355 to 360
Nov 30, 2011 | 10:24 PM
#51
MrTheBadGuy
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 10,121
Prior to the 360, they made amazing sports cars for enthusiasts. They built cars for drivers, people who cared about how fun the car was to drive, and who appreciated the passion and soul inherent to the designs. They had their shortcomings, but at the end of the day they produced a smile for those who could drive them competently.
With the 360, more importance was put on luxury elements and glitterati-enabling nonsense sold under the guise of being "F1 technology". With the 430, they had almost entirely jumped the shark, and the 458 was the death blow. Now they make video games, not cars.
There was a time when driving a Ferrari was special. Now the experience is little more than a GT-R with lighter steering. Technically, the cars are much more advanced, much faster, much more reliable and comfortable, and so on and so forth. They're also boring, and ugly. If someone had told Enzo what would happen to his company and his cars, he probably would have burnt the factory to the ground himself.
Not to piss on anyone's parade, of course. All of the cars are special in that compared to the average crap you see on the road, they may as well be from another planet. But, I'm a jaded purist, and an engineer, and hence I won't gloss over the shortcomings of a particular model because I have one (I could write a book on stupid things they did with the 355). The CS is a good example of this-- the vast majority of people slobber all over it with very little if any experience driving one in anger.
With the 360, more importance was put on luxury elements and glitterati-enabling nonsense sold under the guise of being "F1 technology". With the 430, they had almost entirely jumped the shark, and the 458 was the death blow. Now they make video games, not cars.
There was a time when driving a Ferrari was special. Now the experience is little more than a GT-R with lighter steering. Technically, the cars are much more advanced, much faster, much more reliable and comfortable, and so on and so forth. They're also boring, and ugly. If someone had told Enzo what would happen to his company and his cars, he probably would have burnt the factory to the ground himself.
Not to piss on anyone's parade, of course. All of the cars are special in that compared to the average crap you see on the road, they may as well be from another planet. But, I'm a jaded purist, and an engineer, and hence I won't gloss over the shortcomings of a particular model because I have one (I could write a book on stupid things they did with the 355). The CS is a good example of this-- the vast majority of people slobber all over it with very little if any experience driving one in anger.
All sports cars have lost that special something as they improve in other ways...as we have more safety requirements, fuel efficiency, traction controls and other technology cars get faster and faster and usually safer.
That's why I have something old and something new, something borrowed and something ....Orange.
Nov 30, 2011 | 10:38 PM
#52
MrTheBadGuy
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 10,121
Guys, there is no need to make this so personal..Both you guys know about these cars as enthusiasts and as owners...There's no reason to put down any model or make so much as to almost ridicule the owner for having the bad taste or lack of knowledge not to agree...ya know?
Dec 1, 2011 | 08:56 AM
#53
Thread Starter
| Teamspeed Pro
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,770
pics for now
car looks brilliant dusty
rims look fine, tires new, interior meticulous before touch, bit of wear on right side of driver seat. nothing else i can make out.
v classic in red, liking the red int so far .. and not really a big deal for me regardless
lets see what it sounds like on, and how it feels at diff speeds.
pulling the file at AD on saturday if all checks out. looking good for the 360 on first impressions
car looks brilliant dusty
rims look fine, tires new, interior meticulous before touch, bit of wear on right side of driver seat. nothing else i can make out.
v classic in red, liking the red int so far .. and not really a big deal for me regardless
lets see what it sounds like on, and how it feels at diff speeds.
pulling the file at AD on saturday if all checks out. looking good for the 360 on first impressions
Dec 1, 2011 | 09:43 AM
#54
Teamspeed Pro
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,839
From: London, formerly LA
Just about lost a mouthful of coffee reading that! 
Simba, i agree with many of Dana's sentiments on your critique on the vehicle - it sounds like you've seen your fair share of problematic 360's but as far as we know you're not running or are in fact associated with an authorized Ferrari Service Centre and appear to be an independent. This is not a criticism, i'm highlighting this as it is feasible that this could account for you seeing some well cared for vehicles along with some horrors that have been mistreated at the hands of owners not wanting to utilise authorised Ferrari service departments prior to the vehicles being seen by you.
I had my 360 Spyder for 18 months and had no major issues as i doubled the mileage from 4200 to around 9000. Not once did i have a light appear on the dash or any issues with the the roof mechanism, the engine or any other parts. Upon it being sold to a dealer the balljoints were replaced, a known weak point on 360's (and many other recent Ferrari's) as they were on the way out. I did have the battery die a few times and successfully jumped it from behind the seat with no ill-effect on the ECU. It was reliable as a whole and i had a very positive experience with the vehicle. It is worth noting that it was a manual, not the archaic F1 system!
Ali,
Check the discs and all parts of the vehicle - the service history is extremely important.
Simba, i agree with many of Dana's sentiments on your critique on the vehicle - it sounds like you've seen your fair share of problematic 360's but as far as we know you're not running or are in fact associated with an authorized Ferrari Service Centre and appear to be an independent. This is not a criticism, i'm highlighting this as it is feasible that this could account for you seeing some well cared for vehicles along with some horrors that have been mistreated at the hands of owners not wanting to utilise authorised Ferrari service departments prior to the vehicles being seen by you.
I had my 360 Spyder for 18 months and had no major issues as i doubled the mileage from 4200 to around 9000. Not once did i have a light appear on the dash or any issues with the the roof mechanism, the engine or any other parts. Upon it being sold to a dealer the balljoints were replaced, a known weak point on 360's (and many other recent Ferrari's) as they were on the way out. I did have the battery die a few times and successfully jumped it from behind the seat with no ill-effect on the ECU. It was reliable as a whole and i had a very positive experience with the vehicle. It is worth noting that it was a manual, not the archaic F1 system!
Ali,
Check the discs and all parts of the vehicle - the service history is extremely important.
Dec 1, 2011 | 01:26 PM
#56
Thread Starter
| Teamspeed Pro
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,770
driving impressions:
has tubi exhaust so the drive was musical
excellent surprise, and just so i am certain because the owner did not install it: the tubi has a chromish finish with a 360 script popping out correct?
at any rate there is no way it was stock but i just wish to conclude that it's a tubi and this is exclusive to them?
throttle response was instant, maybe too instant from idle to move it rolling (reverse at first), but my foot adapted quickly and i think it's a positive that it's this responsive
did notice that power was at hand even in 6th, rpm was 3k, is that normal? i did not downshift and the car picked pace very quickly.
downshifting to 4th at 100kmh or so (iirc) resulted in a nice kick (and sound), and there was no mistake: i am in a proper ferrari environment
steering is very different from the 355, i thought
the steering wheel itself with the cushiony leather was nice and helped change the overall feel. but even the pointing of the car itself was crisp. i liked it, esp on the highway, and in turns left at higher speeds than entered
inside, it's ridiculous how spacious it is lol
i remember thinking "wtf" for a second when i noticed the dash and how 'far' it went.. very different from the 355
the 355 is a lot more rigid, suspension wise AND in f1 shifts.
as a test, i put it in auto mode, starting from 2nd off a light, and it took us back home rather, surprisingly to me seamlessly.
a 430 must be automatic-buttery if this is a 2000 f1 system, the 1st of the 2nd gen
power: instant, more than what i intend to use
question: is it supposed to drive like a high compression car?
ride: much smoother than i expected, in a good way
extremely comfortable
handling: car's been parked for a while, and with the diff in temp over here i think the tires were low on pressure - OR - there could be something iffy in the front.
no sounds or anything of the sort, just that when i accelerated from 60 to 120 and then let go of the throttle, i felt the car had to be held in place with the wheel. not sure how to explain it, but something to keep an eye out for during inspection
gauges and readings: it was cold outside, 15-19 deg c, but the engine temp was still surprising to me at around 80 degrees celsius (no challenge grill). gauges and readings were easy and intuitive, when my eyes went somewhere expecting to find a specific thing, it was there. i kept looking at the stereo for gauges (355esque). oh and the clock was annoying over your head.
interior: save for the wrinkles on the driver's left side, the whole interior can pass for a new car imo.
forgot to check if seats worked in all directions
no biggie but now i have to make a note
fcar feel: yes, definitely yes
basically, pulling the file at the AD on saturday will let me know many things, and actually taking it for an inspection will answer all my questions.
no mystery, no drama
has tubi exhaust so the drive was musical
excellent surprise, and just so i am certain because the owner did not install it: the tubi has a chromish finish with a 360 script popping out correct?at any rate there is no way it was stock but i just wish to conclude that it's a tubi and this is exclusive to them?
throttle response was instant, maybe too instant from idle to move it rolling (reverse at first), but my foot adapted quickly and i think it's a positive that it's this responsive
did notice that power was at hand even in 6th, rpm was 3k, is that normal? i did not downshift and the car picked pace very quickly.
downshifting to 4th at 100kmh or so (iirc) resulted in a nice kick (and sound), and there was no mistake: i am in a proper ferrari environment
steering is very different from the 355, i thought
the steering wheel itself with the cushiony leather was nice and helped change the overall feel. but even the pointing of the car itself was crisp. i liked it, esp on the highway, and in turns left at higher speeds than entered
inside, it's ridiculous how spacious it is lol
i remember thinking "wtf" for a second when i noticed the dash and how 'far' it went.. very different from the 355
the 355 is a lot more rigid, suspension wise AND in f1 shifts.
as a test, i put it in auto mode, starting from 2nd off a light, and it took us back home rather, surprisingly to me seamlessly.
a 430 must be automatic-buttery if this is a 2000 f1 system, the 1st of the 2nd gen
power: instant, more than what i intend to use
question: is it supposed to drive like a high compression car?
ride: much smoother than i expected, in a good way
extremely comfortable
handling: car's been parked for a while, and with the diff in temp over here i think the tires were low on pressure - OR - there could be something iffy in the front.
no sounds or anything of the sort, just that when i accelerated from 60 to 120 and then let go of the throttle, i felt the car had to be held in place with the wheel. not sure how to explain it, but something to keep an eye out for during inspection
gauges and readings: it was cold outside, 15-19 deg c, but the engine temp was still surprising to me at around 80 degrees celsius (no challenge grill). gauges and readings were easy and intuitive, when my eyes went somewhere expecting to find a specific thing, it was there. i kept looking at the stereo for gauges (355esque). oh and the clock was annoying over your head.
interior: save for the wrinkles on the driver's left side, the whole interior can pass for a new car imo.
forgot to check if seats worked in all directions
no biggie but now i have to make a notefcar feel: yes, definitely yes
basically, pulling the file at the AD on saturday will let me know many things, and actually taking it for an inspection will answer all my questions.
no mystery, no drama
Dec 1, 2011 | 02:51 PM
#60
Teamspeed Pro
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 15,199
From: MidEast
I was talking to the head of spacial projects at Pininfarina, and he had a hand (some may say two) in both the 355 and the 360... accourding to him the 360 has more classic Ferrari lines than any othere Fcar out there (including the 430). And he feels the car will age well even if it seems old today when compared to others of the same age.
So I would vote for the upgrade to the newer model...
So I would vote for the upgrade to the newer model...
