1999 - 2004 Ferrari 360 Pre-Owned

When it comes to sports cars, there is no name that is uttered with more reverence and respect than Ferrari. Considered by most to be the pinnacle of motoring excellence, the various works that have left the quiet town of Maranello have routinely left the world stunned. From Ferraris first road-going car, the 1947 125 S, to the immortal 250 GTO and the modern day Enzo, each and every generation of Ferrari has been faster, more precise, and better engineered than the one before it.

So, when the much loved entry level F355 bowed in 1998, the motoring world held its collective breath as Ferrari unveiled its replacement; the 360 Modena. In similar style to its predecessor and all V8 Ferraris since the immortal 308, the 360 put the driver in front of a midship-mounted V8 measuring 3.6L (hence the 360 designation) and producing 395 to 400 horsepower. While not the awe-inspiring figure produced by its larger V12-powered brother, the 550 Maranello, the little 360s real strength lay not in its brawn but rather in its poise.

If the Maranello was a boxer (not in engine configuration, mind you), the Modena was a ballerina. With the engine mounted in the middle, the 360 was granted better balance than the front-engined 550, and being the first Ferrari constructed entirely of aluminum, the 360 was both equally and lightly balanced on its four tires. The aluminum chassis was the stiffest of any car in the world at the time, and it quickly and deservedly earned a reputation for being almost telepathic in its handling.

Responding to the merest twitch of the steering wheel to round corners perfectly, the 360 provided the driver with perfect linear control of the power being meted out to the back tires and steering so communicative it may as well have had a megaphone. It made anyone look like a hero, with a dead-flat cornering attitude and a friendly, predictable nature that was an instant hit with those owners who made weekly visits to the track.

At less spirited speeds the 360 was equally impressive, with the computer controlled suspension flicked into normal mode and automatically dialing down the damping to a much more reasonable level for increased comfort. Filling the huge shoes of the civil F355 posed no problem for the 360, which boasted even more interior room than the outgoing model. With plenty of room for two and even storage for a pair of bags behind the seats, the 360s driving position is perfect, and with such un-supercar-like amenities as power windows, locks and even air conditioning, the leather-swathed 360 cockpit is almost luxurious. However, it isnt without faults.

While the F355s notoriously wide sills are gone, the low-slung 360 still requires some muscle to get into, and the seats large side bolters do as good a job of keeping you out of the seat as they do at keeping you in. As a result, the leather on the bolsters is usually first to wear due to repeated body checks as owners swing themselves in and out. Likewise, the pedal box is slightly offset (arent all Italian cars though?) and those looking for true practicality will bemoan the stereos poor reception and unintelligible controls as well as the cars lack of cup holders; but seriously, this is a Ferrari: you should have both hands on the wheel and be reveling in every exhaust pulse that rolls out of the quad pipes, not fiddling for the local Top 40 station.

Otherwise, the interior is befitting a car with the Ferraris price tag. With aluminum and leather being the most populous material in the cabin, those controls that simply had to be made of plastic are still of a superior quality, feeling heavy to the touch, finely made, and requiring a positive action to manipulate. Those problematic and probably well-worn seat bolsters are manually adjustable for width, as is the leather chairs lumbar supports, and settling into the one behind the thick, race-car inspired steering wheel adorned with the famous Cavallino Rampante is an experience to be savored.

Fingering the ignition button rewards with a few whirs of the starter motor before the F1-inspired 3.6L V8 bursts to life before settling into a strange offbeat idle that couldnt be further from the sonorous cry of the marques V12s. The by-product of the F1-style flat plane crank and accompanying firing order, the odd idle gives an early indication of the engines performance.

Backed by either a traditional gated six speed manual transmission or Ferraris now-famous electro-hydraulic F1 manumatic, driving the 360 is far from the chore previous Ferraris were. While the traditional manual transmission will be the choice for purists looking for the ultimate in control, the F1 transmission was the most popular, with over 60 percent of 360 buyers opting for the sequential gearbox thanks to its ease of use and ultimately quick shift intervals.

Providing any driver with split-second shifts at the twitch of a finger, the paddle-actuated transmission provides the driver with four different shift programs: normal, sport, automatic and low grip. Changing the clutchs engagement rate and thusly shifting firmness and speed, each mode is dramatically different, with normal providing smooth, positive shifts and sport exchanging subtlety for efficiency, engaging the clutch as quickly as possible for millisecond-fast gear changes. Placing the switch into sport mode and planting the pedal causes a myriad of reactions; the exhaust note goes from off-beat howl to relentless scream as the 10,000 rpm tachometer breasts 4/10th of its scale, neck muscles strain, hydraulic actuators in the transmission plug in second gear with almost brutal speed, and in mere 4.3 seconds the speedometer registers 60 mph, then 100 mph 4.7 seconds later before finally resting at the 360 Modenas top speed of 185 mph.

For those looking for a slightly less aggressive motoring experience, more enjoyable to some, Ferrari produced a drop top version of the 360 which was called, in Italian tradition, the 360 Spider. Joining the hardtop Modena shortly after the Modenas 1999 debut, the Spider did without many of the tuning changes other companies make when they lop the roof off one of their cars. The suspension was not softer, the engine no less visceral.

In fact, the sensation of all those precision pieces working as one was amplified by the lack of insulation between the occupants, the wind rushing past, the tires scrambling for traction and of course the V8s exquisite induction system and exhaust note. Weighing slightly more than the Modena though, the 132 pound heavier car accelerated a tad slower, with 0-60 mph times usually lagging one tenth of a second behind the Modenas. Also, the heavy automatic top changed the 360s rearward-biased weight balance from 43 percent front, 57 percent rear to 42 percent front 58 percent rear. While that, combined with the added weight could make one believe that the coupe was the purer sports car, the Spiders lack of roof immerses one in the driving experience more fully, swinging the pendulum back the other way.

On that note, those looking for the purest sports car experience to be had aboard a V8-powered Ferrari needed to look no further than the 360 Challenge Stradale. Introduced late in the models life-cycle (2003), the 360 CS continued Ferraris tradition of race-ready road cars along the same vein as the F40.

Sporting a slightly more aerodynamic body that included such racey bits as carbon fibre mirrors, the real secret to the Stradale lay beneath the voluptuous body. Thoroughly lightened, the aluminum chassis saw a retuned suspension, improved brakes, and an upgraded engine that pumped out 425 horsepower. Available only with the F1 transmission, the Challenge Stradale traded the 360 Modenas comfort for all-out performance, with less insulation and raw carbon fibre in place of the stock cars leather and aluminum. The result is a car that weighed 463 pounds less than the Modena and exploded to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds. However, the CS improvements werent limited to straight line performance. Those aforementioned suspension and brake improvements made it an even more precise handler, as one would expect from a car bred specifically for road racing.

So, what are these cars like when buying secondhand? Well, as one of Ferraris most popular models ever produced the 360 is one of the more plentiful Prancing Horses to be had, which is similar to saying its the most popular needle in the haystack. Not likely to be found in your local paper, theyre best sourced through those thick, heavy, glossy magazines that are like Sears catalogues for the filthy rich. Thanks to its popularity the 360 hasnt gone down much in value, in fact some are selling for more than the original asking price, which isnt unheard of with any Ferrari.

As far as problems go, well, Ferrari figures approximately 10 percent of a 360s life is spent on a track, which in reality is probably a fairly liberal guess. However, while that number is probably far lower, you can expect most 360s to have been driven hard at some point, but that isnt the same problem it used to be; new Ferraris have come a long way towards dispelling the classic Italian sports car belief that theyre in constant need of maintenance or repair. That said, while they are certainly more resilient beasts than they used to be, proper maintenance is still critically important, and checking up to make sure any potential buy has been through its maintenance schedule at the proper intervals is imperative. Any problem should be treated as a big one, being that parts for these cars do not come cheap, and nor does the labor to replace them.

Still, the 360 is one of the most reliable Ferraris ever made, so it should provide good service as long as you drive it regularly. No doubt, youll be able to find an excuse to go and do that, if one is parked in your garage.