Ebay 348 - Possible SS or challenge?

Deffinately not an SS. That Serial number falls between the last of the 100 from 1993 and before the first of the 15 from 1994. I believe it to be a challenge car which is apparently confirmed by the hood badge. Your right though, its cosmetically in very tough shape. Gonna need a lot of interior work at the very least. The engine bay looks fairly clean. Maybe a good detail job or a recent engine out, it's a guess.

 

Tough to tell for certain if its a Challenge car. It could be be a "factory" Challenge car based on the VIN (VIN falls between 97869 and 98906). It also has the Challenge pedals and suede steering wheel as well as the "348 Challenge" script on the engine lid. That said, one of the more distinct features appears to be missing, i.e. roll cage mounting points. In my car, the roll cage mounting points are hard to miss. On the ledge behind the seats near the window are 2 mounting points, with a leather covered cap when the roll cage isn't mounted. Also, under my front floor mats the carpet is cut away to allow for the front cage mounting points (carpet isn't simply cut but has sown edge etc).

I'm less clear about the SS tail lights. While it could be a SS with Challenge components, the SS cars almost always came with their unique ID plate mounted to the door frame. If the car has such a plate, the seller didn't attempt to highlight it in the pics. Otherwise, I'm not aware that the Challenge cars could have come with the SS tail lights.

While the seats (and other interior components) are rough (certainly not "good" condition as the seller purports), they are the highly sought after carbon fiber seats.

 

Deffinately not an SS. Serial number does not jive. Strakes have been removed but lights remain countersunk. A real SSass looks like this. Lights are flush with center grates and edge molding. Not clear where the Kevlar seats are from. I thought those were specific to Speciale's only. Musta gottem Used?
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I agree it is missing the spacer that the SS would have to bring the lights flush. It also is missing the "Challenge" bumper, if it had the Challenge kit installed. However, it does seem to have mounting points installed for race belts. However, once again it is installed over the leather.

My guess is that it was a 94 "factory challenge" and someone added some of these touches. It is not an SS or a car with the challenge kit. But it has some SS parts and the challenge steering wheel.

To me it seems that the condition and the mileage do not jive.

 

Along with what has already( serial #, tail lights etc.) been said the seats aren't the originals for that car. Those are the SS seats but they don't belong in that serial # and emblem on the radio cover doesn't say SS either. Also agree on the wear that interior is mess for the mileage. Those panels look to be the wrong year also, '93 and later cars had leather on the lower part that is carpet on that panel. The door sill area of the interior looks like it was beige and redyed black. If it was raced in the series it could have had the original interior removed ie: door panels, seats and carpet and replaced with the black componets and the SS seats

 

Panel gaps around the front bonnet look to be off -- could have had some damage up there. I engine bay is way cleaner than the interior. Maybe that's a reflection of the prior owner's priorities.

 

The number is in the registry

http://www.redfcar.com/pages/Challenge/348challenge-97938.htm

 

I noticed that right away too. Just a guess but this thing has probably seen a track or three, and likely met a tire wall or two up close and personal.

Good luck with that one.

MB

 

Then there seems to have been a real effort to remove the challenge kit. There are no battery cut-offs, no tow hooks, fog light covers, wheels, etc. The only thing left is the mounts for the race belts and steering wheel. I spot nothing else that would suggest that it raced in the Challenge.

 

+1

 

It's a real "factory" challenge. Early '94 MY. Did not have a #'d plate. Raced as #11 by James Place in '96 for Motor Imports Team. Second Place finisher in the '96 348 series. It had raced the year before out of Ferrari of Beverly Hills. I don't know about the SS rear tail lights, but they are not original to the factory challenge.

 

"factory" challenge Richard?

I looks more to me that it was a regular old TB that was converted to run in the Challenge series. Why? Because of the 348tb badge on the radio lid. Now if I'm not mistaken if it was a factory Challenge car it would have said "348 challenge" and not "348tb" on the radio lid. Plus there should have been the little badged with the 2 flags on the ash tray lid, no? Oh wait a minute, no the flag badge was on the steering wheel, or was that on the SS cars? What ever the case it doesn't have one.

So that is why I think is was a regular tb that got converted and then raced.

 

Can't be a converted car there were no tb's after '92(besides this Serial # is way past '92 #s) they were either GTB & GTS in '93/'94 Euro markets or the SS in '93/94 or Factory CH cars in the US. The reason I say this is because of the late serial #. Unrelated to the above quote; The US cars that had any emblem on the rear engine lid were the CH cars the SS model have no emblem. I think someone has monkey with interior pieces and parts from other cars ie; the emblem on the radio cover, the door panels that are not correct for the serial # and those seats only came in the SS and even some of those later cars had them removed in place of std seats. No flags on the any of the US 348 ash tray lids or steering wheel unless you added them yourself.

 

Well then I guess that's that. Factory Challenge it is.

 

I like the looks of the silver air box. Is that something that is stock for some 348 models or did someone paint it themselves?

 

It's a US MY '94 tb. ALL 32 '94 348 tb's were "factory challenges".

My '94 says 348 tb on the radio door as well. There is no badge except the #plate on the door frame (not all came with this) and the rear deck lid. No flags on the ash tray or steering wheel. The factory challenge cars came with a different steering wheel that had perforated leather and said 348 on the spoke. This one has the alcantera racing wheel from the challenge kit.

As for the door panels my '94 has carpet below the handle, so may have been for '94.

This car IS a '94 348 tb series challenge that raced in the challenge series as #11 and was 2nd place overall in '96. No guessing, end of story!

What ever it is now is a guess!

 

Agreed, not an SS but someone looks to have installed Series I SS seats in that thing. Series II SS cars did not have the CF seat option. Aren't Challenge seats red cloth covered with slots for belts? Pretty sure those are added.

 

Challenge seats were made by OMP and have yellow and black Kevlar weave. They did originally come with a red cover. The cover was made of pretty thin material so few are left in good shape. They are fixed back race seats and do have the slots for the race belts.

 

The '94 challenge cars came with the regular leather 348 seats. The red cloth seats were part of the challenge kit and were fixed back CF racing seats to be used with a harness and not for street use

 

Nice.

Now how about why the left front hood is all goofed up? Maybe an interesting story like Byron's old 348 the "Deer Slayer". There's one for the old timers.

 

looks to me to be a regular 348 that someone put speciale parts in it. the seats and door panels are speciale. the rear grille is speciale as well but is missing the spacers for the lights that make it flush with the grillework. has a challenge emblem but I don`t see the cutouts in the carpet and the leather panels that the factory did on the factory built challenge cars for access to the rollbar mounts which should be factory welded in place.

does not have the speciale emblem or door plate.

Price is for sure too high and they buchered the engine bay.

shame... ruined the car for sure

Regards, Jim

 

If true, where are the rollbar mounts? for that matter, where is the rollbar? if it was a factory challenge car the carpets would have sewn cutouts for rollbar mounts and leather cutouts behind the seats for the belt mounts and the rear rollbar mount.

factory challenge cars also have a number plate specific to the challenge in the right door jamb.

It is possible that it was a regular challenge car converted and run in the challenge but at this point it is missing so much stuff it is not worth it.

Sorry....
regards, Jim

Regards, Jim

 

Look closely at the cut out behind the parking brake handle. It does have the cut out. Looks like the carpet has been replaced under it. I bet if you pull up the carpet you will find the roll cage mounts because this car did have the challenge kit installed. If you look closely behind the seat you will see the eye hooks for the harness mounts.

The owners of the 348 challenge cars signed a contract that once they were converted to race they would no then convert them back to street cars. I suspect someone is trying to hide that this was a challenge car. In fact the roll cage is not DOT legal.

One more time for those that didn't read my previous post. This is a MY '94 348 tb. ALL 32 348 tb's imported the the US is '94 were technically factory challenge cars. All '94 348 tb's came from the factory with the challenge kit. This is (or was) a "factory" challenge car. It is an earlier one. NOT all cars have a #'d plate.

This car also RACED in the challenge series in '95 and '96 as #11. It was 2nd in the final standings in '96.

 

Yes it does have the cutout, but only on the driver side. the cutouts are not for the front mounts or the rearward mounts behind the driver.

also, you say all 1994 348 tb`s were factory challenge specification. this is a very incorrect statement as there were street versions built and shipped to US and any of the factory challenge cars had the interior with all the properly stiched cutouts and the vin plate specific to the factory challenge cars mounted in the passenger door jamb.

Now, it could have the rollcage mounts, and it could have raced in the challenge series, but everything that makes it a challenge is missing from this car so as a it stands, it`s just a 94 348 with a hodgepodge of parts on it.

Regards, Jim