should. My 355 looked good from the rear, but the side and the front cannot compare with the 360. The qts on the 360 are pure art, the lines just flow on the car better than the 360. I thought the 355 was a great car, but after standing there looking at the 360...not a chance.

vince
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i have listened to '99/'00 360 with tubi, de-cat ones too. it does not compare to f355.
i am no expert so i do not know the reason, why 355 and 360 sound completely different to me.

 

Well Chris, you do own an 355 and 360CS so I guess you should know better than most Zen!

 

Paul,
We have similar tastes! I have a 355 spider, and a BMW 540 M-Sport (BMW purchased in Vancouver, no less).

I have found all newer Ferraris to be a bit of an aquired taste..the 355 did not grab me initially (back in the 90's), but I have grown to love it. I have only recently come to appreciate the 360...but the 430, I REALLY like, right off the bat.

I hope you will come for a drive with the Seattle gang on April 16th, we are meeting the Vancouver guys at Semiahmoo! Check with Roy Kan, the regional director of the FCA up there. Otherwise, look forward to meeting you at the Italian Car Show in North Van, on Father's Day!

Regards,
Dave

 

Clearly taste and preference are individual determinations. That said, IMO, neither the 360 or 355 will go down as classic Ferrari designs. They are not spectacular designs like, say a 250 California Spider, 250 Lusso, 250 LM, 246 Dino, etc.

Reality here is once upon a time artists designed cars. Then two huge factors handcuffed the artists hands. First, there is legislation, including the DOT. Legislation restricts what an artist can do with a car. E.g., head lamp and bumper heights. Now we may see the end of the classic shape front engined Sports GT with the EU's new pedestrian engine/hood standards.

The other huge detriment to artistic creation is found right behind the Ferrari factory. That Giant white funnel building that houses their wind tunnel. Artists' lines are shaved off and revised in search of CD and downforce.

I've no doubt the 360 has far superior downforce than say a 246 Dino. But as for what's a better looking car?

If we're talking about best looking Ferrari spiders we need to go back to the classics.

By the way, the critics acknowledge that Ferrari is NOT creating new pure designs. Rather, they're raiding their old designs! Just look at the 430: Enzo rear end (but not as nice), 250 LM rear air intakes (but not as nice), vintage race car nose (painted black as opposed to a real opening on the race car, not as nice).

My personal choice would be a covered headlamp SWB California spider. 355/360s don't even come close. My opinion.

 

For what it's worth...I did say that I've only HEARD that the 355 was more fun to drive then a 360. AND come to think of it..most of those guys who owned both and said the 355 was "more fun"...were also the same guys trying to sell me their 355 as their 360 sat next to it in their garage. Things that make ya go hmmmmm....

No doubt the 360 is technologically more advanced then the 355. The 360 is said to handle better, but it has about the same power and is about the same speed as the 355. The 355 is more "raw"....whereas several Ferrari owners have criticized the 360 as more of a Cadillac in terms of feel. Well..words are words: I'm just gonna have to drive one of these bad-boys!!!

I'm quite certain a 360 spider is destine for my garage in the years to come...so please don't think I'm dissing the 360 and trying to rationalize my 355. In the end, I'm just jazzed to have a Ferrari either way.

 

well said!!!

 

Stylistically speaking, the 355 can't be classified as a classic because the wedge-shaped projectile that is normally associated with exotics/supersportscars that the 355 is, started from the late 60's...the pop-up headlamps, etc..
The 360 on the other hand, has an amorphous, free-hand sculpted look about it that harks back all the way to the bodies by Pininfarina, Scaglietti or Drogo way back in the late 50's thru middle 60's. The coming back of faired in headlights denotes this as well.Of course nowadays we have the aerodynamicists working on the design too.

Therefore the 355 stands as Modernist and the 360 Post-Modernist...Just like in Architecture, Car design tend to go full circle.

Both qualify to be moving works of art...JMO

That said, I love my 355 and am hankering for a 360 next.

 

i know you were not dissing the 360..i loved both cars..for the money, the 355 is more car per dollar in todays market...and now i have no ferraris at all....times are hard....gee, no ferrari in the garage, do i qualify for wellfare?

 

I think you'd find if you drove both cars on the track that there is a significant difference. I agree you may not notice a huge difference on the street, but the 360 has a 20hp advantage, and is several hundred pounds lighter. Add in the ground effects and the track difference is quite noticeable.

Gary