1996 Ferrari F355 Spider – Classified of the Week

Technically speaking, beauty is subjective. Something to do with it being in the eye of the beholder and all that. However, in the motoring world there are cars that can take the notion of beauty and make it universal. Cars like, say, this 1996 Ferrari F355 Spider. The F355 coupe is a neck-snapper, but the F355 Spider? Man alive. How can taking something off a car – the roof – make it so much better? Less, it seems, is more.

Of course, we’re not shallow here at Car & Classic. We like our classics and modern classics to have some substance, too. Happily, being one of just 500 right-hand drive six-speed manual models ever built, this one has plenty. It’s a car in which to be seen, there’s no doubt. But it’s also a car the enthusiastic driver can engage with and exploit in the best possible way. Imagine working your way through the gears of that gated manual, with that 3.5 Ferrari V8 howling behind your ears, unencumbered by the sound muffling restrictions of a roof. Bliss.

This 1996 Ferrari F355 Spider is arguably one of the best out there. It’s covered a mere 43,000 over the course of its 27 year life, and the paperwork boasts full service history care of a leading Ferrari specialist, Bob Houghton. The maintenance file makes for pleasing reading. To quote the advert, “Its full service history starts on 8 September 1998, when it returned to Evans Halshaw having covered 5307 miles. It was back there on 14 December 1999, when it had its cambelts replaced – a job that was also carried out in October 2002 at 7886 miles, then again in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2016 and 2019.”. Make no mistake, it has wanted for nothing.

Of course, a car like this F355 Spider has been subject to other important works, too. In June 2022 there was an obligatory full service, the engine was removed for another cambelt and auxiliary belt change, the alternator tensioner was replaced and a compression check was carried out. Previously, in 2019, the engine mounts were renewed as were the front wheel hubs. This car has been treated exactly as a Ferrari should be. No half measures, no putting work off. If it has ever needed it, it has got it.

Naturally, this 1996 Ferrari F355 Spider is finished in stunning Rosso Corsa red with Crema leather trim, the original alloys are in place with good rubber, and the car is on the button and ready to go. The 3.5 litre V8 punches 375bhp to the rear wheels, while the manual transmission ensures every drive is a thrill. This is, for us, the epitome of what a Ferrari should be. Beautiful, naturally, but also ready and able to make every hair on your body stand on end. It’s an event, a welcome assault on the senses, it is… a proper Ferrari.

You might scoff at the £80,000 price tag, but the reality is that for a car of such a fine vintage, this is a remarkable bargain. It seems the F355 market has taken a bit of a dip in recent years, meaning there has never been a better time to buy one. Especially this one. Because, well, just look at it and tell us you don’t want a slice of that in your life.