Why is the F348 classic and the F355 modern?

Come on guys, everyone knows there was a notiable change in fcar design in 95. The F512M became the last of the 'old style' with the 355, 550, etc coming out later. Just sit inside a F512M and inside a 355, and you can see they are from completely different generations.

348 is the same generation as the 512. The way it is setup is fine.

 

This makes the most sense to me.

Gary

 

I always thought of the 348 as modern. The 328 had a tubular steel frame (like the Maserati Birdcages) while the 348 had a space frame like most modern cars.

 

Rob pointed out the current set-up is FCA class spec. Smart.
bob348 answered Mitch Alsup's question with an economy of words.
I also like Brian's very apt description of the differences between "cultures" of Concorso, Street and Track. I had those thoughts in mind as well prior to posting the alternative, as I reflected upon the qv500 index and how it relates to F-Chat.

Simply, the word sire springs to mind. Just as it can be "argued" that Dino is an ancestor of the 360, not all that long ago, 348 sired 355. Same goes for modern GT's as they too, develop, though Vintage should be separate from what are definitely modern permutations of the Ferrari front-engined lineup.

A fan/owner of a 3X8 is likely a high % fan/future owner of a 355 or 360, and so on, regardless of purpose or block, tipo, etc.. By the same token, it can be "argued" that many a 355 or 360 owner can pass knowledge to those about 3X8's they owned in the past, perhaps still own in addition to their more modern ride. Everybody scratches each other's back without taking leave of the forum to answer a question you can speak from experience about in another forum & so forth. But all the forums are easy to find. That's half the game.

V-6 & 8's are common to mid-engined Sporty/Playboy versions of Ferrari's and I think it's wise to mix the appreciation of these Concorso, Street and Track beasts, caretakers and fans. In this way, different strokes for different folks comes full circle. Otherwise, until the time comes when 355, 360, 420 and it's followup comes, thus creating a 6th category, (if there is expansion from 3 to 5 Forums) this seems to make the most sense for those in this Information Age. When all is said and done, the basic idea of F-Chat is to weave common threads and keep everybody informed and interested.

 

Everyone here has brought up good ideas about how the different models should be classified and I think all suggestions have been supported by good arguments. While I don't really care which class the 348 line is thrust into, I do believe the 348 and F355 should be placed in the same catagory.

The reason I'm suggesting the two cars be grouped together is that they are both built on the same basic platform and share many components (I am constantly checking F355 threads because many of them pertain to my 348). Yes, there were many changes and improvements on the F355 line, however
the basic shape and structure of the car was unchanged.

Twenty years ago, every magazine stated how the then "new" 328 series Ferrari was such a totally different car than its predecessor (body, engine, interior, etc.[sound familiar?]). But all improvements aside, the 328's weren't really anything more than a modernized 308 (sorry Rob). I don't mean that in a bad way. I'm just saying that the 328's and F355's weren't drawn up on clean sheets of paper, they were simply improved versions of the current model line.

If the cars were created with the same tooling process, then I think they should be grouped together, IMHO, because of all the similarities they share (246---->gt4---->308/328---->348/355---->360).

O.K....I'm off my soapbox now.