One of the most iconic cars of the 1990s, the F355 Berlinetta gathered universal praise from the press and public alike
British motoring expert Jeremy Clarkson could rival even Enzo Ferrari as a tough customer, so when the Grand Tour star described Ferrari’s new F355 Berlinetta as ‘the greatest car… In the world… Ever!’ in 1996, everyone knew it was something very special indeed.
Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1994 and sold through to 1999, the F355 Berlinetta is – in the simplest terms – a thorough refresh of the previous Ferrari 348.
Watch an exclusive video recounting the huge effect the F355 Berlinetta had on the automotive world on its release in 1994
Yet that is to underplay the rigorous development programme instigated by Maranello’s engineers, who prodded, poked and generally stretched the V8 supercar in opposing directions. The result was a far more complete machine compared with its already impressive forbear.
Technology transfer from Formula 1 injected extra energy into the two seater’s performance and handling, while the F355 Berlinetta was simultaneously safer, more comfortable and easier to use whether owners were charging up the Col de Turini or cruising through Turin.
If there was revolution beneath the skin, Pininfarina favoured a more evolutionary approach for the exterior design. ‘Flying buttress’ roof pillars flow elegantly into a vented engine cover, while a strong beltline visually splits the F355 Berlinetta in two at the top of its 18-inch magnesium wheels, as though the upper and lower body could be separated like a croupier might split a deck of cards.
The F355 Berlinetta was powerful and quick, with a 3.5 litre Dino V8 putting out 380cv and sending the car to 100kmh in just 4.7 seconds
But where the 348’s dramatic side strakes and slatted rear lights reference the ’80s excess of the Testarossa, the F355 Berlinetta returns to a more classical style with elegant twin air inlets in the flanks and quad taillights much like the 308, Ferrari’s original mid-engined V8.
Step over its wide sill and the F355 Berlinetta is surprisingly spacious inside for a supercar that measures just 4250mm from nose-to-tail and stands only 1170mm tall, but this is very much a driver-centric cabin – Connolly leather seats are set low on the floor (composite racing seats were optional), cowled instruments are crisp as a pin-sharp photo and gears shifts are via a steel lever topped with a tactile alloy ball.
Beneath the bodywork, a steel semi-monocoque provides the core of the structure, with a tubular subframe cradling suspension at the front and powertrain at the rear.
And what a powertrain it is. The 3.5-litre Dino V8 engine features a flat-plane crankshaft, Bosch fuel injection and titanium con-rods to help it soar to 8500rpm, but the real innovation lies with the introduction of five-valve cylinder heads – three valves on the intake side, two for exhaust gasses.
Inside the F355 Berlinetta the focus was squarely on the driver, although the car was unusually spacious. A silver steel shifter made for satisfyingly snappy gear changes
Ferrari was so proud of this new F1-inspired solution that the F355 Berlinetta’s model name unusually combines engine displacement with the number of valves per cylinder.
Wound out to 8250rpm, the engine yields 380hp and a staggering 109hp-per-litre, with zero to 62mph flashing by in just 4.7 seconds. Ultimate potential of 184mph (295km/h) is calmed by a full-body undertray to equalise downforce between front and rear axles.
This is exploitable power too, tamed not only with dextrous double-wishbone suspension and ABS braking as before, but also more user-friendly power steering and gas-filled electronic dampers that the driver can flick from Comfort to Sport.
The Pininfarina-designed chassis featured twin air-inlets down the side and quad taillights at the year for a classic Ferrari look
Buyers wanting the full racing experience could specify a Fiorano chassis upgrade package for still sharper handling, and a cutting-edge F1-style gearbox was available from 1997. It was Ferrari’s first semi-automatic gearbox and one that transferred expertise from the F1-89 Formula 1 car for either snappy manual shifts via the paddleshifters or the convenience of a full automatic transmission. Either way, the driver’s hands could always be on the wheel.
The choice of gearbox even changed the car’s name – F355 for manual models, 355 F1 for semi-automatics.
When he first drove the F355 Berlinetta, Clarkson remarked that he couldn’t think of a single way to make it better, and even revisiting it a year on he still couldn’t, summing up that ‘it is just unbelievable, absolutely unbelievably good’.
Approaching three decades since the car’s launch, those words still ring true, but there’s wider context that Clarkson couldn’t have appreciated at the time– the F355 Berlinetta’s extraordinary bandwidth ensured every future Ferrari would be awesomely rounded. So the F355 Berlinetta’s not just important. Some say it’s the most significant car in Ferrari’s entire history. Ever.