Ferrari 355 Spyder
[CM]
The F355 was a much lighter car [than the 512 TR]. It has power steering, and all the
creature comforts that the NSX has. This car was mostly fun because of it's top
downability. It has 6 speeds which is nice on the highway. Again, exhaust is very pleasant
to hear! Speed was very nice. About equal to the NSX. If there is one car that I would
trade my NSX for, this is it!!
I have had a '94 NSX since August, 1995, and a '95 355 coupe since '96 which I traded
on a 355 spider in June of '97. My advice is to keep them both if you possibly can. They
are entirely different cars for different purposes.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Ferrari. The social aspects are staggering. There are
a lot of nice people who love to share their Ferrari enthusiasm with you. You will meet so
many people at the Ferrari club events and just in general. I founded the Nashville
Ferrari club a few months ago. On some pretty weekends we get together with others with
Ferraris and even a few NSX's and a Countach and do tours of the beautiful countryside in
this area. Our organizational meeting was February 19th at a local country club and we had
thirteen Ferraris parked outside the clubhouse. Later that night we visited a local bar
and restaurant and had almost that many parked curbside in a reserved area.
The Ferrari is not a daily driver. I repeat, not a daily driver. You can keep the NSX
for that. Cruising Beverly Hills in the Ferrari is fun but you can hardly run to the
grocery store or to a movie in it. I kind of have a rule that the Ferrari usually doesn't
leave the house unless it has a passenger. There are other conditions -- pretty weather,
somewhere safe to park it, etc. Of course, there are exceptions to all the foregoing.
The Ferrari is not a car to let a friend borrow. It's too twitchy. Parking and opening
the doors is a nightmare. Right now my girlfriend drives the NSX on a daily basis. That's
only because my 91 Jag convertible is in the shop for an extended ($5,000) visit. I drive
a '95 Lexus LS400 as a daily driver.
I noticed your comment about all the Ferraris being serviced, etc. I think you will be
pleasantly surprised to find that it is adequate in the reliability department. At least
you live near a dealer and don't have to send it to Atlanta $500 each way to have it
serviced. I have finally found a great mechanic here in Nashville but you won't have that
transportation problem.
Ferrari 355 F1
[DH] - March 31, 1998
Do you ever have flashbacks of a memory that you know you will never forget? Maybe that
first babette? The day you made the shot/pass/run/hit/defensive play that won the big
game? The first time you set eyes on your wife/husband (hey, Dagmar might read this, and I
don't want her to kick my ass....)
Tonight, I got to drive a Ferrari F355 with the F1 paddle shifter. It is uh.....shall
we say.....extremely, extremely,extremely impressive.
It sounds absolutely bitching, shrieking at 8500 RPMs. After you slam shifts at
the redline, the "fuzzy logic" kicks in, and your shifts get faster. After
buzzing it at the redline for a bunch of shifts, when you come to a stop sign, you blast
off in 1st gear to redline, shift into 2nd instantly and chirp the tires. Not sure exactly
what the gearing is, but these are some really short gears. Seems like when you shift at
8500 RPMs, you drop to about 6500(maybe even higher??) RPMs and start over again ripping
to 8500 RPMs, then repeat experience over and over again. (note: you must shift at redline
to get those neck jerking, 15/100ths of a second upshift, other wise it shifts slower)
I only drove it for about 20 minutes, buzzed it to about 100 mph or so down some
relatively uncrowded roads. I didn't thrash it handling wise, as I didn't want to even
come close to breaking the rear end loose,. but the owner of the car says it is scary good
at the race track at high speeds due to aerodynamics of the car. My friend buzzed it to
130 mph down the same uncrowded road, and when you have the gas pedal firmly planted to
the floor (no need to lift when shifting) and you blip the paddle at the redline through
the gears, 130 mph comes up FAST, and I mean REAL FAST. He slammed on the brakes at
130 and the car came to a crushing halt... really great brakes.
The car had the special seats, very comfortable, and the 355 Challenge rear grill.
Looks exquisite close up in silver/titanium, or whatever the Italians call that color.
Only thing I didn't like about the car was that it had power steering, I prefer the
non-assisted steering of my 92 NSX.
Comparisons? I have driven a Viper Roadster for about an hour, Lamborgini Diablo for
about 100 miles, 1997 911 TT for 5 miles, and the F355 F1 is WAY more exciting and
desirable.
Compared to the NSX? I would have to say the F355 is way cooler. But is it twice the
price of a new 1998 NSX? Depends on how much credit you have left on your credit cards,
and whether or not you want to retire in comfort or retire poor and penniless on the
streets when you are 65 years old.
Doug "Gotta get that 8500 RPM sound out of my head" Hayashi
P.S. Yo Honda. Before you finalize specifications of the next generation NSX, BUY THE
F355 F1, PARK IT AT MOTEGI, AND MAKE ALL YOUR ENGINEERS ON THE NSX TEAM DRIVE THE F355 F1
EVERYDAY ON THE RACE TRACK TO LET THEM KNOW WHO THE ENEMY IS, AND CRUSH THOSE ITALIAN
BASTARDS. (no racial slur intended, but you know what I mean.... the F355 F1 means WAR AND
WE NSXERs DON'T WANNA LOSE TO THOSE ITALIAN BASTARDS, SO GET MEAN AND SHOW THOSE ITALIANS
WHAT HONDA IS MADE OF) And of course, make it less expensive and more reliable THAN THOSE
ITALIAN SOBs! (again, no racial slur intended, but we gotta say SOMETHING TO LIGHT A FIRE
UNDER YOUR BUTTS TO BEAT THE ITALIANS).
FRAME OF REFERENCE: The Italians are winning.
1992 - NSX=270 hp, 8000 RPM redline. Ferrari 348 = 296 hp, 7700 RPM redline
1998 - NSX=290 hp, 8000 RPM redline. Ferrari 355 = 380 HP, 8500 RPM redline
dougha@microsoft.com
www.nsxfiles.com
92 Red NSX
116,000 miles
RM Exhaust
Comptech Headers
Comptech R&P
Comptech Street/Competition Clutch
Eibach Springs
Koni Adjustibles
K&N
stock 92 wheels with A032R 255x50x16, 225x50x15 for street
stock 92 wheels with BFG R1 255x50x16, 225x50x15 for DRY track events
OMP Seats
Simpson 5 point harness
Dali Racing Harness Bar
Porterfield R4S pads, stock rotors, Motul 600
Alpine Stereo
And yes, the flame decals are still on the car
[PG] - 19 Aug 1998
Everyone's doing test rides in 355's these days. I test drove last weekend and agree
with the comments so far - it just didn't seem that much faster. But it is Ferrari and I
think I've been blinded by the name - the deposit might be paid next week! I can always
sell it and come back into the fold after a couple of years.
Ferrari 355
[BK] - 19 Aug 1998
I used to own a 95 NSX-T, and I'm currently a vintage Ferrari owner. I've driven 355's
(and NSX's and other Ferraris) extensively on the road and on the track. Before I get
flamed for this post, I must say that I loved my NSX and will buy it back someday. In the
meantime, though, I'm completely hooked on Ferraris...I don't dare say one is better than
the other without my Nomex on.
Regarding maintenance and other practical aspects of Ferrari ownership, the Ferrari
will be much more trouble and much more expensive to maintain. The current generation of
Ferraris is much improved in this area, but it still is not Honda. Preventative
maintenance is VITAL. Oil at least as often as prescribed by the factory. Interim and
major services MUST be performed on schedule. A major service (I believe the interval is
every 2 yrs or 15K miles) on the 355 will be about $3-4K at a authorized dealer, maybe $2K
if you have a good independent Ferrari shop. (The major service on the V-12 in my 400i was
$12K...ouch!)
But, in my opinion (and this is just my opinion), the pleasure derived from a 355 is
well worth the pain as you pay the bill.
[KS] - 18 Aug 1998
When I reported on my last test drive, of the Porsche 993, I described what I liked
about it and what I didn’t. What struck me most about it, though, was how different
its overall approach was from that of the NSX, with most of the differences like night and
day. What struck me most about the Ferrari 355 is that it really is quite similar in many
respects to the NSX. Here are my impressions, using the NSX as a basis for comparison.
This 355 is a stock ’95 coupe.
First impression: this sucker is L - O - U - D ! The sound is very different from the
NSX, though. With the NSX, what you hear is the engine. From outside the NSX is very
quiet, though, because the exhaust isn’t all that loud. Whereas with the Ferrari,
most of what you hear is the roar of the exhaust. Sure, it sounds great, but do you REALLY
want everyone (yes, EVERYONE) to get advance warning that you’re coming, and your
neighbors to know when you’re getting home late?
The seating position, and in particular, the relationship of the seat, steering wheel
and pedals, is somewhat tricky. I found a comfortable setting but only when the seat was
moved (forward and aft) to just exactly the right spot; otherwise it was uncomfortable.
The pedals are offset somewhat to the right, although this was fairly easy to adjust to.
The dead pedal is much more definite than in the NSX, much easier to find and get
comfortable in. However, the three operational pedals are very, very close together, so
you have to be very careful in order to be stepping on the one you want.
The ergonomics are generally nowhere near as good as those of the NSX, but at least the
controls were mostly laid out logically. I’m not a big fan of symbols on the
controls, and these were somewhat cryptic, although not as bad as the hieroglyphics of the
993. One thing I absolutely hated is that the speedometer and tachometer are difficult to
tell apart at a glance, because some idiot decided that the tachometer should have
two-digit markings (10, 20, 30, 40, etc) just like the speedometer.
Okay, let’s go for a drive. The famous gated shifter really isn’t all that
difficult to get used to; if you operate it by feel, rather than by sight, it
wouldn’t be any different if it had a shift boot on it. It wasn’t as silky
smooth as the shifter on the NSX or the 993, but it was only slightly clicky, not bigtime
notchy like on some cars. Reverse requires a surprising amount of downward pressure (down
onto the end of the stick) in order to move the shifter into the reverse gate.
Acceleration (you know, what you were waiting to hear about)... The horsepower curve
seemed similar in shape to that of the NSX. If you’re under 3500 rpm, the 355 is a
dog. Woof! But once you start spooling up the revs, you feel some nice power behind you.
However, the power onset doesn’t seem to continue as you approach redline (8500) the
way it does in the NSX. The 355 should be faster than my ’91 NSX, a half second
quicker to 60 according to the magazines (but about the same as a ’97-98 NSX) but it
never felt any quicker at all. Compared with the ’91 NSX, the 355 has 40 percent more
horsepower and about 10 percent more weight, yet it just didn’t SEEM any faster.
I was quite surprised by the steering. I felt it was slightly unresponsive compared
with the NSX. I find that the NSX steering changes direction about as soon as you make the
decision to do so - instant, immediate response. You’ll recall that I thought the 993
really was unresponsive, taking about half a second before turning the wheel would have
any effect at all. The 355 has the same kind of lag as the 993 - maybe not quite as slow
to respond as the 993, but without the instant slot-car feel of the NSX. This was a big
disappointment, as it prevented the 355 from feeling connected to the road.
I didn’t really get on the brakes HARD but from looking at those double-piston
calipers, I can only believe that they are awesome.
So what’s the bottom line here? The 355 is certainly a nice package, but $128,000
is a lot of money. I guess I was expecting the 355 to be a car that would really knock my
socks off, that would be demonstrably better than the NSX. And it just isn’t. The
power doesn’t feel all that different. The steering just isn’t up to NSX
standards. The brakes may be awesome, and that's commendable, but you can get the same
awesome braking performance by putting Comptech’s big Brembo kit onto your NSX for a
fraction of the price difference of the 355. The more I think about it, the best
description I can come up with for the 355 is that it’s an NSX with a $50,000 logo
added onto it. No more "Ferrari lust" for me!
Ferrari F50, F355 F1
[BT], Thu, 06 Aug 1998
While in Greenwich, CT last week I got the opportunity to drive a 1996 Ferrari F-50
down the streets of Western Connecticut. This $695,000 car made one great taxi.
First thing I noticed upon getting into the car was that there is no radio. Good thing,
too. It would need about a 2,000 watt system just to overcome the engine noise. This thing
is loud!
I pulled out onto Route 1, and in what must have been a quarter to half mile, I had the
thing up to 70...screaming as I pushed it into 2nd gear. I took it onto I-95 the fun way:
jumped on the entrance ramp at about 65, lept to just over 100 and entered the freeway. I
punched it and it flew up to 130 in what I would guess is about 4 seconds. Dang fast!
Unbelievabley fast! I don't think it corners as nicely as the NSX, but boy does it scoot!
But loud.
Anybody want to start an Internet company, take it public, make millions and buy a
couple of these?
Oh, yeah, I also drove a new 355 F1 with the paddle shifter. Man is that sweet! I hope
Bill P. buys one soon so I can drive it.
Testarossa
[BK] - 27 Aug 1998
I've driven a few TRs of various vintages on the track and on the street. My
impressions:
1) 86-87 Euro-spec TR, and 87 US spec TR. I drove these on a tight little track with
two straights no longer than a quarter mile. Very big and heavy through the twisties, but
a blast on the straights. The rear end is huge and heavy and snaps into oversteer very
easily without much warning. After driving a nimble little 84 308 Quattrovalvole and a 97
355 on the same track, I felt like I had to wrestle the TR. Very weak brakes. Both TRs
toasted their brakes. It's simply too much car for the stock (early vintage) brakes. The
shifter on one car was very easy to shift, whereas the other was a bear, so I think it was
a problem that was specific to the second car. But then again, there was so much torque
everywhere I could leave it in 2nd or 3rd all the way around without losing too much on my
lap times.
2) 92 512 TR. What an improvement! A far more attractive package, with wheels better
suited for high performance use, more torque, more power across all rpms (400hp peak vs.
375 for the TR), updated exterior and interior, and better brakes (cross drilled, vented,
larger swept area, bigger calipers). Very fast on and off the track (umm...I mean on the
road, not the grass...) Still a big car, but noticeably easier to throw through the
twisties, and much faster overall.
Never had the pleasure of a 512M, but from what I've heard, it's another step up from
the 512TR, though less of a jump than from the mid 80s TR to the 512TR.
My overall impression of the TR series is that it is more of a high performance
super-tourer, not a nimble track race car. For that reason, I'd rather have a 328 or 348
rather than the series 1 TRs, or a 355 over the 512TR/512M. Of course, for the same money,
I could buy my old NSX-T back and install all of the goodies and then....
512 TR
[CM]
The 512TR was very heavy feeling. The non power steering was tough to turn when going
slow, but does well at speed. It doesn't seem too much faster than the NSX, but the
exhaust is like a symphony! The visibility was excellent. I expected it to be horrible,
but was very pleased to find it easy to see out of in all directions. The whole car felt
incredibly solid to me. Suspension was stiff, but not bone jarring.
