1997 Ferrari F355 GTS

The Ferrari F355 is a modern classic, so beautiful, so well-engineered and so well received that it marked the beginning of the end of the old-guard 'Ferraristi' philosophy that the only "real" Ferraris were ones with 12-cylinder engines. The Ferrari F355 Berlinetta and Targa GTS burst onto the world stage in the spring of 1994. It had almost exactly the same dimensions as its predecessor the 348, yet it was virtually a new car, as its stunning coachwork indicated. Many hours of wind tunnel testing influenced the harmonious shape which incorporated an F1 style flat bottom with an air flow channel that generated enough down-force to offset any lift.

The longitudinally mounted 3496cc V8 had a stunning 380 horsepower at a spine-tingling 8,250 rpm. The gearbox now had six speeds with a new type of synchromesh that made it much easier to shift. New electronically adjustable shock absorbers varied their stiffness within milliseconds to suit the road surface. Around Ferrari's 1.86 mile Fiorano test track, the 355 was two seconds a lap faster than the 12-cylinder 512 TR and that level of performance combined with its sensational shape made it a worldwide success story.

This particular F355 GTS was sold new to its first owner, a Ms Julie Kelly, on 6th January 1997 by the Channel Islands Ferrari Distributor, Melbourne Garage in Jersey. One of only 360 manual right-hand drive F355 GTS cars built, this car is finished in Giallo Modena Yellow and has a blue leather interior. The service book shows the following stamps:

Date

Specialist

Mileage

13.3.98

Lancaster Colchester

6,322

22.6.99

JCT 600

11,696

20.7.00

JCT 600

14,629

27.4.01

Lancaster Colchester

16,663

26.4.02

Lancaser Colchester

20,681

8.8.03

Meridien Modena

27,506

14.7.04

Stratstone Manchester

30,344

15.3.06

Graypaul Nottingham

37,081

18.5.07

Graypaul Nottingham

39,744

1.12.08

Graypaul Nottingham

41,763

3.11.11

Stratstone

43,357

6.11.15

S.A. Sullivan Motors Ltd

46,646

The work carried out in November by marque specialist S.A. Sullivan Motors included a full major service, new cambelts and auxiliary belts, a new water pump and a host of other work totalling in excess of £5,500, and since then the car has only travelled a further 287 miles. Supplied with its leather book pack with a full complement of books, toolkit and dustcover, this collectable manual F355 GTS has a V5c and an MoT until 1stJuly 2017. Now showing 46,933 miles, this striking car is a wonderful example of what many consider as one of Pininfarina's finest designs.