Differences between US Factory 348CH and RoW Competizione?

I don't there is any shared components. The 45 factory challenge cars had a few things different from stock but really nothing that was very racy unless they were completely converted like adding the cage fire bottle etc... Most of the 45 where left in street trim had A/C etc... The SS was sort of like "348C light" intended to be a streetcar but more racy than stock and probably to extend interest in the 348. They all had the same engine and internals except a few models had a larger plenum and power was 300 then 312hp later in the model run.

The GT were very few (11) and were made by Michelotto first a Ferrari dealership turned race car constructor. There is even a 348GT LM by mich. one of 2 GT's that were actually raced. The GT had 360HP but I don't know how that was reached. That is right there with the stock 355 motor around 105HP/L (magic!).

There is the 358 which Pluzgit is custodian of. It is very special and very fast with I am certain very similar engine output. Plugzit can tell us more. It has a 355 rear subframe and some very racy aftermarket parts making for an awesome track toy. I think it is for sale but he does not advertise it or tell anyone it is for sale because he really does not want to sell it.

 

I believe the Competiziones had cf (or kevlar?) body panels, as well as polycarbonate windows to save weight. The factory Challenge cars had standard 348 body panels, though I've heard an unsubstantiated rumor that the front and rear bumpers were lighter. I was never able to verify this on my former Challenge car.

My understanding is that the Competiziones had a number of suspension tweaks compared to a standard 348 or even a 348CH and also used the F40 rear half shafts. I think that they might've had a bit more power up top and the intake plenums had greater volume than a US 348 (I remember seeing engine pics showing a taller plenum than that on my former car). The Competizione cars also had a unique steering wheel with a plate that identified where each car stood with respect to the # of cars produced. They were also the only 348 to come from the factory with the Scuderia shield recessed in to the front fenders.

That's about all I remember about the GT Competizione cars though I'm sure there are many other differences. As you'd expect with a competition car, most of the mods related to suspension modifications and stripping out weight. I don't know anything about the GT Michelotto Competizione cars. I think FBB was referring to the 11 Michelotto cars as Ferrari built over 50 of the GT Competizione cars for homologation purposes.

 

Good source of info here.
http://www.348gtc.com

 

Ok, I'll see if I can pass on some info I've collected over the years. Both the GTC and Factory Challenge were essentially modifications of what we call the GTB here in Europe. The Michelotto cars are something entirely different. Higher engine output, F40 half shafts, under floor positive downforce aero (later nicked by Ferrari and fitted on the 355) etc all refers to the Michelotto cars NOT the Factory Challenge or the GTC. To make matters a tad more confusing Michelotto also built some cars to race in the Italian GT Championship. These cars were designated GT CSAI-GT by Michelotto were also track cars and highly modified with lightened pannels etc. In fact the success of one of these cars in the Italian GT Championship is what gave rise to the roadgoing GTC that was released to commemorate the success.

So, you're talking about 4 different models. In essence:

348 Factory Challenge - 'standard' roadgoing 348 with a few modifications pretty much limited to the these (hit 'select parts page in yellow to go through the areas) http://www.eurospares.co.uk/?M=1&Mo=450&A=1&G=&S=

348 GT CSAI-GT - modified track cars (not road legal) that were built by Michelotto to race in the Italian GT Championship. The success of one driven by Oscar Larrauri (who literally blew away the competition frequently beating cars in the class above including the F40s) led to the release of the........

348 GTC - A road-going model largely based on the 348 GTB but with carbon kevlar doors and allegedly front and rear bumpers (I say alledgedly because this would save no weight at all over the standard 'plastic' ones on the GTB which makes the expense seem a tad odd. It's also nigh on impossible to tell the difference between the 2 materials - I couldn't when I had a GTC and GTB sat right next to each other.) It also had similar seats to the Factory Challenge and a few other tweeks, mostly cosmetic (but all pretty cool )

348 GTC LM - developed by Michelotto after the success of the 348 GT CSAI-GT. They were highly modified with lightweight bodies, higher engine output due to higher compression and parts like the F40 halfshafts mentioned above being used. The were not road legal.

So you have a road car modified for the track, an all out GT track car, a road car built to commemorate the achievements of that track car and a Le Mans race car. 4 totally separate models

 

All the differences are noted here www.348gtc.com. Seats I think were same as F40 seats, other changes include wheels, steering wheel, sill covers, pedals, gear knob, control unit covers, carpets, doors and bumpers as per Pete's post above and lexan rear windows (though I haven't been able to find a road going GTC with that fitted as standard).

The most interesting difference I think that is not often discussed, is the different exhaust manifolds (referred to on the above website though)

 

Totally guessing here but,

From the pics I've seen of the Competizione headers it looks like Ferrari changed the pairing of the primaries from non-sequential (1-4/2-3) to sequentially paired primaries (1-3/2-4). It's hard to tell for sure because they still have heat shields on them. The other thing that the pairing suggests (if they are indeed sequentially paired?????) is that the Competizione headers could POSSIBLY have a 4 into 1 collector. Which would give the engine a bit more peak hp depending on the length and diameter of the primaries. Again, it's hard to tell for sure because of the welded together shielding.

Another thing that hasn't been mentioned is the cams. It would not surprise me one bit if the Competizione cams have a higher lift and longer duration. Only way to know for sure is if one of you chaps with a GTC puts your cams on a cam doctor during your next engine out major, and find out for sure the what kind of grind Ferrari put on them.

 

Engine out is due on mine very soon Ernie, so will do some investigating then

 

Great! Looking forward to seeing the results.