I still remember the very first time I saw one in the metal. I was on a school bus on a gloomy morning and a brand new F355 Spider in Rosso Corsa was parked right outside the Repulse Bay residential unit of one of the students we were picking up. Such was the impact these older Ferrari’s had, you remember exactly where you saw your first and what you were doing at the time. I can’t say the same for the latest models…
To be fair, the F355 had an extra flare to it when it first arrived, it was really the talk of town. I am not sure why though. Yes, it came after the relatively unpopular 348, and yes, its design was curvier than its more angular predecessors, but ultimately its design language was largely in line with the 348 GTB, with pop up headlights, steel construct, etc. Whatever it was, the F355 was globally captivating when it was released. In Hollywood, no one can forget Nicholas Cage progressively destroying one in a car chase with Sean Connery in a Hummer H1 through the streets of San Francisco in The Rock (the yellow F355 Spider ultimately met its complete demise by being crashed into a tramp on fire). For the much younger crowd, there was the “more than you can afford, pal” black F355 spider in the original Fast & Furious that lost a drag race to Paul Walker’s Supra. And who can forget the F355 GTS in James Bond’s Goldeneye?
For me, however, it would have to be watching Charles Kwan win the 1996 Macau Grand Prix Supercar Cup in his Mandarina Duck F355 Berlinetta. To see the brand new Ferrari in its full racing livery thundering through the corners of the legendary Macau racetrack was simply incredible. There is something about seeing a modified street Ferrari gunning through a race (in those days full factory race cars were less common for the Supercar Cup), seeing the frontend lift dramatically at every corner exit, followed by heavy braking with the front bumper almost scrapping the ground into the next corner, and all the body rolls in between.
Of course, when Ferrari released the F355 in 1995, it wasn’t just about the looks. Ferrari had to make something extra special after the (sometimes unfair) negative reviews of the 348. As such, the power unit was increased to 3.5 litre and most importantly, for the first time in the V8 line up, Ferrari went from 4-valves per cylinder to 5-valves per cylinder; hence the model designation 355 (3.5 litre and 5-valves). Lighter pistons and crank not only increased its power from the 348’s 320HP to 375HP, but also allowed the engine to rev to 8,500rpm for the first time, thereby starting the high-revving distinct character of V8 Ferrari’s. Most importantly, the F355 was the first ever car where Ferrari introduced its F1 transmission – a technology directly derived from its Formula 1 race cars as the name suggests.
The F1 transmission system is essentially a traditional manual system but with the clutch automated (hence only 2 pedals). While Ferrari had attempted something similar before with the Valeo clutch in the Mondial, the F1 transmission was really the first of its kind sophisticated enough to be mass produced. It lasted for three V8 generations before it was replaced by the dual clutch F1 system in the 458 Italia. Of course, today everyone prefers the manual version, as reflected in the price difference between a 355 F1 and a F355 manual, but one must not forget the impact the F1 transmission made back in 1995. It was THE transmission to have.
The car we have today is a F1 Berlinetta (i.e. hardtop coupe). I was actually rather excited to try an F1 version instead of the manual, as I have always wondered how the first ever generation F1 transmission was like. Sitting in the car, it doesn’t feel too different from the 348 GTB we reviewed earlier, both are clearly cars from the 90’s.
Setting off, the transmission feels normal and sophisticated enough, not too different from the 360 F1 that I have tried and the F430 F1 that I have owned. Out in the open and stepping on it, the 8,500rpm redline really distinguishes itself from earlier models. The engine, for the first time, sings. It is a weird feeling; whereas the general feel and touch of the car closely links to the 348 GTB, the engine note and behavior is closer to the 360 Modena, making it a little bit of a hybrid model. When on full throttle, the engine note is truly intoxicating – many have commented that the F355 has the best engine sound out of the entire Ferrari V8 line up, and I tend to agree with that. However, the speed of the car is not particularly impressive, even for 90’s standard. Even though the engine sings beautifully, it does not feel particularly fast or dramatically faster than the 348 GTB. The 360 Modena and F430 that came after were clearly in an entirely different league.
On the F1 transmission, while as expected the gearshift times are slower than the models that came after it, it was reasonably quick. It does not feel like an unsophisticated system when on the move. However, you can feel its primitive technology when in less straightforward situations, such as entering roundabouts, where the driver may not be fully determined to stop nor to set off. That is when the clutch hesitates and could not decide whether it wants to engage or disengage, causing delays and knocks. In that sense, I am not sure the 355 F1 can be as good a daily driver as its manual counterpart.
Regardless, none of these really matter, as buyers of the 355 today are not buying the car for its straight line speed or gearshift times, but for the nostalgic feeling that the car inspires and its timeless design. For potential buyers looking to buy a F355, do be reminded that it is one of the higher maintenance classic Ferrari V8. Engine-out is largely required for belt changes, its manifolds are prone to cracking, and as its chassis is made of steel, rust can be a problem. Other than that, the car is clearly a joy to own as the owner of ‘our’ car today has owned it for more than ten years with no plans to sell at all. I thank the owner for letting us review his pride and joy and of course, as always, my team for helping with the shoot!
Alex W. (http://www.taipanmedia.com)
Dave (Email: david@lemonadeandgiggles.com)
Alex C.: (IG: @nofishshark)
Berton: (IG: @bertonchangphoto)
Martin: (IG: @visualspassport)
Cord: (IG: @cord_k)
Please see our review video here: