We’ve been on a small BOTW sabbatical recently but now the summer is pretty much here, we thought we’d kick it off with something a little bit special. We’ve already had one Ferrari grace our virtual forecourt in the shape of a Mondial but now we’ve chosen another, purely because it is one of the most desirable, and now almost affordable Ferrari’s in the last twenty years.
Whilst most might consider a £30-grand Nissan 370Z, BMW Z4 or even a Porsche 911 as the pinnacle of car ownership, just imagine being able to actually own a Ferrari. Not just a Mondial or a very tasty 328, but the timeless 355. For some, this is the most beautiful modern Ferrari ever made.
It’s hard to believe that the 355 was launched back in 1994 and although Ferrari had enormous success with the Berlinetta, the 355 Spider was something extra special giving you access to its incredible noise on full chat with the roof down. I should know. I was extremely fortunate enough to own one.
Its V8 engine became the first road-going Ferrari to have bypass valves built into the exhaust system letting pretty much all of its thunder explode into an “eargasm” over 3500 rpm, making any petrol head shiver with awe. It also became the first road-going Ferrari to have the company’s F1-inspired paddle-lever, semi-automatic gearbox system which Top Gears’ Jeremy Clarkson tagged as ‘flappy paddles’.
It may have been one of the first of its kind, but Ferrari led the way with pretty much every car manufacturer following suit over the years. Ferrari produced over 11,000 355’s, a record still not broken by the company today for a single production model. It stood for so much and so many wanted to own one. Sixteen years on, and a large proportion of you now can.
It set so many benchmarks that the 355 needs to be recognised as one of the most inspirational cars in the last twenty years. And as summer approaches the 355 Spider is a car you need. Hey we know times are hard but seeing a car like this within touching distance is certainly tantalising. Unfortunately Ferrari do not make a camper van which is a shame because you just might be able to justify selling your hose to get one!
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