This particular Ferrari F355
was a 1995 model, Corsa Rossa (Red), and a hard topped coupe
(which is what the commendatore himself would call a Berlinetta).
The 1995 model year of the F355 was a little bit different
from the rest of the production run in that it was rated with
slightly HIGHER horsepower than the 1996 and later cars. After
1995, the air intake was actually modified to meet tougher
emissions standards by changing from a dual fuel flow meter
set up to a single unit which resulted in the 1996 and later
cars being slightly lower on horsepower due to more restriction
in the intake system.
Of course, although never advertised
or publicized for the obvious sales and marketing reasons. From
what I have read and heard though you can't tell much...unless
you are running a F355 in the Challenge series. The particular
car in question had a decent amount of miles on it for a Ferrari...near
17K. I wanted to mention that fact because I think that this car
is a good example of a used Ferrari that was maintained by an
authorized dealer and ran very strong. Not once during the time
I had the car did I notice any waver in performance or any problems
with over heating...even after running it very hard. The temperature
stayed about as true as my Passat and was just as easy to drive
under NORMAL driving procedures.
The Ferrari F355 was developed
as kind of a replacement and a successor to the 348. Essentially
the F355 was a brand new car based on an already very capable
and beautiful car. Along with an almost all new engine, there
was also a new Six speed transmission, newly revised suspension
and aerodynamic improvements, that in all created a whole new
driving experience compared to the 348. Of course the difference
between the two has to be taken by hear say, this author hasn't
had the chance to put a 348 through it's paces.
Now down to the actual drive. Well,
to begin, when you slide into the smooth conolly hides, you will
notice how easily you fit into the driving position and when you
look around you will notice everything is very easily read and
reached. One of the things that kind of surprised me was that
I could adjust the steering wheel to fit my tastes. Even a BMW
M Coupe doesn't do that! I took a look around and adjusted the
mirrors, and noticed that visibility was VERY good. MUCH better
than the couple of other Ferraris I have been in. Sitting there
with the engine purring I already felt comfortable and confident
that this was going to be a good day. The Clutch requires a little
effort but that is to be expected in a car like this. You can
feel what the transmission is doing very easily, and the clutch
engagement is very friendly (surprisingly). From the get go the
car is very tractable and easy to putt around in, making sure
you don't scrape that expensive chin.
We pulled onto the service road
with little drama and I noticed that the onramp to the highway
was relatively short...which translates to...Big SMILES and increased
heart rates all around!!! When I was clear I rolled up to about
20 miles an hour and prompted Jim to get ready to merge at highway
speed in about 4-5 seconds. With the foot down the F355 jumped
to life. The sound of cams and that F1 shrill echoing off the
concrete highway separators was enough to induce simultaneous
tears of joy and hair to stand on end. We were off, onto the highway
in a red Italian moving piece of art. 70 MPH came and went rather
quickly. And as I reached a small patch of traffic I backed off
and onto the brakes a tad, which very easily and quickly brought
the screaming red head back into a light trot. (If 60mph is a
light trot) Jim was impatient and screamed "Come on let's go,
this thing was made to eat the asphalt" I shared his sentiments
but the presence of other cars on the road and a really strange
and annoying beeping was holding me at a little below the speed
limit. After tooling along with the rest of the crowd I kept hearing
this beeping and wondered what it was...I checked all the gauges
and everything seemed fine. Then I caught a small red light out
of the corner of my eye. This car had a built in K-40 radar. I
think it would have to be an essential addition to any car of
this caliber.
There is no way you can
have a machine like this a drive sedately all the time.
But I do want to point out that the F355 is just as easy
going dawdling through rush hour traffic as any grand
tourer. In fact the ride feels very similar to our 99
Beetle, soaking up bumps and small craters here and there.
Now don't get me wrong...the wrong sized crater (anything
bigger than a hamburger) would be bad news for the 40
series tires. The seats are supportive and comfortable,
and give good thigh support. The driving position is relaxed
yet alert. And checking your blind spots is just as easy
and easier than some family sedans.
This really does seem to be a
daily driver!!! Then just as I saw an open stretch...I came to
my senses..."Hey we are in an F355...what am I doing going 60mph...in
a 70?" I figured I would slow down some more...just so I could
use that blip, match/go power to get back up to a little above
legal limits. So anyway, here we are heading down the highway.
I figured I had better go pick up my wife real quick, she would
definitely appreciate this. So a quick ring from Jim to my wife
and we were headed to my house. Now the street close to home crosses
and major road and has a bit of a dip in to it. We take the beetle
over it pretty slowly (I thought) because there is only about
four inches ground clearance under there. I was well aware of
the F355s exotic profile and how it was very likely to be scratched.
So I took this particular dip a little slower than our beetle.
Then came the reality of the situation...the Ferrari F355 sits
even lower than you THINK. So I hear that distinct horrifying
noise as I took the dip. Ever so slightly that Jim didn't even
notice. I sure did though (But do not fear, nothing was damaged).
Obstacle number two: The slope to the driveway. Well like the
dip I greatly underestimated to angle at which to take this car
into the task at hand. That noise again! After my stomach settled,
I pulled around and came up behind my wife and alerted her to
our presence with the very Ferrari sounding horn.
Toot toot. ^_^ I pulled up
and took her for a quick spin around the block. She was armed
with our bo bo digital camera, and snapped a few. Unfortunately
I had previously set it to MACRO and never changed the Focus
settings back. So the only images we have are a bit blurry.
DOH! So we were pressed to get back to our source, there was
still the Testarossa for the neXtestDrive.
me and Jim popping out
My wife later reported that the
sound echoing between the buildings as we drove away from the
house was something quite awesome. Which was kind of the only
disappointing thing about this whole endeavor. I never got to
hear that shrill as well as those outside the car...but then again...this
is not a complaint. On the next leg of our journey, we were able
to take it through some nice twisty roads to see how it felt.
