Highlights
- Pretty and rare Azzurro California blue
- Only 38,000 miles
- Very smart car that has clearly been cared for
- Well maintained car with 2023 belt change
- MOT to May 2025 with no advisories
- Great example of these highly regarded sports cars
The Appeal
The F355 was the product of a company at the peak of its power. Widely regarded as one of the greatest of Ferrari’s mid-engined marvels, the F355 was built in the mid-'90s sweet spot between analogue driver engagement and technology to aid reliability.
This beautiful 1998 Azzurro California F355 F1 is a pleasing alternative to the more common Rosso and Crema combinations. It is in very good condition across the interior and exterior, its low mileage of just 38,000 helping create the sense of a barely used 36 year old car. The car is factory standard except for the useful addition of a Challenge ventilated rear grille - good for the aesthetics as well as cooling - and a more modern Alpine stereo.
The history file is similarly impressive, showing regular servicing and an all-important cambelt change in 2023. The MOT runs to late May 2025 with no advisories. This is a collector-quality F355 but, considering how driveable these magnificent cars are, we’re sure you’ll want to use it first.
The History and Paperwork
- First registered 1998
- Eight registered keepers
- Good history file with regular servicing advised by seller
- Cambelt replaced in 2023
- One of 1,053 F1 Graziano gearbox cars
- 38,000 miles reported
- MOT to 22nd May 2025 with no advisories
- 37,738 miles showing on last MOT
The Condition
- Very attractive Azzurro California blue metallic paintwork in great condition
- Paintwork shows few if any signs of age or use across panels
- Straight and flush bodywork with no reported accident damage
- Standard factory car with addition of a rear Challenge-style grille
- These grilles were fitted to Challenge cars to improve airflow to the engine
- No structural advisories for the underside on current MOT
- Five spoke 18in alloy wheels in very good order with quality Bridgestone tyres
- Blue leather interior with hide-bound dashboard and seats in great order
- Few signs of age or use to interior including high-traffic areas such as driver’s seat
- Interior fittings including carpets, trim, dials, door cards and switchgear all well kept
- Fitted with Alpine Bluetooth stereo but otherwise factory standard interior
- Blue folding electric roof with classic Ferrari mid-engined ‘buttress’ design
- Specification includes electric seats with no reported faults with features
So common are the brighter colours more normally associated with mid-engined Ferraris that it is quite a surprise to see this Azzurro California blue metallic example. It is a timely reminder of just how good these cars look when you move away from the more classic colour schemes.
It is in superb condition inside and out. No doubt that is in large part due to the low mileage, but it has clearly been looked after too. The alloys show few marks, there are quality tyres fitted and even the vulnerable front end displays few, if any, stone chips or marks.
Inside the theme continues, the driver’s seat area being well presented and the extensive leathers virtually unbothered by scuffs or marks. The Spyder nods to luxury with its electric folding roof and electric seats, both of which work correctly.
The Mechanics
- 3,495cc five-valve per cylinder V8
- Develops 380bhp
- Rare F1 ‘Graziano’ automatic gearbox with paddles
- Adjustable factory specification suspension
- No reported running or driving issues
- No mechanical or running gear advisories on current MOT
- Well-maintained car with regular servicing
- Cambelt changed in 2023
The multi-valve V8 engine beneath this F355’s rear deck is one of many links between this car and the run of iconic mid-engined sports cars that left Maranello in the decades prior back to the early 1960s. It is a superlative, characterful unit and, arguably, reason alone to want an F355.
But there is much more to this car. After the muted response to the 348, reviewers and buyers waxed lyrical about the F355, praising its balance, tactility, performance and handling. Latterly, enthusiasts have come to consider it one of the last of Ferrari’s ‘analogue’ cars before technology took more of a dominant role in the driving experience.
This car nods to the best of that future with its clever F1 ‘Graziano’ automated gearbox. That name nods to its origins in Ferrari’s Formula One cars and was an early version of a system that is now standard on modern sports cars. It offers the choice of fully automatic mode or sequential, quick clutchless shifting. Just 1,057 F1 F355s were built.
This car has covered just 38,000 miles from new and comes with evidence of regular servicing and maintenance throughout its life. That has included a cambelt change in 2023, with few miles covered since. The car is reported to be fault-free and there were no advisories on the last MOT.
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