The F355 does exactly what you tell it to do. The super-sharp – if rather light – steering, massive ATE brakes with ABS, fat 225 and 265/40 tyres and that perfectly balanced chassis make it all seem very easy. It’s fast reactive, angry, howlingly, road-munchingly fast. But switch the suspension to ‘sports’ mode, allow the rev counter to breach that 5000rpm mark and the car comes on cam properly. The controls are accurate and communicative, the clutch is a bit long of travel yet sensibly weighted, and the manual gearbox is a delight.īecause you sit well forward, with the engine screaming behind you, the Ferrari seems to swivel from your hips, and it feels planted. You can drive a 355 fast and comfortably at normal revs, keeping the engine below around 5000rpm, with the adjustable suspension in ‘comfort’ mode. Climb over the wide sill and you find yourself seated low with feet slightly offset, but visibility is fine and, when the V8 starts, the sound is intoxicating at the steady yet busy idle. The Ferrari has a beautifully restrained interior too, and it just fits. Used Range Rover Sport (Mk2, 2013-2022) review.Used Honda CR-V (Mk5, 2019-date) review. Used Dacia Duster (Mk2, 2018-date) review.Used Bentley Continental GT (Mk3, 2018-date) review.Used Aston Martin DB9 (2004-2016) review.New AC Cobra 378 Superblower 2021 review.Used MINI Coupe and Roadster (Mk1, 2011-2015) review.Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor: long-term test review.MG4 Trophy Long Range: long-term test review.Mazda CX-5 diesel: long-term test review.Mazda CX-60 PHEV: long-term test review.Jaguar F-Pace PHEV: long-term test review.DS 4 E-Tense 225: long-term test review.BYD Atto 3 Design: long-term test review.Audi RS and performance mega test: historic Audi sports cars head-to-head.Audi TTS vs Alpine A110 vs Porsche 718 Cayman. BMW M2 CS vs Porsche 718 Cayman GTS vs Alpine A110 S.Alpina XD3 Biturbo vs Porsche Macan S Diesel.Alfa Romeo Tonale vs Volvo XC40: 2023 twin test review.It’s also widely considered to be the last of the traditionally beautiful Ferraris, and although styling is largely subjective, any petrol head would be hard to argue against the 355’s slender, delicate Pininfarina styling. With a 0-60mph sprint time of 4.6 seconds and a top speed only a gnat’s shy of 180mph, the 355 is a searingly fast sports car. The mid-mounted, dry-sumped, flat-plane V8 borrowed the then-latest Formula 1 technology, featuring five valves (three inlet, two exhausts) per cylinder and producing 380bhp at a screaming 8250rpm, which equates to 109bhp per litre – and that was the highest specific output for a naturally aspirated car at the time. In a post- Honda NSX world, sports cars could no longer afford to be the unreliable or cumbersome to drive, and while the F355 might have been an evolution of the 348, it was a game-changing proposition from Ferrari. When it went on sale in 1994, the F355 had the interesting task of moving Ferrari forward as a serious volume manufacturer. The 355 replaced the rather lacklustre 348 and was a distinct improvement in both looks and dynamic ability. Let’s just go straight to it: the Ferrari F355 is one of the best cars ever to have come out of Maranello.
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