Ferrari F355

Photo: Alexander-93 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Production1994–1999

EngineV8

Top speed295 km/h

Units built11373

The F355 arrived in 1994 as a heavily revised 348, with the primary goals of greater performance and improved everyday usability, even in slow city traffic. At its core lies a 3495 cm³ V8 with five valves per cylinder, producing 380 PS at 8250 rpm; titanium connecting rods keep weight to a minimum. It was unveiled in Geneva in March 1994. The motoring press praised its performance, handling, and driving position, but faulted the tight cabin, poor low-speed ride comfort, and awkward entry.

Summarized from the sources cited below; every figure in the text was automatically verified against the sources.

Good to know

The number 355 denotes 3.5 liters of displacement and 5 valves per cylinder; earlier Ferrari naming schemes combined total displacement and cylinder count.
The F355 was the final mid-engine Ferrari to feature the flying buttress rear window design, which traced back to the Dino 206 GT of 1965.
The seats are positioned asymmetrically, placing the driver slightly closer to the car's centerline than the passenger.
More than 1300 hours were spent in the wind tunnel perfecting the aerodynamics.

Learn moreThe five-valve V8 · Transmission and chassis · Model range

The five-valve V8

Displacement grew from 3405 cm³ in the 348 to 3495 cm³, as the stroke was lengthened by 2 mm to 77 mm. The five-valve head improved gas flow and made the engine considerably more powerful; 363 Nm is delivered at 6000 rpm. The connecting rods are forged from Ti6-Al-4V titanium alloy, and the compression ratio is 11:1. The engine management was Bosch Motronic 2.7 in 1995 and switched to M5.2 in 1996. The engine was designed by Paolo Martinelli.

Transmission and chassis

The F355 resolved the transmission issues of earlier models: a heat exchanger warms the transmission oil more quickly at startup, and a rod linkage replaces the cable system of the 348 for more precise shifting. The chassis rides on double wishbones, and the driver can select between "Comfort" and "Sport" damper modes. Tires measure 225/40 ZR 18 at the front and 265/40 ZR 18 at the rear. Unassisted steering was available by special order.

Model range

At launch, only the Berlinetta was available. The Spider and GTS (with targa top) arrived in 1995. Beginning in 1997, an electrohydraulic paddle-shift gearbox inspired by Formula 1 was offered; cars so equipped were named 355 F1. The seats are trimmed in Connolly leather. The F355 was not merely an update of the 348, but largely a new car; it differs little mechanically from its successor, the 360 Modena, which is why their performance figures are so similar.

Summarized from the cited sources; every figure was automatically verified against the sources.