Description
Ferrari’s most successful model since the 308, the F355 was always going to be a tough act to follow. Its successor needed to be ground breaking and revolutionary; two words which, without doubt the 360 lived up to. Starting with a clean sheet of paper in designing the 360 Modena, the new car attracted superlatives that put even its illustrious predecessor in the shade.
Just about the only item carried over from the F355 was its glorious V8 engine, enlarged from 3.5 to 3.6 litres for the 360, producing 400bhp. In every other respect the 360 was entirely new, the most striking break with Ferrari tradition being the body’s frontal treatment; gone was the omnipresent oval grille, replaced by two separate intakes set low into the front wings. A larger car than the F355, the 360 owed its radical new shape to the quest for increased downforce, generating four times as much as its predecessor yet achieving the impressively low Cd of 0.33.
There was further innovation beneath the skin: a lighter, stiffer aluminium spaceframe monocoque replacing the old tubular steel arrangement, resulting in a dry weight around 220lbs less than that of the F355. The 360’s on-the-road dynamics constituted a significant advance, its best time around Ferrari’s Fiorano test track being some three seconds faster than the F355’s.
This lovely 360 Spider is finished in Nero Daytona with rare carbon seats in Crema leather, and fitted with the more desirable six speed manual gearbox. The 360 shows 43,000 miles from new, with full service history available, and recent service works. A nice example of one of the best Ferraris of the modern era, and one not to be missed.
