Intro and an 360 MT spider or a 430 F1 Spider

I've been browsing this forum for a while and I have to say it really seems like a wonderful friendly place with a lot of great insights from owners.

While I love Ferraris. I mean what true car enthusiast doesn't. I'm a Porsche guy, bought my first Porsche in college, a well used air cooled Carrera targa and have owned many since then. I have to smile when I hear some people refer to cars built after 2000 as old school. To me old school is no power assisted steering, a 5 speed that has truck like subtlety, and a defrost that is marginally better than your breath.

Anyway, to get back on topic, I've been putting together some funds for the next GT3/RS. I'm told I'm near the top of the list so hopefully that all works out. Even though it's not an open top car which I vastly prefer, I cannot resist what may be the last ultra performance naturally aspirated 911. Since the next GT3 won't likely be shipping until q4 2017 I was thinking that parking funds in a Ferrari would be much more satisfying then parking them in a bank and it would be great to own a Ferrari even if it's for one summer.

I've narrowed my Ferrari choices down to spider versions of the 360 and 430. It seems you can still buy a well sorted 360 MT for 120k or so as the price delta for an F1 vs MT isn't as great as it is with the 430. Of course who knows what the market will be a few months out. I was looking at a couple MT 430s last year for around 150k and but I ended up ordering a 981 Spyder instead. What can I say, a limited production light weight mid engine open top Porsche with a 3.8 flat 6, 918 Carbon Fiber seats and almost Ferrari good looks was irresistible to me. I still think it is one of the most exceptional production cars Porsche has turned out but it's German alcantra which still is different than Italian leather

So for anyone who has experienced or ideally, lived with the 360 and the 430. How different are these cars. Sure the 360 is down on HP but handling threshold, nimbless, your connection to the road, Is there a marked difference? I enjoy a light footed dance partner provided that partner doesn't go beast mode should you momentarily step on a toe. I guess forgiving is the word to use. I've always love Porsches because having the engine behind you really let you read the road like a blind man reads Braille. I would imagine the 360 and 430 provide this tactile awareness as well.

While my last Porsche was a PDK and it is a magnificent transmission, it does feel far more digital than an MT. It also makes you painfully aware how inefficient manually shifting is if tenths of a second are at all important to you. While I do enjoy a more mechanical process and have driven MTs my whole life with that one PDK exception, I'm not opposed to clutchless shifting. It seems like the F1 transmission may be a little more mechanical feeling albeit not as fast as a double clutch. Yet I hear people complain about excessive clutch wear, jerkiness around town etc. I drove a friends F1 430 years back but unfortunately the only thing I remember of that was sore facial muscles from smiling too hard and the glorious sound of that engine.

So for those lucky folks that have got to enjoy these remarkable cars, I'd love to hear about your thoughts.

 

First of all, welcome.

My advice is to use the search feature and be prepared to spend lots of hours reading about the two models you want. There is a sticky at the top of this forum on buying a 360.

This question gets asked often and there are many threads on it. Good luck.

 

I was in a similar situation, but with coupes. I was leaning towards the F1 just based off reviews and paper statistics, but after driving both I preferred the feel of the gated over the all out speed of the F1.

 

I have driven Porsche PDKs and they are amazing! You are right that manual shifting can NOT compete with the PDK.

I would wait to see the longer term reliability/maintenance of them. Well, they are several years old now, but would still be worried.

For me, the manual is much simpler and more maintainable by me. I am never going to find myself in the situation where I am loosing out to a PDK... I am not competing professionally.

 

After water cooled 924s, then a 928, a 986, and now a 997 base with a stick... I love my porsche as a DD. It's perfect. But... But... My stick 360 after 6 years of ownership still leaves me with the sense of this experience is perfection. The 997 is easier to drive and the engine at the rear has its own handling charm... But it's not my 360.

If I had an F1 I'd consider upgrading, but the gated stays.

 

Hey thanks for the feedback everyone.

After driving the 991 GT3 with SPDK, the speeds it reaches in an eye blink can get you in trouble awfully fast. With what should be a peaky high revving engine where you have to work for the rush, the GT3 with SPDK feels almost as linear as a big 12 cylinder. I don't know if this is better, faster yes, technologically impressive absolutely, but more enjoyable?

In many ways, I think the 360 and 430 represent the sweet spot for a road car. A car you can actually enjoy wringing out. I feel the same about my 981 Spyder and would imagine it's performance would be somewhere in between those two cars. Do you really need more than that?

Don't get me wrong, the F12tdf, Italia, and LaFerrari are both engineering and design works of art that seem to be approaching the limits of what is physically possible from a road car. But how much further do you have to push those cars to reach that delicious dance on the edge.

I enjoyed reading Trev360s thread on his CS360 manual conversion. It was fascinating and I could see taking a 360 or even a 430 for that matter and reducing weight wherever possible. His 360 is a beast. While, I wouldn't add HP because I prefer the nature of a peaky high revving NA engine, Less weight and greater stiffness can only make a great car better. It seems just replacing the headers and exhaust would yield some nice results

Ferrari can sell as many cars as they make so who am I to give them business advice. But I can't help but feeling a stripped down, lightweight, 420HP, simplified Ferrari would be a runaway hit. Especially if could slot in for Porsche Turbo money. In the meantime, it seems if you want your dose of Ferrari goodness a little less extreme, the 360 and 430 are great choices.

And would love to hear owners chime in especially those that had the pleasure of driving both.

 

I sold my 03' manual 360, got a 991S PDK with the power kit and now have an 08 430 spider w/F1. All of them are fantastic in their own way but the 430 gives me the most pleasure to drive or simply look at. The 991S might be the ultimate DD but for a fun car the 430 has it beat. The 360 is a lot of fun but my personal preference is the 430.

Next in line is probably a 458 or a McLaren.