Drove a F355 Spyder last night - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

lexuspilot · 09-04-2005, 10:52 AM

I drove a '99 Ferrari 355 Spyder with the F1 shifters last night. Got to drive it about 5 miles, doing launches and multiple WOT passes. I have to say it is quite a car and the sound is awesome.

The paddle shifters blew me away. The system is so superior to BMW SMGII that I couldn't beleive it. It shifted nice and smooth just driving around. Behind your head your could hear shifting noises like you were operating a manual. Under hard acceleration it would shift fast and hard, much diffeent than around town driving.
It was so low to the ground and felt very nimble but like a much bigger car than the boxster. I guess like a big go-kart. I short shifted accidentally so much because I guess my shifting is valume based and it was getting very loud at 5500rpm. But, when i was able to watch the road and get to redline the engine was just incredible. The gears were very tall and if you let the rpms drop it would accelerate very slowly.

It was a wild ride(scary) when the owner drove it, but riding is always so different than driving. Anyone agree? Does riding when someone drives fast scare the **************** out of you but if you did the same turns at the same speeds it would be nothing?

This car did nice burnouts too. And the sound when getting off the throttle was ************************ unbeleivable. You just imagined flames coming out the exhaust.

NOW, did the Boxster feel different and like crap when I got back in? NOPE! I actually appreciated the fit and feel of the Box when I got back in to it. I have only driven Vipers, Z06's, a GT3 and my Box, and it is funny how all of them feel so different.

BTW it is for sale. And for a really good deal.

Adam · 09-04-2005, 06:14 PM

That is one sweet ride. I'm envious. What kind of hp do those things have, around 350?

Brucelee · 09-04-2005, 06:36 PM

No prettier car in the world, IMHO!

Richard Truss · 09-04-2005, 09:45 PM

I was lucky enough to drive the same car (except in yellow) for 4 days -- back when the car was basically new (@ 2000). INCREDIBLE car -- no doubt. I did not have my porsche at the time, i was instead driving an Impala SS, so you can imagine the contrast I was feeling. I have never before or since driven a more impressive car in speed, handling, beauty and sheer wonderment of driving.

Also, driving this car I had 2 great experiences. One was pumping gas and I had a DROP DEAD georgous aerobics instructor flirting heavily with me... which would never otherwise happen. The second thing was I got to answer the coolest answer of all time at a stop light. These folks were looking at the car in long beach, and this kid hangs out of the window and asks "Hey mister, what kind of car is that?!" I simply said:

"It's a Ferrari." Light turns green and off I go. I look forward to the day when I can answer that question in the same way.

Brucelee · 09-05-2005, 06:23 AM

The used 355 prices are dropping. You may get there yet someday!

Jeph · 09-05-2005, 08:19 AM

I rented a 355 (and did you know it's pronoucned 3-5-5? [not 3-55] just FYI) when I was in Vegas a while back ago. It is without a doubt among the best sounding cars on the planet and most memorable ways you can spend $750/day. In just 24 hours I had 2 encounters with Nevada's finest... www.dreamcarrentals.com

A buddy of mine rented a Viper GTS (as a result, he now runs a Viper tuning shop outside
Austin, TX). In this photo, the kind folks at Bellagio let us park and pose the cars in the valet
drop off area.

Here's the harmonious rubberband that powers the 355. (And I
swapped the plates on the car to give it a more personal touch.
And a bit of sound legal advice... Don't to that!)

This is quite possibly the nerdiest guy ever known to drive a Ferrari (me).

One of my encounters with Johnny Law.

Here's how the dream ended... I blew a hydraulic line (fluid got all over
the engine and BILLOWED smoke -quite impressive). And as a side
note, it is one of the more interesting things I've seen trying to put a
Ferrari on a flatbed tow truck. It took a while due to that plate-like
chassis and UBER-low clearance. Then there's the 5am call to the towing
company... and convicing the operator that it's not a prank call, is a
whole other story!

spine911 · 09-05-2005, 08:40 AM

"I've seen trying to put a
Ferrari on a flatbed tow truck. It took a while due to that plate-like
chassis and UBER-low clearance. " .................... The "plate-like chassis" you are referring to is the Diffuser. The Diffuser is an aerodynamic engineering design perferted by Ferrari. It is inert in all Ferraris to increase downforce and decrease underbelly drag..............BTW, did the Bellagio valets told you how many times that same 355 and Viper was parked, posed at the same spot every day.

lexuspilot · 09-05-2005, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brucelee

The used 355 prices are dropping. You may get there yet someday!

Brucelee, can you sell it? I was thinking of buying it but can't since I am building my new home. This guy bought an airplane from me and he needs to sell the F355. It has a celebrity past and I think 16k on a 2000 with every option and tubi.

lexuspilot · 09-05-2005, 05:58 PM

Jeph,

I was blown away by the transmission sounds. It sounded like there was a little robot back there shifting for you. BTW was the hydraulic line the one that moves the 2700lb clutch?

tqtran · 09-05-2005, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeph

Here's how the dream ended...

Funny since thats how all Ferrari Dreams end

Thats how my F355 Spyder and 308 dreams ended too.

Brucelee · 09-06-2005, 05:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lexuspilot

Brucelee, can you sell it? I was thinking of buying it but can't since I am building my new home. This guy bought an airplane from me and he needs to sell the F355. It has a celebrity past and I think 16k on a 2000 with every option and tubi.

Not really my market but I do know a dealer who trades these if your are thinking a cash buy. He MAY consign also but I don't know that.

SD987 · 09-06-2005, 09:21 AM

Jeph, great posting...thanks, I enjoyed reading it.

Perfectlap · 09-06-2005, 10:35 AM

every time I see this car I think of that Nicolas Cage movie where he totals a yellow one at the end of a big chase scene.

the 355 is top in my book fore beautiful Ferraris but I'll take the technology and reliability of a 360, a big leap forward for the prancing horse.

slogans7 · 09-06-2005, 03:58 PM

That would be "The Rock." with Sean Connery. A cool scene but, when I think about it, the chase made absolutely no sense in the context of the film - other than make us go, "ooh, ahhh - Ferrari" which was OK.

Rainforest01 · 09-07-2005, 10:23 AM

My wife and I were walking down the main street in Waikiki Beach Hawaii and I heard a really nice sportbike coming up from behind just holding the rpm's at about 4,000. I turned to look as it went by and it was a yellow F355 spider! It probably had a Tubi exhaust on it. Definitely sounded AWESOME! My wife knows better. She didn't talk to me for about two minutes to give me a chance to calm down.

Jeph · 09-08-2005, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SD987

Jeph, great posting...thanks, I enjoyed reading it.

I'm glad you enjoyed the post SD987! I love cars and I love Vegas... so I love telling stories involving cars and Vegas!

I'm heading back to Sin City at the end of this month and looking forward to another automotive adventure. This time I'll be trying out the Viper SRT/10 (or possibly Carrera Cabrio). I'd like another Ferrari, but the 355 is still the best they've got.