Ferrari turned the excellent 348 into the superb F355. Both in performance and quality, the F355 was the first Ferrari of a new generation. Initially launched as a fixed head Berlinetta in 1994, the F355 line-up eventually consisted of the Berlinetta, a Targa model and a full Spyder. With well over 11000 examples produced when it was replaced in 1999/2000, the F355 is one of the most popular Ferraris ever and set new performance benchmarks in its class, which were a hard act to follow by its competition.Although it was stroked by just 2 mm, the V8 engine in the F355 was quite a departure from the 348's. Incorporated in the two cylinder heads was some state of the art technology that boosted the power by 80 bhp to 380 bhp. Like Ferrari's contemporary F1 racers, the head was equipped with five valves per cylinder; three intake and two exhaust. These valves are operated by two overhead camshafts, which allow for variable valve timing, greatly improving the engine's performance. In 1998 further F1 technology was introduced in the shape of a paddle operated sequential gearbox in the aptly named 'F1' models.Pininfarina smoothed out the 348's design and removed the horizontal louvres on the side intakes. Under the steel/aluminum body, the chassis and suspension were updated, greatly improving the handling, an area where the 348 was not known to excel. The suspension was driver adjustable, with two damper settings available for normal and sporty driving. Five spoke alloy wheels hid the large ventilated Brembo discs, which made sure the F355 stopped as fast as it went.
Engine 90º V 8
Displacement 3.496 liter / 213.3 cu in
Power 380 bhp / 283 KW @ 8250 rpm
Torque 363 Nm / 268 ft lbs @ 6000 rpm
Top Speed 295 km/h / 183 mph
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