“The last of the hand-built Ferraris”. The Ferrari F355 represents more than just a step on the timeline of this great Italian marque, it’s the car that initiated the gearchange from the analogue classics of the 1980s to the modern masterpieces we’ve enjoyed from Ferrari since the turn of the century.
It was built initially as a Berlinetta, but that was later joined by a convertible Spider, and this, the Targa-top GTS, which in years gone by has been identified as the best of both worlds.
With an upgraded five-valve, 3.5-litre V8 engine, the F355 produced 380PS (279kW) at a whopping 8,250rpm, which made it one of the best-sounding Ferraris when it was built, a title it can arguably still claim three decades later.
That engine was mated to a six-speed gated manual, but there was an alternative, a paddle shift ‘F1’ automatic, which by all accounts was still in its early stages of development and never quite matched the quality of the rest of the car.
Forget future classic, the Ferrari F355 is already a hugely sought-after car, and time is quickly running out to get hold of one before prices begin to soar beyond what you might consider reasonable. Ferrari struck gold with this car, and it’s unlikely we’ll ever see anything quite like it again.
Video
Future Classics
Ferrari
F355
GTS