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New Delhi: Every now and then, a brand will find the perfect symmetry in terms of designing, the perfect engineering aspect that will make it a critic’s favourite car. In this edition of Supercar Sunday, we are going to look at one such car that has been deemed by many, including the motoring expert Jeremy Clarkson, as one of the finest cars ever made: a Ferrari that changed the Maranello-based brand's direction forever.
The Ferrari F355 Berlinetta was unveiled at the 1994 Geneva Motor Show and remained in production until 1999. In many ways, it was a refreshed look at the previous Ferrari 348. As an entry-level supercar, the F355 followed the likes of the 308, 328, and 348 as a more affordable option for the V12 models. Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo wanted something really out there and exciting.
The result was that it was a performance benchmark back in the day, and upon release, it soon became a popular, in-demand Ferrari, which even critics favoured. A 25 per cent increase in power, it wasn’t just any other Ferrari for the name, but flamboyant in every way that could be thought of.
The Ferrari F355 came with a mid-engine 3.5-litre Dino V8 engine with a flat-plane crankshaft, five valves per cylinder and titanium connecting rods. It had a torque of 363 Nm at 6000 rpm and was paired with a six-speed gearbox with a silver steel gated shift or an F1-style automated manual gearbox, and buyers could also specify the Fiorano chassis upgrade package for sharper handling as well.
A Bosch fuel injection and titanium con-rods could help it to 8500 rpm, and the real astounding aspect was the five-valve cylinder heads, three valves on the intake side. It could do a 0-100 kph in just 4.7 seconds and had a top speed of 295 kph, and was held by a full-body undertray in order to equalise downforce between the front and rear axles. The power needed to come with double wishbone suspension and ABS braking like before, and a more user-friendly power steering, along with gas-filled electronic dampers, which the driver could switch from Comfort to Sport.
For the exterior, Pininfarina went for a very evolutionary approach and came up with “Flying buttress” roof pillars that flow elegantly into the vented engine cover, along with a strong beltline that visually splits the F355 Berlinetta into two, in essence, right above the 18-inch magnesium wheels.
The F355 was a return to a more classical style with elegant twin air inlets in the flanks, along with quad tailights quite like the 308, the brand’s original V8.
On the inside, it was quite spacious as well, although if we are being honest, the cabin was laid out in favour of the driver in every way possible. It had Connolly leather seats set low on the floor or composite racing seats that were options. It got cowled instruments and gear shifts through a steel lever topped with an alloy ball.
So why was the Ferrari favoured by so many? Well, for starters, it wasn’t pretending to be something else. It was a track car, made not for comfort but mostly for performance and boy did it deliver in the heydays.
