While Ferrari is well known for producing some of the fastest cars in the world, its core models have been the brand's strength for decades. The mid-engined V8 models have always been the pick of their class, despite increased competition from other marques.
The 348 is a particularly significant step in that history, marking both a first and a last. In terms of lasts, the 348 is often cited as the last car that Enzo Ferrari was directly involved in developing (he died in 1988, before the car was commissioned for production), but it was also the last fully analogue of the V8s.
Notably, the 348 featured a radical change under the hood. While the 308 and 328 before it had a transverse-mounted V8, the 348 was the first of the breed to shift to longitudinal – and every successor right up to the current models has followed suit. The Spider version you see here was also the first production full convertible Ferrari had made in 20 years, with most of the soft-tops being targa models.
Ferrari produced fewer than 9,000 cars over the five-year run, with more open top cars than coupes leaving Maranello. However only 1,000 were Spiders, and fewer than 70 in right-hand drive.
The History
Unusually, this car started its life as a dealership demonstrator. Ferrari supplied the car to Maranello Sales in Surrey in March 1994, very close to the start of the production run for the car's successor, the 355.
On average, the 348 Spider has spent around two years with each owner over the first 20 years of its life, and it's been around the UK – despite less than 44,000 miles on the clock. MOT records show it's spent as much time in the north-east as it has in its original Surrey home, passing through the hands of performance car specialist HHC near Newcastle.
During its time in the north, the Spider underwent a full, bare metal restoration in the hands of a classic car restoration specialist, which also involved a colour change. The original supply invoice listed the vehicle as Chiaro Blu with Grigio (grey) interior, and this changed to Blu Tour de France with Beige interior.
The current owner bought the car in 2015, and has had it in storage since, with only 7,000 miles added to the odometer after that restoration.
The Paperwork
The binder for the 348 Spider is pretty weighty and extensive. It starts with the original invoice and supply agreement from Ferrari to the Surrey dealership as a demonstrator. There's also an original handbook and service record – stamped up to 25,000 miles in 2007 – in a tan leather folder. Another invoice from HHC in 2007 shows that an owner part-exchanged a Lotus Esprit for the 348.
Along with MOT certificates and copies of previous V5Cs, you'll find invoices for the Spider across its life easily reaching into the five-figure range. That covers mechanical work as well as repainting and re-trimming associated with that 2010 restoration.
The Interior
The 348 is a two-seater, but the compact cabin is a treat; with the re-trim to beige leather it looks suitably chic and Italian. Both of the seats are in excellent condition as you'd expect with under 7,000 miles of seat time, and feature classic manual controls.
That leather extends through the centre console and dash lower, and again is unmarked. There's new dark blue carpeting throughout the cabin too – including behind the seats – with additional protected from contrasting floor mats.
A centrepiece of any manual Ferrari is the metal H-pattern shifter. The breadth of all of the car's electronics – which amounts to electric window master controls and HVAC – are also in the centre console. There's also a fire extinguisher, though the 348 isn't likely to require it.
The Ferrari's boot is in the nose and is pretty spacious considering – 200 litres is more than you'd get in the back of a Mazda MX-5. It's also in good condition, and you'll find the tonneau cover for the roof within.
The Exterior
Blue is a less common colour choice (particularly in this era) for Ferraris, and it really makes this car stand out. With a restoration and prolonged period in storage, you'd expect the Ferrari's paint to be in great condition and you won't be disappointed. For the most part, the Tour de France paintwork looks excellent.
The classic five-spoke 17-inch wheels are all in great condition too, and all four wear the traditional Pirelli P-Zero tyres – 215 at the front and 255 at the back – with plenty of tread too.
Of course as a convertible Ferrari, the fabric top is all important, and this also looks like new – even the plastic rear window, which can be troublesome on cars left exposed to the elements. There's not a mark on either the fabric or the window.
Underneath the Ferrari looks solid too, with no marks to or leaks from any of the major components. It's clearly not been treated with kid gloves, but nor does it look like a 27-year old car under there.
The Mechanics
Though the aesthetics of the 348 Spider are certainly up to scratch, you don't buy a Ferrari just to look at it. It's a V8 performance car, and one of the highest-rated vehicles of its era.
That shouldn't be an issue here. The 3.4-litre F119 engine starts without hesitation and settles into a classic flat-plane Italian V8 idle. It revs up towards that 7,500rpm redline without issue, which you'll no doubt want to do a lot.
As far as we can tell from more ordinary road speeds, there's no issues with the brakes or suspension, and the five-speed manual works as it ought in forward and reverse gears.
The Appeal
Hopefully we should have you at “convertible Ferrari”, but just in case we don't, it's in a highly unusual colour combination, has under 7,000 miles since a bare metal restoration, and is one of fewer than 70 right-hand drive examples in the world. With the 355 hogging all the attention, the 348 is a good value classic too.
Notice to bidders
Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing. Please ensure you are satisfied with the vehicle description and all information provided before placing a bid.
As is normal for most auctions, this vehicle is sold as seen, and therefore the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. All bids are legally binding once placed. Any winning bidder who withdraws from a sale, is subject to our bidders fee charge. Please see our FAQs and T&C's for further information. Viewings of vehicles are encouraged, but entirely at the sellers discretion.
Please see our FAQ's here and our Terms & Conditions here
Consulta le nostre FAQ
qui
e i nostri Termini e condizioni
qui
Il modo più sicuro per acquistare un'auto d'epoca online
Il sistema di pagamento sicuro di Car & Classic protegge acquirenti e venditori. Al termine dell'asta, l'offerente vincente trasferisce il pagamento su un conto vincolato di terzi. Una volta completato il trasferimento del veicolo, entrambe le parti confermano di essere soddisfatte della vendita e il denaro viene rilasciato al venditore.
Maggiori informazioni su come acquistare con noi
1994 Ferrari 348 Spider
Come funzionano le offerte massime
Il processo di offerta massima ti permette di fare offerte senza preoccupazioni.
Inserisci la tua offerta massima e il sistema farà offerte automaticamente per assicurarsi che tu sia il miglior offerente - fino all'ammontare da te stabilito come tetto massimo.
Anti-sniping
Car & Classic contrasta il fenomeno dello “sniping”, ovvero il fenomeno dei rilanci all'ultimo secondo per vincere l'asta.
Se viene fatta un'offerta nei 3 minuti prima della chiusura dell'asta, la scadenza di questa viene automaticamente estesa di 2 minuti per permettere agli altri offerenti di reagire e, se lo desiderano, di rilanciare.
Incrementi di offerta automatica
Se la sua offerta massima è uguale o inferiore al prezzo di riserva, la sua offerta massima sarà applicata per intero se lei è il miglior offerente.
Se siete il miglior offerente e fate un'offerta massima superiore a quella di riserva, la riserva verrà automaticamente inserita come prima offerta.
Una volta raggiunta la riserva, Car & Classic si assicurerà che tu sia il miglior offerente utilizzando solo gli incrementi di offerta indicati di seguito.
Vi terremo in testa fino alla vostra offerta massima O all'incremento più vicino alla vostra offerta massima, a condizione che la vostra offerta massima sia sufficiente a coprire il valore dell'incremento.
Ammontare dell'offerta
Incremento
Da £0 a £9,999
£100.00
Da £10,000 a £49,999
£250.00
Da £50,000 a £99,999
£500.00
£100,000 +
£1,000.00
Superamento immediato dell'offerta
Quando piazzi un'offerta massima e questa viene immediatamente superata, questo significa che un altro offerente ha impostato una soglia di offerta massima superiore alla tua.
Puoi fare nuovamente un'offerta o impostare una soglia più alta di offerta massima e il nostro sistema rilancerà fino alla nuova soglia, cercando di portarti a essere il miglior offerente.
Offerte massime di pari ammontare
Quando ci sono due offerte massime di pari ammontare, quella impostata per prima è quella che viene considerata “migliore offerta”.
Pre-autorizzazione
Potremmo trattenere un piccolo importo di pre-autorizzazione sulla tua carta fino alla fine dell'asta, quando quest'ultimo verrà poi stornato. Se vinci, verrà prelevata una caparra che verrà detratta dal pagamento del prezzo di vendita per il veicolo e non comporta costi aggiuntivi per te.
Cosa sono le Offerte pre-asta?
Offerte pre-asta significa che avete la possibilità di fare offerte prima dell'inizio ufficiale dell'asta.
Verrà comunicato se si è il miglior offerente o meno all'inizio dell'asta.
Problema con l'offerta
Le offerte sono contrattualmente vincolanti. Per tutelare l'utente, sono previste alcune regole nel caso in cui si ritenga che sia stato digitato in modo errato. Si prega di controllare e modificare quanto inserito.