The F355 is in many ways the definitive Maranello supercar, combining an intense high revving V8, perfectly poised handling with an elegantly understated styling which has stood the test of time. it’s a far cry from the contemporary supercar, it’s analogue without being brutish, quick enough to deliver real feel without being unmanageable. In short, it has all the right ingredients of a true classic.

The origins of the F355 GTB are now well entrenched in Ferrari lore, legend has it that the 348 was a terrible car but Ferrari was saved by the F355 GTB. The reality is of course more nuanced, the 348 (at least a late GTB) was not so bad, but it was suddenly completely outclassed by new competitors, not least the NSX! In comparison the 348 wasn’t very fast or particularly enjoyable and Ferrari under Luca di Montezemolo needed an answer.

The F355 was the response to the changing times and was actually a very extensive evolution of the late 348. Stylistically it was somewhat of a return to form, a reset which took Ferrari away from the brutality of its 80’s design language and made Ferrari just plain beautiful again!

At the heart of this car is the engine. The 3.5 litre V8 has 5-valves per cylinder head, inspired by its contemporary F1 programme. Thanks to this innovation the rev limit could be raised to 8,500 rpm and produced 375 bhp. For context in 1994 the F355 engine produced more hp per litre of any naturally aspirated engine in the world … including the McLaren F1. At normal speeds the engine doesn’t feel that remarkable but at 5,000 rpm it comes alive producing in the process one of the best engine notes of any road car.

Around 3,800 6-speed manual transmission GTB’s were produced for all markets, not such an enormous production in the context of modern Ferrari’s and given that these cars all suffered a point in their lives where values fell and they became dangerously affordable, finding a good example today is harder than you might think.