Words by Dionysis Nanos
Ferrari. One word, one man, one company and many many many things to say about what is arguably one of the most successful, if not the most successful, supercar maker and one of the most recognizable brands out there in general. So naturally, trying to narrow down the most important car Ferrari ever made would be impossible, as it would be something like narrowing down which hand you want the most. Yes, you might be right handed but it’s not like your left hand is only there to look good. But with Ferrari it’s a different story. We think the most important one is the car most of us saw in Goldeneye racing the DB5 on the hills above Monte Carlo or chasing a Hummer H1 through the streets of San Francisco in The Rock. Yes, you’ve guessed it, it’s the 355 and it’s not just the movies that made it important, because to understand the significance of the 355 you have to look at what Ferrari was making up until the 355’s launch and well… Ferrari was still stubbornly stuck in the 80s.
In 1994, Ferrari was still offering the Testarossa, which by that time was dying its hair and having botox to hide its age, by becoming the 512TR in 1992 and the 512M in 1994. Granted the engine was still a masterpiece and the styling is nothing short of iconic but back in the mid 90s it was just too old fashioned. And the same went for the 348, a car not many people liked then and still don’t now, if the current used prices are anything to go by, as it was just that other, not-A-Testarossa Ferrari. Speaking of other Ferraris, the Mondial was still being sold in 1994, just before the 355 was launched, serving one and only purpose, that of reminding people to work more so they can buy a proper Ferrari (even if the Mondial makes for a great buy now… article coming soon on that). Basically, with the exception of the 456, which was released in 1992, everything else Ferrari was making was first unveiled when Enzo himself was still alive, and Enzo had died in 1988… not fresh to say the least. Enter the F355.
Simple, timeless, elegant…
Now before keyboard warriors come after me, yes I know that the 355 was just a heavy redesign of the 348, but saying they’re the same cars would be like saying Danny Trejo and Natalie Portman are the same because they have the same hair color. First the engine. The 355 had a 3.5 litre V8 that wasn’t only larger than the 348’s 3.4 V8, but also made more power, courtesy of five valves per cylinder, something which was truly innovative back in the day. Then you also had the rest of the car. The 355 came fitted with power steering and adjustable dampers so low speed driving didn’t feel like battling the whole Roman army, while the interior was more spacious and better made compared to the 348. In short, it wasn’t just a better 348. It was a better car, period. But it also had a nice list of racy goodies too, like a dry sump, independent wishbones and a steel monocoque with a tubular steel space frame which also meant that the car could handle as nicely as it looked.
All this technical babble meant two things. One, the 355 had a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 183 mph or 286 km/h and two, it was the best handling car in the world. So good, automotive demigod Jeremy Clarkson bought one after he drove a 355 on a test drive. It even had its own racing series, the Ferrari Challenge series which consisted of track ready 355s. But this car's biggest achievement isn't the racing pedigree or even the fact that it was the first of the modern Ferraris with cars like the 550 Maranello arriving in 1996 and the satanic F50 in 1995. The biggest achievement of this car was that with its many sales (11273 to be specific) it helped secure the future of Ferrari, eventually being replaced with the 360 in 1999; a car that was better than the 355 in every way but wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for its predecessor.
The 355’s V8 or the petrolhead’s equivalent of a sculpture
So while the 355 didn’t have the longest of production runs it was the car that gave birth to the new Ferrari. It was the first new Ferrari and the car that set the pace for other prancing horses like the 430 and the 458. So from every petrolhead thank you F355. You’ve allowed Ferrari to progress and you’ll be remembered as one of the greats…. even if you need an engine out service for a time belt change…