That heart is Ferrari’s first normally aspirated V8 to reach the 400-hp mark. It’s an increase of 20 ponies over the F355, thanks to a 2-mm increase in stroke and resulting additional 90 cc of displacement. That’s not a lot by today’s standards, but since the 360 Spider tips the scales at a still respectable 3,197 lbs., it offers a respectable power-to-weight ratio.

This Spider’s owner, Greg Marucchi [“All Things Italian,” FORZA #214], remembers tracking the development of what was known internally as the Tipo F131 prior to its unveiling. Having an eye for detail, he decided to have his car’s number plate match the model’s code. This particular Ferrari was originally ordered with the Carrozzeria Scaglietti package, which explains the carbon-fiber seats, 360 Challenge rear grille, and “mesh instead of slats in the two front air intakes.

“It’s a wonderful all-round car,” Marucchi tells me. “When I’m in Cape Town, it’s my everyday car. I’m not into red Ferraris, so the color, Argento Nürburgring, was the right one for me. With the roof down, even on a cloudy spring day, there’s nothing quite like it, whether it’s the performance or the visual highlights, like seeing the engine as you walk up to the car.”

Phenomenal Four

It may not have that famous V12, but the light and agile four-cylinder 500 Mondial is a fabulous Ferrari to drive.

Story by Ton Roks

Photos by Luuk van Kaathoven

    

January 23, 2025

On May 2, 1954, at eight minutes past five in the morning, two young men from Brescia, Enzo and Alberto Neri, left the start line of the 21st Mille Miglia in this Ferrari 500 Mondial (s/n 0414MD). With their thoroughbred, they certainly had a chance to finish well, as fellow Mondial pilot Vittorio Marzotto would prove by crossing the finish line of the 1,600-kilometer race in second place.

Unfortunately for the Neris (who were not household names in the motorsport world and may or may not have been related) in the red Ferrari bearing number 508, their adventure was soon over. They passed the checkpoint in Ravenna, 300 kilometers in, but did not make it to Pescara due to a mechanical failure. Standing somewhere along the route, they may have been deeply disappointed to see eventual winner Alberto Ascari roar past in his mighty Lancia D24 along with Marzotto, who had started 15 minutes behind them.

According to marque historian Antoine Prunet, s/n 0414 was almost certainly the first of the five Mondials completed by Ferrari prior to the ’54 Mille Miglia. The car appears to have first been assigned s/n 0404, but for unknown reasons that number was cancelled and s/n 0414 was stamped in.

After completion, the Mondial was entered by Scuderia Ferrari for the Giro di Sicilia on April 4, with Paolo Marzotto as the driver and 331 as the race number, but it did not appear at the start. He did race s/n 0414 at the Coppa della Toscane on April 11, but did not finish.

Ferrari then sold the Mondial to Enzo Neri of Forli, who failed to cross the finish line at the Mille Miglia. Neri later registered for the Coppa d’Oro Shell at Imola, but did not arrive with his new acquisition.

The Ferrari next ended up in the United States, via another Italian owner, with collector David V. Uihlein, who had started his collection buying cars that had driven in the Indy 500, long before anyone realized they could ever be valuable. After Uihlein, the Mondial was owned by several other enthusiasts, mostly Americans, who drove it in local races.

Then, in 1998, s/n 0414 returned to Europe. It was purchased by Frits Kroymans, who had become The Netherlands’ Ferrari importer in 1972. In the more than 26 years since, the Ferrari has been Kroymans’ cherished possession; he has won several competitions with it, and in 2025 it will be driven in today’s Mille Miglia Retrospective by his son.

HOW EXCITING IT MUST HAVE BEEN TO DRIVE this machine in the original Mille Miglia. The 500 Mondial is as open as a car can be, with no roof or side windows, and it is in every way a pure racer, just like most of the cars Enzo Ferrari built at the time. I sit behind a small windshield, just high enough to push the driving wind slightly upward. There is no adornment whatsoever; almost everything around me is bare metal, and the rest is mostly functional, including the lone mirror.

To my left, a metal plate covers the space where a passenger seat once resided. Enzo Neri drove the Mille with a navigator—which, for the first time in the big race, was no longer mandatory for cars with engines larger than 750 cc. That a co-pilot was required for cars with small engines presumably had to do with the long (and exhausting) time they took to complete the race. It took Ascari 11 hours, 26 minutes in his D24, while the fastest Fiat 500 needed 17 hours, 25 minutes (which was still a handsome achievement).

The Ferrari’s instruments are housed in a panel immediately behind the steering wheel—which is on the right because most circuits were driven clockwise—where they would also be easily visible to the navigator. There are four small gauges: one shows the state of the 150-liter fuel tank, the others inform about oil pressure, oil temperature, and water temperature. There’s no speedometer, since Vmax was always the goal. Dead center sits the tachometer, from Veglia like the rest. This one goes up to 8,000 and there’s no redline indicated.

S/n 0414’s Pinin Farina bodywork is a picture, especially the beautiful tangent over the front wheels that continues through the small doors to the car’s shoulders. Also very pretty is the waistline that runs from the headlights in a graceful parabolic curve to the rear, where it dips to the pronounced rear fenders.

The stern is kept simple, with two small taillights, and is crowned by a distinctive quick-fill fuel cap. (Under the trunk lid, I find a spare tire and the fuel tank; peering down into the latter, I can see baffles that prevent the gasoline from surging back and forth.) The slanting grille in the nose is not as dominant and aggressive as that of a 166 Barchetta, but it does give the Mondial a somewhat hungry appearance, as if it wants to devour as many miles as possible in as short a time as possible. Which, of course, it what it was designed to do.

Of the 20 Mondials initially built, 18 were spiders and two were berlinettas, most bodied by Pinin Farina. In 1955, a second series of ten examples was produced, all with a larger (and less attractive) body by Scaglietti, new front suspension, and a slightly more powerful engine.

The 500 Mondial is mostly about its engine, a 2-liter four (hence the 500, which stands for the capacity per cylinder in cc). Why not a V12? Enzo Ferrari had noticed that HWM and Cooper monopostos gave his 12-cylinder cars quite a hard time, especially on tracks with many corners, because their four-cylinder engines developed maximum torque at much lower revs. The four-cylinder cars were also much lighter than Ferrari’s V12s.

So, one fine morning in June 1951, Enzo asked technical director Aurelio Lampredi to develop a four-cylinder racing engine. A few hours later, Lampredi had a first sketch of the new Tipo 500, which would become one of Ferrari’s most successful powerplants.

The all-aluminum four’s cylinder head and block were formed as one unit in order to avoid head gasket problems. Screwed into the block were four cast-iron cylinder sleeves, bringing the swept volume to 1,985 cc. The five-bearing crankshaft was milled entirely from one large lump of steel, while aluminum pistons featured a convex head for a compression ratio of 13:1.

Two hefty valves per cylinder could be quickly replaced in case of malfunction because the screwed-in cylinder liners were easily removable. Lampredi opted for hairpin valve springs, a technique that had previously made inroads in motorcycles, which allowed for shorter and lighter valve stems. In addition, unlike coil springs, the hairpin valve springs were not part of the up-and-down mass, which allowed higher speeds and lower spring pressure.

The engine debuted in a monoposto at the 1951 Bari Grand Prix, and served Ferrari well in ’52 and ’53, when the World Championship was contested by 2-liter cars. Lampredi’s four-cylinder was the power source to have, and Ascari won the title both years in the 500 F2. If you include the races that were not part of the World Championship, the Scuderia won 32 of 35 races the new four started, a phenomenal record—and an obvious choice for use in the company’s sports cars.

The resulting 500 Mondial (Italian for World, a reverent nod to Ascari’s championships) was gratefully accepted by the Scuderia’s clientele, and they raced extensively, especially in the USA and Italy. The model scored more than 50 podium finishes, and now it’s time for me to find out how.

TO START THE MONDIAL’S FOUR, I have to reach under the dashboard and pull a handle connected directly to the starter motor. It fires roughly but responds to the gas immediately, following the movement of the pedal with lightning speed. The engine makes it loud and clear that it’s a belligerent boss, but it’s not petulant. As soon as the very long-travel clutch pedal engages, I drive off without a jolt.

Lampredi’s four-cylinder does not like idling. If I do so for more than a few seconds, I then have to scrape the twin Webers’ four throats with a blast of gas to get it to pick up properly. S/n 0414 wears the largest Webers the Mondial was equipped with, the Tipo 50 DCOA/3, and with them it produces a healthy 185 horsepower at 7,500 rpm.

Incidentally, the engine is located far back, behind the front axle, technically making the Mondial a mid-engined car. That location is made possible in part because the four-speed transmission sits right behind the driver; this Ferrari utilizes a transaxle (and thus also offers ideal weight distribution). Even so, it shifts exactly like other classic Ferraris, with short movements of the lever and dry, mechanical clicks. The connecting rod between shifter and transmission is short and without many joints, so the Ferrari changes gears tightly and without play.

While maneuvering for the camera, the 500 Mondial behaves like a somewhat grumpy gentleman, but that changes completely when I give it the spurs on an open road. That’s when I discover that the Lampredi engine is fantastic, and very energetic. The maximum torque of 152 lb-ft is reached at 5,700 rpm, but the Mondial accelerates briskly well before that; I feel the push in my back getting stronger as the tachometer needle climbs further to the right.

Fourth gear is long for the highest possible top speed: 235 kmh (146 mph) according to statements of the time. In 1954, journalist Denis Jenkinson reported in MotorSport that the fastest cars on the 60-kilometer Brescia-Verona stretch averaged more than 185 kmh (115 mph), which must have been quite a feat in the open Mondial because the wind starts pounding firmly on me not far above 100 kmh (62 mph).

I’ve driven the 250 GTO and 250 GT SWB, and they are impressive cars—but the 500 Mondial is not far behind in terms of sensations and talent. It is smaller and lighter, and therefore more agile; its short wheelbase also contributes to this.

I quickly feel at home in the Mondial, which turns out to be a well-balanced sports-racer that gives me enough confidence to drive hard. If you have an open road in front and can accelerate without worries, this Ferrari will take you to euphoria in seconds.

The steering may feel a touch dead, but it is precise and reasonably quick. If the cars tilts a bit in the corners, the 6.00 × 16 Michelin X tires clearly communicate their contact with the asphalt.

The huge drum brakes, which fit narrowly inside the Borrani wire wheels, slow down the car fine, but it does take some hard pedaling. (On the other hand, locking the wheels seems barely possible.) Thanks to those hefty brakes,

I dare to use the 500’s power freely, which, in a road race like the Mille Miglia, must have been a big advantage. After all, you not only want to be able to build up speed quickly, but also shed it just as fast, since something unexpected could be lurking around every corner.

HAVING NOW DRIVEN THE 500 MONDIAL, and experienced its brutal power, fine brakes, nimbleness, and excellent weight distribution, I’m not surprised that Marzotto had wings during the ’54 Mille Miglia. There was murderous speed that year, especially from the big 4.9-liter Ferraris, which topped 250 kmh (155 mph). However, after many of the “big guns” dropped out, due in part to the abysmally bad mountain roads, the battle for victory began to play out more and more in the 2-liter class—specifically between Luigi Musso in his Maserati A6GCS and Vittorio Marzotto in his 500 Mondial, who were hot on each other’s heels.

In Mantua, the birthplace of Tazio Nuvolari, there were only seconds between the two drivers, which seemed almost impossible after such a long distance. By Brescia, they raced to the finish line as if it was the first lap of a Grand Prix, Jenkinson wrote in his race report.

Musso, who had started at five o’clock sharp, crossed the finish line first. Marzotto arrived just under 23 minutes later—and after the timekeepers did their calculations, Marzotto had won the 12-hour duel by just nine seconds to finish second overall.

Jenkinson concluded his ’54 report with the same words he had used the previous year: “He who wins the Mille Miglia is a driver of great stature—and his car is a sports car of great class.” Those words were obviously meant for winner Ascari and the Lancia D24, but as far as I’m concerned they apply just as much to Marzotto and the 500 Mondial.

That heart is Ferrari’s first normally aspirated V8 to reach the 400-hp mark. It’s an increase of 20 ponies over the F355, thanks to a 2-mm increase in stroke and resulting additional 90 cc of displacement. That’s not a lot by today’s standards, but since the 360 Spider tips the scales at a still respectable 3,197 lbs., it offers a respectable power-to-weight ratio.

This Spider’s owner, Greg Marucchi [“All Things Italian,” FORZA #214], remembers tracking the development of what was known internally as the Tipo F131 prior to its unveiling. Having an eye for detail, he decided to have his car’s number plate match the model’s code. This particular Ferrari was originally ordered with the Carrozzeria Scaglietti package, which explains the carbon-fiber seats, 360 Challenge rear grille, and “mesh instead of slats in the two front air intakes.

“It’s a wonderful all-round car,” Marucchi tells me. “When I’m in Cape Town, it’s my everyday car. I’m not into red Ferraris, so the color, Argento Nürburgring, was the right one for me. With the roof down, even on a cloudy spring day, there’s nothing quite like it, whether it’s the performance or the visual highlights, like seeing the engine as you walk up to the car.”

Phenomenal Four

It may not have that famous V12, but the light and agile four-cylinder 500 Mondial is a fabulous Ferrari to drive.

Story by Ton Roks

Photos by Luuk van Kaathoven

    

January 23, 2025

On May 2, 1954, at eight minutes past five in the morning, two young men from Brescia, Enzo and Alberto Neri, left the start line of the 21st Mille Miglia in this Ferrari 500 Mondial (s/n 0414MD). With their thoroughbred, they certainly had a chance to finish well, as fellow Mondial pilot Vittorio Marzotto would prove by crossing the finish line of the 1,600-kilometer race in second place.

Unfortunately for the Neris (who were not household names in the motorsport world and may or may not have been related) in the red Ferrari bearing number 508, their adventure was soon over. They passed the checkpoint in Ravenna, 300 kilometers in, but did not make it to Pescara due to a mechanical failure. Standing somewhere along the route, they may have been deeply disappointed to see eventual winner Alberto Ascari roar past in his mighty Lancia D24 along with Marzotto, who had started 15 minutes behind them.

According to marque historian Antoine Prunet, s/n 0414 was almost certainly the first of the five Mondials completed by Ferrari prior to the ’54 Mille Miglia. The car appears to have first been assigned s/n 0404, but for unknown reasons that number was cancelled and s/n 0414 was stamped in.

After completion, the Mondial was entered by Scuderia Ferrari for the Giro di Sicilia on April 4, with Paolo Marzotto as the driver and 331 as the race number, but it did not appear at the start. He did race s/n 0414 at the Coppa della Toscane on April 11, but did not finish.

Ferrari then sold the Mondial to Enzo Neri of Forli, who failed to cross the finish line at the Mille Miglia. Neri later registered for the Coppa d’Oro Shell at Imola, but did not arrive with his new acquisition.

The Ferrari next ended up in the United States, via another Italian owner, with collector David V. Uihlein, who had started his collection buying cars that had driven in the Indy 500, long before anyone realized they could ever be valuable. After Uihlein, the Mondial was owned by several other enthusiasts, mostly Americans, who drove it in local races.

Then, in 1998, s/n 0414 returned to Europe. It was purchased by Frits Kroymans, who had become The Netherlands’ Ferrari importer in 1972. In the more than 26 years since, the Ferrari has been Kroymans’ cherished possession; he has won several competitions with it, and in 2025 it will be driven in today’s Mille Miglia Retrospective by his son.

HOW EXCITING IT MUST HAVE BEEN TO DRIVE this machine in the original Mille Miglia. The 500 Mondial is as open as a car can be, with no roof or side windows, and it is in every way a pure racer, just like most of the cars Enzo Ferrari built at the time. I sit behind a small windshield, just high enough to push the driving wind slightly upward. There is no adornment whatsoever; almost everything around me is bare metal, and the rest is mostly functional, including the lone mirror.

To my left, a metal plate covers the space where a passenger seat once resided. Enzo Neri drove the Mille with a navigator—which, for the first time in the big race, was no longer mandatory for cars with engines larger than 750 cc. That a co-pilot was required for cars with small engines presumably had to do with the long (and exhausting) time they took to complete the race. It took Ascari 11 hours, 26 minutes in his D24, while the fastest Fiat 500 needed 17 hours, 25 minutes (which was still a handsome achievement).

The Ferrari’s instruments are housed in a panel immediately behind the steering wheel—which is on the right because most circuits were driven clockwise—where they would also be easily visible to the navigator. There are four small gauges: one shows the state of the 150-liter fuel tank, the others inform about oil pressure, oil temperature, and water temperature. There’s no speedometer, since Vmax was always the goal. Dead center sits the tachometer, from Veglia like the rest. This one goes up to 8,000 and there’s no redline indicated.

S/n 0414’s Pinin Farina bodywork is a picture, especially the beautiful tangent over the front wheels that continues through the small doors to the car’s shoulders. Also very pretty is the waistline that runs from the headlights in a graceful parabolic curve to the rear, where it dips to the pronounced rear fenders.

The stern is kept simple, with two small taillights, and is crowned by a distinctive quick-fill fuel cap. (Under the trunk lid, I find a spare tire and the fuel tank; peering down into the latter, I can see baffles that prevent the gasoline from surging back and forth.) The slanting grille in the nose is not as dominant and aggressive as that of a 166 Barchetta, but it does give the Mondial a somewhat hungry appearance, as if it wants to devour as many miles as possible in as short a time as possible. Which, of course, it what it was designed to do.

Of the 20 Mondials initially built, 18 were spiders and two were berlinettas, most bodied by Pinin Farina. In 1955, a second series of ten examples was produced, all with a larger (and less attractive) body by Scaglietti, new front suspension, and a slightly more powerful engine.

The 500 Mondial is mostly about its engine, a 2-liter four (hence the 500, which stands for the capacity per cylinder in cc). Why not a V12? Enzo Ferrari had noticed that HWM and Cooper monopostos gave his 12-cylinder cars quite a hard time, especially on tracks with many corners, because their four-cylinder engines developed maximum torque at much lower revs. The four-cylinder cars were also much lighter than Ferrari’s V12s.

So, one fine morning in June 1951, Enzo asked technical director Aurelio Lampredi to develop a four-cylinder racing engine. A few hours later, Lampredi had a first sketch of the new Tipo 500, which would become one of Ferrari’s most successful powerplants.

The all-aluminum four’s cylinder head and block were formed as one unit in order to avoid head gasket problems. Screwed into the block were four cast-iron cylinder sleeves, bringing the swept volume to 1,985 cc. The five-bearing crankshaft was milled entirely from one large lump of steel, while aluminum pistons featured a convex head for a compression ratio of 13:1.

Two hefty valves per cylinder could be quickly replaced in case of malfunction because the screwed-in cylinder liners were easily removable. Lampredi opted for hairpin valve springs, a technique that had previously made inroads in motorcycles, which allowed for shorter and lighter valve stems. In addition, unlike coil springs, the hairpin valve springs were not part of the up-and-down mass, which allowed higher speeds and lower spring pressure.

The engine debuted in a monoposto at the 1951 Bari Grand Prix, and served Ferrari well in ’52 and ’53, when the World Championship was contested by 2-liter cars. Lampredi’s four-cylinder was the power source to have, and Ascari won the title both years in the 500 F2. If you include the races that were not part of the World Championship, the Scuderia won 32 of 35 races the new four started, a phenomenal record—and an obvious choice for use in the company’s sports cars.

The resulting 500 Mondial (Italian for World, a reverent nod to Ascari’s championships) was gratefully accepted by the Scuderia’s clientele, and they raced extensively, especially in the USA and Italy. The model scored more than 50 podium finishes, and now it’s time for me to find out how.

TO START THE MONDIAL’S FOUR, I have to reach under the dashboard and pull a handle connected directly to the starter motor. It fires roughly but responds to the gas immediately, following the movement of the pedal with lightning speed. The engine makes it loud and clear that it’s a belligerent boss, but it’s not petulant. As soon as the very long-travel clutch pedal engages, I drive off without a jolt.

Lampredi’s four-cylinder does not like idling. If I do so for more than a few seconds, I then have to scrape the twin Webers’ four throats with a blast of gas to get it to pick up properly. S/n 0414 wears the largest Webers the Mondial was equipped with, the Tipo 50 DCOA/3, and with them it produces a healthy 185 horsepower at 7,500 rpm.

Incidentally, the engine is located far back, behind the front axle, technically making the Mondial a mid-engined car. That location is made possible in part because the four-speed transmission sits right behind the driver; this Ferrari utilizes a transaxle (and thus also offers ideal weight distribution). Even so, it shifts exactly like other classic Ferraris, with short movements of the lever and dry, mechanical clicks. The connecting rod between shifter and transmission is short and without many joints, so the Ferrari changes gears tightly and without play.

While maneuvering for the camera, the 500 Mondial behaves like a somewhat grumpy gentleman, but that changes completely when I give it the spurs on an open road. That’s when I discover that the Lampredi engine is fantastic, and very energetic. The maximum torque of 152 lb-ft is reached at 5,700 rpm, but the Mondial accelerates briskly well before that; I feel the push in my back getting stronger as the tachometer needle climbs further to the right.

Fourth gear is long for the highest possible top speed: 235 kmh (146 mph) according to statements of the time. In 1954, journalist Denis Jenkinson reported in MotorSport that the fastest cars on the 60-kilometer Brescia-Verona stretch averaged more than 185 kmh (115 mph), which must have been quite a feat in the open Mondial because the wind starts pounding firmly on me not far above 100 kmh (62 mph).

I’ve driven the 250 GTO and 250 GT SWB, and they are impressive cars—but the 500 Mondial is not far behind in terms of sensations and talent. It is smaller and lighter, and therefore more agile; its short wheelbase also contributes to this.

I quickly feel at home in the Mondial, which turns out to be a well-balanced sports-racer that gives me enough confidence to drive hard. If you have an open road in front and can accelerate without worries, this Ferrari will take you to euphoria in seconds.

The steering may feel a touch dead, but it is precise and reasonably quick. If the cars tilts a bit in the corners, the 6.00 × 16 Michelin X tires clearly communicate their contact with the asphalt.

The huge drum brakes, which fit narrowly inside the Borrani wire wheels, slow down the car fine, but it does take some hard pedaling. (On the other hand, locking the wheels seems barely possible.) Thanks to those hefty brakes,

I dare to use the 500’s power freely, which, in a road race like the Mille Miglia, must have been a big advantage. After all, you not only want to be able to build up speed quickly, but also shed it just as fast, since something unexpected could be lurking around every corner.

HAVING NOW DRIVEN THE 500 MONDIAL, and experienced its brutal power, fine brakes, nimbleness, and excellent weight distribution, I’m not surprised that Marzotto had wings during the ’54 Mille Miglia. There was murderous speed that year, especially from the big 4.9-liter Ferraris, which topped 250 kmh (155 mph). However, after many of the “big guns” dropped out, due in part to the abysmally bad mountain roads, the battle for victory began to play out more and more in the 2-liter class—specifically between Luigi Musso in his Maserati A6GCS and Vittorio Marzotto in his 500 Mondial, who were hot on each other’s heels.

In Mantua, the birthplace of Tazio Nuvolari, there were only seconds between the two drivers, which seemed almost impossible after such a long distance. By Brescia, they raced to the finish line as if it was the first lap of a Grand Prix, Jenkinson wrote in his race report.

Musso, who had started at five o’clock sharp, crossed the finish line first. Marzotto arrived just under 23 minutes later—and after the timekeepers did their calculations, Marzotto had won the 12-hour duel by just nine seconds to finish second overall.

Jenkinson concluded his ’54 report with the same words he had used the previous year: “He who wins the Mille Miglia is a driver of great stature—and his car is a sports car of great class.” Those words were obviously meant for winner Ascari and the Lancia D24, but as far as I’m concerned they apply just as much to Marzotto and the 500 Mondial.

That heart is Ferrari’s first normally aspirated V8 to reach the 400-hp mark. It’s an increase of 20 ponies over the F355, thanks to a 2-mm increase in stroke and resulting additional 90 cc of displacement. That’s not a lot by today’s standards, but since the 360 Spider tips the scales at a still respectable 3,197 lbs., it offers a respectable power-to-weight ratio.

This Spider’s owner, Greg Marucchi [“All Things Italian,” FORZA #214], remembers tracking the development of what was known internally as the Tipo F131 prior to its unveiling. Having an eye for detail, he decided to have his car’s number plate match the model’s code. This particular Ferrari was originally ordered with the Carrozzeria Scaglietti package, which explains the carbon-fiber seats, 360 Challenge rear grille, and “mesh instead of slats in the two front air intakes.

“It’s a wonderful all-round car,” Marucchi tells me. “When I’m in Cape Town, it’s my everyday car. I’m not into red Ferraris, so the color, Argento Nürburgring, was the right one for me. With the roof down, even on a cloudy spring day, there’s nothing quite like it, whether it’s the performance or the visual highlights, like seeing the engine as you walk up to the car.”

Phenomenal Four

It may not have that famous V12, but the light and agile four-cylinder 500 Mondial is a fabulous Ferrari to drive.

Story by Ton Roks

Photos by Luuk van Kaathoven

    

January 23, 2025

On May 2, 1954, at eight minutes past five in the morning, two young men from Brescia, Enzo and Alberto Neri, left the start line of the 21st Mille Miglia in this Ferrari 500 Mondial (s/n 0414MD). With their thoroughbred, they certainly had a chance to finish well, as fellow Mondial pilot Vittorio Marzotto would prove by crossing the finish line of the 1,600-kilometer race in second place.

Unfortunately for the Neris (who were not household names in the motorsport world and may or may not have been related) in the red Ferrari bearing number 508, their adventure was soon over. They passed the checkpoint in Ravenna, 300 kilometers in, but did not make it to Pescara due to a mechanical failure. Standing somewhere along the route, they may have been deeply disappointed to see eventual winner Alberto Ascari roar past in his mighty Lancia D24 along with Marzotto, who had started 15 minutes behind them.

According to marque historian Antoine Prunet, s/n 0414 was almost certainly the first of the five Mondials completed by Ferrari prior to the ’54 Mille Miglia. The car appears to have first been assigned s/n 0404, but for unknown reasons that number was cancelled and s/n 0414 was stamped in.

After completion, the Mondial was entered by Scuderia Ferrari for the Giro di Sicilia on April 4, with Paolo Marzotto as the driver and 331 as the race number, but it did not appear at the start. He did race s/n 0414 at the Coppa della Toscane on April 11, but did not finish.

Ferrari then sold the Mondial to Enzo Neri of Forli, who failed to cross the finish line at the Mille Miglia. Neri later registered for the Coppa d’Oro Shell at Imola, but did not arrive with his new acquisition.

The Ferrari next ended up in the United States, via another Italian owner, with collector David V. Uihlein, who had started his collection buying cars that had driven in the Indy 500, long before anyone realized they could ever be valuable. After Uihlein, the Mondial was owned by several other enthusiasts, mostly Americans, who drove it in local races.

Then, in 1998, s/n 0414 returned to Europe. It was purchased by Frits Kroymans, who had become The Netherlands’ Ferrari importer in 1972. In the more than 26 years since, the Ferrari has been Kroymans’ cherished possession; he has won several competitions with it, and in 2025 it will be driven in today’s Mille Miglia Retrospective by his son.

HOW EXCITING IT MUST HAVE BEEN TO DRIVE this machine in the original Mille Miglia. The 500 Mondial is as open as a car can be, with no roof or side windows, and it is in every way a pure racer, just like most of the cars Enzo Ferrari built at the time. I sit behind a small windshield, just high enough to push the driving wind slightly upward. There is no adornment whatsoever; almost everything around me is bare metal, and the rest is mostly functional, including the lone mirror.

To my left, a metal plate covers the space where a passenger seat once resided. Enzo Neri drove the Mille with a navigator—which, for the first time in the big race, was no longer mandatory for cars with engines larger than 750 cc. That a co-pilot was required for cars with small engines presumably had to do with the long (and exhausting) time they took to complete the race. It took Ascari 11 hours, 26 minutes in his D24, while the fastest Fiat 500 needed 17 hours, 25 minutes (which was still a handsome achievement).

The Ferrari’s instruments are housed in a panel immediately behind the steering wheel—which is on the right because most circuits were driven clockwise—where they would also be easily visible to the navigator. There are four small gauges: one shows the state of the 150-liter fuel tank, the others inform about oil pressure, oil temperature, and water temperature. There’s no speedometer, since Vmax was always the goal. Dead center sits the tachometer, from Veglia like the rest. This one goes up to 8,000 and there’s no redline indicated.

S/n 0414’s Pinin Farina bodywork is a picture, especially the beautiful tangent over the front wheels that continues through the small doors to the car’s shoulders. Also very pretty is the waistline that runs from the headlights in a graceful parabolic curve to the rear, where it dips to the pronounced rear fenders.

The stern is kept simple, with two small taillights, and is crowned by a distinctive quick-fill fuel cap. (Under the trunk lid, I find a spare tire and the fuel tank; peering down into the latter, I can see baffles that prevent the gasoline from surging back and forth.) The slanting grille in the nose is not as dominant and aggressive as that of a 166 Barchetta, but it does give the Mondial a somewhat hungry appearance, as if it wants to devour as many miles as possible in as short a time as possible. Which, of course, it what it was designed to do.

Of the 20 Mondials initially built, 18 were spiders and two were berlinettas, most bodied by Pinin Farina. In 1955, a second series of ten examples was produced, all with a larger (and less attractive) body by Scaglietti, new front suspension, and a slightly more powerful engine.

The 500 Mondial is mostly about its engine, a 2-liter four (hence the 500, which stands for the capacity per cylinder in cc). Why not a V12? Enzo Ferrari had noticed that HWM and Cooper monopostos gave his 12-cylinder cars quite a hard time, especially on tracks with many corners, because their four-cylinder engines developed maximum torque at much lower revs. The four-cylinder cars were also much lighter than Ferrari’s V12s.

So, one fine morning in June 1951, Enzo asked technical director Aurelio Lampredi to develop a four-cylinder racing engine. A few hours later, Lampredi had a first sketch of the new Tipo 500, which would become one of Ferrari’s most successful powerplants.

The all-aluminum four’s cylinder head and block were formed as one unit in order to avoid head gasket problems. Screwed into the block were four cast-iron cylinder sleeves, bringing the swept volume to 1,985 cc. The five-bearing crankshaft was milled entirely from one large lump of steel, while aluminum pistons featured a convex head for a compression ratio of 13:1.

Two hefty valves per cylinder could be quickly replaced in case of malfunction because the screwed-in cylinder liners were easily removable. Lampredi opted for hairpin valve springs, a technique that had previously made inroads in motorcycles, which allowed for shorter and lighter valve stems. In addition, unlike coil springs, the hairpin valve springs were not part of the up-and-down mass, which allowed higher speeds and lower spring pressure.

The engine debuted in a monoposto at the 1951 Bari Grand Prix, and served Ferrari well in ’52 and ’53, when the World Championship was contested by 2-liter cars. Lampredi’s four-cylinder was the power source to have, and Ascari won the title both years in the 500 F2. If you include the races that were not part of the World Championship, the Scuderia won 32 of 35 races the new four started, a phenomenal record—and an obvious choice for use in the company’s sports cars.

The resulting 500 Mondial (Italian for World, a reverent nod to Ascari’s championships) was gratefully accepted by the Scuderia’s clientele, and they raced extensively, especially in the USA and Italy. The model scored more than 50 podium finishes, and now it’s time for me to find out how.

TO START THE MONDIAL’S FOUR, I have to reach under the dashboard and pull a handle connected directly to the starter motor. It fires roughly but responds to the gas immediately, following the movement of the pedal with lightning speed. The engine makes it loud and clear that it’s a belligerent boss, but it’s not petulant. As soon as the very long-travel clutch pedal engages, I drive off without a jolt.

Lampredi’s four-cylinder does not like idling. If I do so for more than a few seconds, I then have to scrape the twin Webers’ four throats with a blast of gas to get it to pick up properly. S/n 0414 wears the largest Webers the Mondial was equipped with, the Tipo 50 DCOA/3, and with them it produces a healthy 185 horsepower at 7,500 rpm.

Incidentally, the engine is located far back, behind the front axle, technically making the Mondial a mid-engined car. That location is made possible in part because the four-speed transmission sits right behind the driver; this Ferrari utilizes a transaxle (and thus also offers ideal weight distribution). Even so, it shifts exactly like other classic Ferraris, with short movements of the lever and dry, mechanical clicks. The connecting rod between shifter and transmission is short and without many joints, so the Ferrari changes gears tightly and without play.

While maneuvering for the camera, the 500 Mondial behaves like a somewhat grumpy gentleman, but that changes completely when I give it the spurs on an open road. That’s when I discover that the Lampredi engine is fantastic, and very energetic. The maximum torque of 152 lb-ft is reached at 5,700 rpm, but the Mondial accelerates briskly well before that; I feel the push in my back getting stronger as the tachometer needle climbs further to the right.

Fourth gear is long for the highest possible top speed: 235 kmh (146 mph) according to statements of the time. In 1954, journalist Denis Jenkinson reported in MotorSport that the fastest cars on the 60-kilometer Brescia-Verona stretch averaged more than 185 kmh (115 mph), which must have been quite a feat in the open Mondial because the wind starts pounding firmly on me not far above 100 kmh (62 mph).

I’ve driven the 250 GTO and 250 GT SWB, and they are impressive cars—but the 500 Mondial is not far behind in terms of sensations and talent. It is smaller and lighter, and therefore more agile; its short wheelbase also contributes to this.

I quickly feel at home in the Mondial, which turns out to be a well-balanced sports-racer that gives me enough confidence to drive hard. If you have an open road in front and can accelerate without worries, this Ferrari will take you to euphoria in seconds.

The steering may feel a touch dead, but it is precise and reasonably quick. If the cars tilts a bit in the corners, the 6.00 × 16 Michelin X tires clearly communicate their contact with the asphalt.

The huge drum brakes, which fit narrowly inside the Borrani wire wheels, slow down the car fine, but it does take some hard pedaling. (On the other hand, locking the wheels seems barely possible.) Thanks to those hefty brakes,

I dare to use the 500’s power freely, which, in a road race like the Mille Miglia, must have been a big advantage. After all, you not only want to be able to build up speed quickly, but also shed it just as fast, since something unexpected could be lurking around every corner.

HAVING NOW DRIVEN THE 500 MONDIAL, and experienced its brutal power, fine brakes, nimbleness, and excellent weight distribution, I’m not surprised that Marzotto had wings during the ’54 Mille Miglia. There was murderous speed that year, especially from the big 4.9-liter Ferraris, which topped 250 kmh (155 mph). However, after many of the “big guns” dropped out, due in part to the abysmally bad mountain roads, the battle for victory began to play out more and more in the 2-liter class—specifically between Luigi Musso in his Maserati A6GCS and Vittorio Marzotto in his 500 Mondial, who were hot on each other’s heels.

In Mantua, the birthplace of Tazio Nuvolari, there were only seconds between the two drivers, which seemed almost impossible after such a long distance. By Brescia, they raced to the finish line as if it was the first lap of a Grand Prix, Jenkinson wrote in his race report.

Musso, who had started at five o’clock sharp, crossed the finish line first. Marzotto arrived just under 23 minutes later—and after the timekeepers did their calculations, Marzotto had won the 12-hour duel by just nine seconds to finish second overall.

Jenkinson concluded his ’54 report with the same words he had used the previous year: “He who wins the Mille Miglia is a driver of great stature—and his car is a sports car of great class.” Those words were obviously meant for winner Ascari and the Lancia D24, but as far as I’m concerned they apply just as much to Marzotto and the 500 Mondial.

The 348’s dog-leg first gear is a delightful reminder of cars from a couple of decades ago. Once the transmission fluid is warmed up, the shift action is not particularly heavy, but, sadly, there’s little of Ferrari’s traditional click-clack sound when I change gears. Unlike the earlier 328 or later F355, the 348 uses a cable shift mechanism. On the plus side, every shift is a bit of an event. While it can’t be rushed, why would I want to do so when every shift has such a satisfying, mechanical action to it?

Because there is no power steering, parking maneuvers are a pain, but that matters little when the Ferrari starts moving and I’m flooded with steering feedback. It has been a while since I’ve enjoyed a car’s steering feel to this extent, although it always takes some effort to make the 348 do what I want.

As I start to rev the engine harder, the V8 emits a more intense, soulful sound; its zest increases as it approaches the 7,500-rpm redline. There’s more than enough torque available in the middle of the rev range, but there’s no reason to dawdle when it’s so enjoyable to watch the orange tachometer needle spin as the engine howls away

Value & Versatility

There’s no cheaper way to get into a modern V12 Ferrari—and it even has a back seat.

    

December 1, 2022

The recently revealed Purosangue may be the first four-door four-seat Ferrari, but the marque’s two-door 2+2 “family cars” have long been part of its stable. While they are neither as fast nor sporting nor visually appealing as Maranello’s two-seaters, they are just as loved by owners; the 250 GTE, Ferrari’s first 2+2, was by far the most prolific model of the early 1960s.

By the late 1980s, however, enthusiasm had mostly evaporated for the company’s then-current 2+2, the 412, which had been in production in one form or another since 1972. A new car was sorely needed, and in late 1992 Ferrari unveiled the sleek, modern, all-new 456 GT.

The most obvious change from old to new was the understated, flowing aluminum bodywork, which owed as much to Pininfarina’s designers as the wind tunnel. As a result of the latter, the 456 received Ferrari’s first road-going active aerodynamic device: a small spoiler that deployed from underneath the rear bumper.

While the 456 was still built on a traditional steel frame, its underpinnings were anything but typical. Speed-sensitive power steering was used for the first time, while electrically adjustable shock absorbers made their first appearance in the V12 lineup.

The 5.5-liter V12 was the first to feature a 65° vee, an angle between cylinder banks that’s been used ever since. The engine produced 442 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque, output sufficient to launch the 3,726-pound car to 60 mph in a tick over 5 seconds. Top speed was 186 mph, and that terminal velocity could be reached in comfort thanks to the 456’s luxurious cabin.

The powerful and flexible V12 was paired with Ferrari’s first six-speed manual transmission when the 456 arrived in the U.S. in 1994. In ’97, however, Ferrari introduced the GTA variant, which featured an electronically controlled four-speed automatic built by Ricardo around General Motors’ internals.

In 1998, the updated 456M (for Modificata) debuted. The M received a light face-lift—the most noticeable changes were the deletion of hood vents in the now carbon-fiber hood and foglights set in the grille rather than the bumper—and a much more modern-feeling interior. While no more powerful on paper than the original car, the M felt faster in the real world. It was also more refined and better handling than its predecessor, thanks to the introduction of traction control and revised shock absorbers.

The 456 and 456M were essentially four-seat supercars when new. Today, these machines have the added bonus of being great buys; there’s no cheaper way to get into one of Maranello’s modern V12s. For anyone who wants a refined yet seriously fast Ferrari with room for the kids, check out the 456.

Marketplace

When introduced in 1992, the 456 GT was the first of the Luca di Montezemolo-era V12 Ferraris, a faster and more luxurious replacement for the earlier 400 and 412. Sales were slow due to the new car’s bland styling, a $200,000+ window sticker, and a reputation for serious quality issues, ranging from poorly sealing door windows to multiple electrical gremlins. That reputation was well earned, with extensive warranty repairs forcing Ferrari to pause production for the ’96 model year.

Production resumed for the ’97 model year, when the introduction of the automatic transmission-equipped GTA helped revitalize sales. The arrival of the improved 456M (and M GTA) in 1998 also helped move cars, although M sales never reached the level of the original.

Although produced from 1992 to 2003, the 456 and 456M are relatively rare cars today (especially when compared to Ferrari’s V8 models) due to their slow sales when new. Total production for the 456 reached 1,548 GTs and 403 GTAs, and when 456M production ended in 2004, just 640 stick-shifts and 631 automatics had been built. That’s a grand total of 3,222 cars, an average of fewer than 300 sales per year.

Happily for today’s buyer, these low build numbers haven’t translated into high prices. The 456 and 456M are the least-expensive modern V12 Ferraris on the market, and they’re fully depreciated from their $200,000-250,000 base prices when new.

Three-pedal cars are currently all the rage, so six-speed models, which offer much better performance on the street, sell for a substantial premium over the four-speed automatics. As usual, “high-mileage” cars cost significantly less than lower-mileage ones, but it’s rare to come across a 456 that doesn’t have at least 10,000 miles on the clock, with 15,000-20,000 miles being common and 30,000-40,000 miles not unusual. Higher mileage shouldn’t necessarily be a deterrent to buying a 456, as most of these cars’ problem areas are influenced by time, not usage. —Michael Sheehan

Model	Low	High
456	$60,000	$100,000
456 GTA	$50,000	$70,000
456M	$100,000	$150,000
456M GTA	$60,000	$80,000

These prices are for cars in good-to-great condition as of November 2022.

The Garage

There’s a lot to like about the 456. It’s affordable, it’s fast, it’s comfortable, and it offers enough room in back for small humans, dogs, and/or luggage that won’t fit in the trunk. Unfortunately, this luxurious model was plagued with problems when new, and some of those problems remain challenges today.

The biggest issue likely relates to the door windows, which suffer from suspect window regulators and notoriously poorly designed window seals. Ferrari redesigned the latter, and the updated seals offer a significant improvement, but it wasn’t until the 456M that most of the regulator-related issues were resolved.

Also updated during the 456’s lifespan were its fast-wearing motor mounts. If the mounts wear enough to allow the engine to rest on the speed-sensitive steering rack (itself a potentially problematic item), the oil-pressure sending unit can get snapped off by the front anti-roll bar, leading to an abrupt loss of engine oil. This is as bad a scenario as it sounds, so make sure your mechanic checks the mounts at every service and fits the newer version when it’s time for replacement.

If the V12’s valve guides (the same as used in the F355) wear out, make sure to replace them with the factory’s updated steel guides. Expect a five-figure repair bill if this happens, since the heads need to be pulled off the block.

Less expensive but more common are disintegrating rubber components inside the fuel tank. The 456’s fuel pumps sit on rubber mounts, which disintegrate over time thanks to today’s gasoline formulations. The bigger concern is that these bits of rubber can get sucked into the pumps, lines, and even the fuel injectors, and removing and cleaning the entire fuel system is a long and laborious process. To date, there are no non-disintegrating replacement mounts available.

The 456’s combination of high performance and hefty curb weight means that the front tires and front brakes are usually good for only about 10,000 miles. That’s also about the time the self-leveling rear shocks will begin to leak. Factory replacements are very expensive, but Delta Vee Motorsports will rebuild the originals for far less.

While on the topic of wearing out, the 456’s seat potentiometers are problematic. Replacements from the factory are expensive, but the same items from the Jaguar parts catalog cost much less.

Thanks to the large windshield and rear hatch glass, the dashboard and rear package tray get baked by the sun if the car is left uncovered. This will eventually lead to the leather shrinking. Removing, recovering, and reinstalling the dash and package tray will cost many thousands of dollars.

Like all Ferraris of its era, the 456 features Ferrari’s infamous “sticky” interior controls. New parts are hard to find (and sometimes come out of the box already sticky), but the originals can be refurbished at a reasonable price by various companies, most prominently Sticky No More.

When it comes to regular servicing, the 456’s V12 was the last to have solid lifters (which must be checked and adjusted during a cam-belt service) and the first to utilize a timing belt (which should be replaced every five years or 30,000 miles). An annual fluid-change-and-safety inspection will usually cost around $1,000-2,000, while a major service typically runs $6,000-8,000 on a stick-shift car. Prices are higher for automatic-equipped cars, around $8,000-10,000, since the rear bumper, transmission cooler, and other components must be removed during the process. A major service is often a good time to replace the factory’s low-quality coolant hoses (Scuderia Rampante offers high-quality replacements) and intake gaskets (updated factory items are available). —Michael Sheehan

On The Road

The 456 and 456M are less sporting than their 550/575M stablemates, but they offer a much more relaxed driving experience. Here’s some of what we’ve said about these four-seat supercars.

“Veni, Vidi, Vici,” FORZA #85

The 456M turns in smoothly and is very nimble for its size, but I’m always aware of its weight as the pace quickens. The car leans a lot, too, even in Sport mode, though this doesn’t seem to affect its overall grip; more than once, I exit a corner only to realize I could have taken it faster.

The 456 is no canyon carver [compared to the 550 Maranello and F355], but as soon as the road opens up a bit the big Ferrari is back in its element: planted, powerful, quiet, and extremely comfortable. Even if it didn’t have back seats, this is definitely the car of the three to take on a road trip; the 456 delivers a sense of effortlessness the other two can’t match, simply eating up the miles.

“The ‘Practical’ Ferrari,” FORZA #53

As inviting as the 456M’s interior is, it has one shortcoming compared to the 456 GT: It doesn’t fit taller, longer-legged drivers as well as the earlier car. I’m six-foot-three, and while the headroom is more than adequate, the M’s seat rails would have to be moved rearward for someone my size to seriously consider owning one. The steering wheel, too, is closer than it should be.

The character of the M’s engine is different from that of the 456 GT. Although that car was also very fast, this feels a good deal quicker, and it has an aural excitement the earlier model lacks. You hear this engine, and its smooth growl under full throttle is amazing.

“With the 456M to Portofino,” FORZA #13

The 65° V12 responds crisply to the accelerator’s urge over 4,000 rpm, like a grissini snapping between your teeth. But, unlike the sportier and lighter 550 Maranello, there’s a smooth velvety edge to the power delivery. The 456M might not have the hearty aggression of its younger sibling, but its performance envelope is so far inside true supercar territory that it makes no difference.

This big Ferrari has huge grip and generates addictive levels of sideways g. But when you feel the little black box working its magic during serious high-speed sweepers, you instinctively feel grateful for that margin of safety the ASR gives.

In Sport mode, body (and there’s plenty of it, at 3,726 lbs.) control is exemplary through undulating switchbacks, the chassis exquisitely damped and settling fluidly into corners. Fierce braking into bends still shows a marked tendency for the nose to dive, but the front end now feels altogether more of a cohesive whole, stubbornly tracking the steering wheel’s chosen line.

“The Seduction,” FORZA #3

I stop the 456 GT and slip the gear lever into third. Keeping the revs in the neighborhood of 1,500 rpm and feathering the clutch ever so carefully, I ease her off and she gets up and goes without complaining at all, gathering a considerable head of steam as she clears 100 mph in the same gear! Such a test provides proof of the astounding flexibility of what is likely the most refined engine ever to emanate from Maranello.

While traveling at triple-digit speeds, the composure of the chassis, suspension, and powerplant is awe-inspiring. The car doesn’t even break a sweat.

The 348’s dog-leg first gear is a delightful reminder of cars from a couple of decades ago. Once the transmission fluid is warmed up, the shift action is not particularly heavy, but, sadly, there’s little of Ferrari’s traditional click-clack sound when I change gears. Unlike the earlier 328 or later F355, the 348 uses a cable shift mechanism. On the plus side, every shift is a bit of an event. While it can’t be rushed, why would I want to do so when every shift has such a satisfying, mechanical action to it?

Because there is no power steering, parking maneuvers are a pain, but that matters little when the Ferrari starts moving and I’m flooded with steering feedback. It has been a while since I’ve enjoyed a car’s steering feel to this extent, although it always takes some effort to make the 348 do what I want.

As I start to rev the engine harder, the V8 emits a more intense, soulful sound; its zest increases as it approaches the 7,500-rpm redline. There’s more than enough torque available in the middle of the rev range, but there’s no reason to dawdle when it’s so enjoyable to watch the orange tachometer needle spin as the engine howls away

Value & Versatility

There’s no cheaper way to get into a modern V12 Ferrari—and it even has a back seat.

    

December 1, 2022

The recently revealed Purosangue may be the first four-door four-seat Ferrari, but the marque’s two-door 2+2 “family cars” have long been part of its stable. While they are neither as fast nor sporting nor visually appealing as Maranello’s two-seaters, they are just as loved by owners; the 250 GTE, Ferrari’s first 2+2, was by far the most prolific model of the early 1960s.

By the late 1980s, however, enthusiasm had mostly evaporated for the company’s then-current 2+2, the 412, which had been in production in one form or another since 1972. A new car was sorely needed, and in late 1992 Ferrari unveiled the sleek, modern, all-new 456 GT.

The most obvious change from old to new was the understated, flowing aluminum bodywork, which owed as much to Pininfarina’s designers as the wind tunnel. As a result of the latter, the 456 received Ferrari’s first road-going active aerodynamic device: a small spoiler that deployed from underneath the rear bumper.

While the 456 was still built on a traditional steel frame, its underpinnings were anything but typical. Speed-sensitive power steering was used for the first time, while electrically adjustable shock absorbers made their first appearance in the V12 lineup.

The 5.5-liter V12 was the first to feature a 65° vee, an angle between cylinder banks that’s been used ever since. The engine produced 442 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque, output sufficient to launch the 3,726-pound car to 60 mph in a tick over 5 seconds. Top speed was 186 mph, and that terminal velocity could be reached in comfort thanks to the 456’s luxurious cabin.

The powerful and flexible V12 was paired with Ferrari’s first six-speed manual transmission when the 456 arrived in the U.S. in 1994. In ’97, however, Ferrari introduced the GTA variant, which featured an electronically controlled four-speed automatic built by Ricardo around General Motors’ internals.

In 1998, the updated 456M (for Modificata) debuted. The M received a light face-lift—the most noticeable changes were the deletion of hood vents in the now carbon-fiber hood and foglights set in the grille rather than the bumper—and a much more modern-feeling interior. While no more powerful on paper than the original car, the M felt faster in the real world. It was also more refined and better handling than its predecessor, thanks to the introduction of traction control and revised shock absorbers.

The 456 and 456M were essentially four-seat supercars when new. Today, these machines have the added bonus of being great buys; there’s no cheaper way to get into one of Maranello’s modern V12s. For anyone who wants a refined yet seriously fast Ferrari with room for the kids, check out the 456.

Marketplace

When introduced in 1992, the 456 GT was the first of the Luca di Montezemolo-era V12 Ferraris, a faster and more luxurious replacement for the earlier 400 and 412. Sales were slow due to the new car’s bland styling, a $200,000+ window sticker, and a reputation for serious quality issues, ranging from poorly sealing door windows to multiple electrical gremlins. That reputation was well earned, with extensive warranty repairs forcing Ferrari to pause production for the ’96 model year.

Production resumed for the ’97 model year, when the introduction of the automatic transmission-equipped GTA helped revitalize sales. The arrival of the improved 456M (and M GTA) in 1998 also helped move cars, although M sales never reached the level of the original.

Although produced from 1992 to 2003, the 456 and 456M are relatively rare cars today (especially when compared to Ferrari’s V8 models) due to their slow sales when new. Total production for the 456 reached 1,548 GTs and 403 GTAs, and when 456M production ended in 2004, just 640 stick-shifts and 631 automatics had been built. That’s a grand total of 3,222 cars, an average of fewer than 300 sales per year.

Happily for today’s buyer, these low build numbers haven’t translated into high prices. The 456 and 456M are the least-expensive modern V12 Ferraris on the market, and they’re fully depreciated from their $200,000-250,000 base prices when new.

Three-pedal cars are currently all the rage, so six-speed models, which offer much better performance on the street, sell for a substantial premium over the four-speed automatics. As usual, “high-mileage” cars cost significantly less than lower-mileage ones, but it’s rare to come across a 456 that doesn’t have at least 10,000 miles on the clock, with 15,000-20,000 miles being common and 30,000-40,000 miles not unusual. Higher mileage shouldn’t necessarily be a deterrent to buying a 456, as most of these cars’ problem areas are influenced by time, not usage. —Michael Sheehan

Model	Low	High
456	$60,000	$100,000
456 GTA	$50,000	$70,000
456M	$100,000	$150,000
456M GTA	$60,000	$80,000

These prices are for cars in good-to-great condition as of November 2022.

The Garage

There’s a lot to like about the 456. It’s affordable, it’s fast, it’s comfortable, and it offers enough room in back for small humans, dogs, and/or luggage that won’t fit in the trunk. Unfortunately, this luxurious model was plagued with problems when new, and some of those problems remain challenges today.

The biggest issue likely relates to the door windows, which suffer from suspect window regulators and notoriously poorly designed window seals. Ferrari redesigned the latter, and the updated seals offer a significant improvement, but it wasn’t until the 456M that most of the regulator-related issues were resolved.

Also updated during the 456’s lifespan were its fast-wearing motor mounts. If the mounts wear enough to allow the engine to rest on the speed-sensitive steering rack (itself a potentially problematic item), the oil-pressure sending unit can get snapped off by the front anti-roll bar, leading to an abrupt loss of engine oil. This is as bad a scenario as it sounds, so make sure your mechanic checks the mounts at every service and fits the newer version when it’s time for replacement.

If the V12’s valve guides (the same as used in the F355) wear out, make sure to replace them with the factory’s updated steel guides. Expect a five-figure repair bill if this happens, since the heads need to be pulled off the block.

Less expensive but more common are disintegrating rubber components inside the fuel tank. The 456’s fuel pumps sit on rubber mounts, which disintegrate over time thanks to today’s gasoline formulations. The bigger concern is that these bits of rubber can get sucked into the pumps, lines, and even the fuel injectors, and removing and cleaning the entire fuel system is a long and laborious process. To date, there are no non-disintegrating replacement mounts available.

The 456’s combination of high performance and hefty curb weight means that the front tires and front brakes are usually good for only about 10,000 miles. That’s also about the time the self-leveling rear shocks will begin to leak. Factory replacements are very expensive, but Delta Vee Motorsports will rebuild the originals for far less.

While on the topic of wearing out, the 456’s seat potentiometers are problematic. Replacements from the factory are expensive, but the same items from the Jaguar parts catalog cost much less.

Thanks to the large windshield and rear hatch glass, the dashboard and rear package tray get baked by the sun if the car is left uncovered. This will eventually lead to the leather shrinking. Removing, recovering, and reinstalling the dash and package tray will cost many thousands of dollars.

Like all Ferraris of its era, the 456 features Ferrari’s infamous “sticky” interior controls. New parts are hard to find (and sometimes come out of the box already sticky), but the originals can be refurbished at a reasonable price by various companies, most prominently Sticky No More.

When it comes to regular servicing, the 456’s V12 was the last to have solid lifters (which must be checked and adjusted during a cam-belt service) and the first to utilize a timing belt (which should be replaced every five years or 30,000 miles). An annual fluid-change-and-safety inspection will usually cost around $1,000-2,000, while a major service typically runs $6,000-8,000 on a stick-shift car. Prices are higher for automatic-equipped cars, around $8,000-10,000, since the rear bumper, transmission cooler, and other components must be removed during the process. A major service is often a good time to replace the factory’s low-quality coolant hoses (Scuderia Rampante offers high-quality replacements) and intake gaskets (updated factory items are available). —Michael Sheehan

On The Road

The 456 and 456M are less sporting than their 550/575M stablemates, but they offer a much more relaxed driving experience. Here’s some of what we’ve said about these four-seat supercars.

“Veni, Vidi, Vici,” FORZA #85

The 456M turns in smoothly and is very nimble for its size, but I’m always aware of its weight as the pace quickens. The car leans a lot, too, even in Sport mode, though this doesn’t seem to affect its overall grip; more than once, I exit a corner only to realize I could have taken it faster.

The 456 is no canyon carver [compared to the 550 Maranello and F355], but as soon as the road opens up a bit the big Ferrari is back in its element: planted, powerful, quiet, and extremely comfortable. Even if it didn’t have back seats, this is definitely the car of the three to take on a road trip; the 456 delivers a sense of effortlessness the other two can’t match, simply eating up the miles.

“The ‘Practical’ Ferrari,” FORZA #53

As inviting as the 456M’s interior is, it has one shortcoming compared to the 456 GT: It doesn’t fit taller, longer-legged drivers as well as the earlier car. I’m six-foot-three, and while the headroom is more than adequate, the M’s seat rails would have to be moved rearward for someone my size to seriously consider owning one. The steering wheel, too, is closer than it should be.

The character of the M’s engine is different from that of the 456 GT. Although that car was also very fast, this feels a good deal quicker, and it has an aural excitement the earlier model lacks. You hear this engine, and its smooth growl under full throttle is amazing.

“With the 456M to Portofino,” FORZA #13

The 65° V12 responds crisply to the accelerator’s urge over 4,000 rpm, like a grissini snapping between your teeth. But, unlike the sportier and lighter 550 Maranello, there’s a smooth velvety edge to the power delivery. The 456M might not have the hearty aggression of its younger sibling, but its performance envelope is so far inside true supercar territory that it makes no difference.

This big Ferrari has huge grip and generates addictive levels of sideways g. But when you feel the little black box working its magic during serious high-speed sweepers, you instinctively feel grateful for that margin of safety the ASR gives.

In Sport mode, body (and there’s plenty of it, at 3,726 lbs.) control is exemplary through undulating switchbacks, the chassis exquisitely damped and settling fluidly into corners. Fierce braking into bends still shows a marked tendency for the nose to dive, but the front end now feels altogether more of a cohesive whole, stubbornly tracking the steering wheel’s chosen line.

“The Seduction,” FORZA #3

I stop the 456 GT and slip the gear lever into third. Keeping the revs in the neighborhood of 1,500 rpm and feathering the clutch ever so carefully, I ease her off and she gets up and goes without complaining at all, gathering a considerable head of steam as she clears 100 mph in the same gear! Such a test provides proof of the astounding flexibility of what is likely the most refined engine ever to emanate from Maranello.

While traveling at triple-digit speeds, the composure of the chassis, suspension, and powerplant is awe-inspiring. The car doesn’t even break a sweat.

The 348’s dog-leg first gear is a delightful reminder of cars from a couple of decades ago. Once the transmission fluid is warmed up, the shift action is not particularly heavy, but, sadly, there’s little of Ferrari’s traditional click-clack sound when I change gears. Unlike the earlier 328 or later F355, the 348 uses a cable shift mechanism. On the plus side, every shift is a bit of an event. While it can’t be rushed, why would I want to do so when every shift has such a satisfying, mechanical action to it?

Because there is no power steering, parking maneuvers are a pain, but that matters little when the Ferrari starts moving and I’m flooded with steering feedback. It has been a while since I’ve enjoyed a car’s steering feel to this extent, although it always takes some effort to make the 348 do what I want.

As I start to rev the engine harder, the V8 emits a more intense, soulful sound; its zest increases as it approaches the 7,500-rpm redline. There’s more than enough torque available in the middle of the rev range, but there’s no reason to dawdle when it’s so enjoyable to watch the orange tachometer needle spin as the engine howls away

Value & Versatility

There’s no cheaper way to get into a modern V12 Ferrari—and it even has a back seat.

    

December 1, 2022

The recently revealed Purosangue may be the first four-door four-seat Ferrari, but the marque’s two-door 2+2 “family cars” have long been part of its stable. While they are neither as fast nor sporting nor visually appealing as Maranello’s two-seaters, they are just as loved by owners; the 250 GTE, Ferrari’s first 2+2, was by far the most prolific model of the early 1960s.

By the late 1980s, however, enthusiasm had mostly evaporated for the company’s then-current 2+2, the 412, which had been in production in one form or another since 1972. A new car was sorely needed, and in late 1992 Ferrari unveiled the sleek, modern, all-new 456 GT.

The most obvious change from old to new was the understated, flowing aluminum bodywork, which owed as much to Pininfarina’s designers as the wind tunnel. As a result of the latter, the 456 received Ferrari’s first road-going active aerodynamic device: a small spoiler that deployed from underneath the rear bumper.

While the 456 was still built on a traditional steel frame, its underpinnings were anything but typical. Speed-sensitive power steering was used for the first time, while electrically adjustable shock absorbers made their first appearance in the V12 lineup.

The 5.5-liter V12 was the first to feature a 65° vee, an angle between cylinder banks that’s been used ever since. The engine produced 442 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque, output sufficient to launch the 3,726-pound car to 60 mph in a tick over 5 seconds. Top speed was 186 mph, and that terminal velocity could be reached in comfort thanks to the 456’s luxurious cabin.

The powerful and flexible V12 was paired with Ferrari’s first six-speed manual transmission when the 456 arrived in the U.S. in 1994. In ’97, however, Ferrari introduced the GTA variant, which featured an electronically controlled four-speed automatic built by Ricardo around General Motors’ internals.

In 1998, the updated 456M (for Modificata) debuted. The M received a light face-lift—the most noticeable changes were the deletion of hood vents in the now carbon-fiber hood and foglights set in the grille rather than the bumper—and a much more modern-feeling interior. While no more powerful on paper than the original car, the M felt faster in the real world. It was also more refined and better handling than its predecessor, thanks to the introduction of traction control and revised shock absorbers.

The 456 and 456M were essentially four-seat supercars when new. Today, these machines have the added bonus of being great buys; there’s no cheaper way to get into one of Maranello’s modern V12s. For anyone who wants a refined yet seriously fast Ferrari with room for the kids, check out the 456.

Marketplace

When introduced in 1992, the 456 GT was the first of the Luca di Montezemolo-era V12 Ferraris, a faster and more luxurious replacement for the earlier 400 and 412. Sales were slow due to the new car’s bland styling, a $200,000+ window sticker, and a reputation for serious quality issues, ranging from poorly sealing door windows to multiple electrical gremlins. That reputation was well earned, with extensive warranty repairs forcing Ferrari to pause production for the ’96 model year.

Production resumed for the ’97 model year, when the introduction of the automatic transmission-equipped GTA helped revitalize sales. The arrival of the improved 456M (and M GTA) in 1998 also helped move cars, although M sales never reached the level of the original.

Although produced from 1992 to 2003, the 456 and 456M are relatively rare cars today (especially when compared to Ferrari’s V8 models) due to their slow sales when new. Total production for the 456 reached 1,548 GTs and 403 GTAs, and when 456M production ended in 2004, just 640 stick-shifts and 631 automatics had been built. That’s a grand total of 3,222 cars, an average of fewer than 300 sales per year.

Happily for today’s buyer, these low build numbers haven’t translated into high prices. The 456 and 456M are the least-expensive modern V12 Ferraris on the market, and they’re fully depreciated from their $200,000-250,000 base prices when new.

Three-pedal cars are currently all the rage, so six-speed models, which offer much better performance on the street, sell for a substantial premium over the four-speed automatics. As usual, “high-mileage” cars cost significantly less than lower-mileage ones, but it’s rare to come across a 456 that doesn’t have at least 10,000 miles on the clock, with 15,000-20,000 miles being common and 30,000-40,000 miles not unusual. Higher mileage shouldn’t necessarily be a deterrent to buying a 456, as most of these cars’ problem areas are influenced by time, not usage. —Michael Sheehan

Model	Low	High
456	$60,000	$100,000
456 GTA	$50,000	$70,000
456M	$100,000	$150,000
456M GTA	$60,000	$80,000

These prices are for cars in good-to-great condition as of November 2022.

The Garage

There’s a lot to like about the 456. It’s affordable, it’s fast, it’s comfortable, and it offers enough room in back for small humans, dogs, and/or luggage that won’t fit in the trunk. Unfortunately, this luxurious model was plagued with problems when new, and some of those problems remain challenges today.

The biggest issue likely relates to the door windows, which suffer from suspect window regulators and notoriously poorly designed window seals. Ferrari redesigned the latter, and the updated seals offer a significant improvement, but it wasn’t until the 456M that most of the regulator-related issues were resolved.

Also updated during the 456’s lifespan were its fast-wearing motor mounts. If the mounts wear enough to allow the engine to rest on the speed-sensitive steering rack (itself a potentially problematic item), the oil-pressure sending unit can get snapped off by the front anti-roll bar, leading to an abrupt loss of engine oil. This is as bad a scenario as it sounds, so make sure your mechanic checks the mounts at every service and fits the newer version when it’s time for replacement.

If the V12’s valve guides (the same as used in the F355) wear out, make sure to replace them with the factory’s updated steel guides. Expect a five-figure repair bill if this happens, since the heads need to be pulled off the block.

Less expensive but more common are disintegrating rubber components inside the fuel tank. The 456’s fuel pumps sit on rubber mounts, which disintegrate over time thanks to today’s gasoline formulations. The bigger concern is that these bits of rubber can get sucked into the pumps, lines, and even the fuel injectors, and removing and cleaning the entire fuel system is a long and laborious process. To date, there are no non-disintegrating replacement mounts available.

The 456’s combination of high performance and hefty curb weight means that the front tires and front brakes are usually good for only about 10,000 miles. That’s also about the time the self-leveling rear shocks will begin to leak. Factory replacements are very expensive, but Delta Vee Motorsports will rebuild the originals for far less.

While on the topic of wearing out, the 456’s seat potentiometers are problematic. Replacements from the factory are expensive, but the same items from the Jaguar parts catalog cost much less.

Thanks to the large windshield and rear hatch glass, the dashboard and rear package tray get baked by the sun if the car is left uncovered. This will eventually lead to the leather shrinking. Removing, recovering, and reinstalling the dash and package tray will cost many thousands of dollars.

Like all Ferraris of its era, the 456 features Ferrari’s infamous “sticky” interior controls. New parts are hard to find (and sometimes come out of the box already sticky), but the originals can be refurbished at a reasonable price by various companies, most prominently Sticky No More.

When it comes to regular servicing, the 456’s V12 was the last to have solid lifters (which must be checked and adjusted during a cam-belt service) and the first to utilize a timing belt (which should be replaced every five years or 30,000 miles). An annual fluid-change-and-safety inspection will usually cost around $1,000-2,000, while a major service typically runs $6,000-8,000 on a stick-shift car. Prices are higher for automatic-equipped cars, around $8,000-10,000, since the rear bumper, transmission cooler, and other components must be removed during the process. A major service is often a good time to replace the factory’s low-quality coolant hoses (Scuderia Rampante offers high-quality replacements) and intake gaskets (updated factory items are available). —Michael Sheehan

On The Road

The 456 and 456M are less sporting than their 550/575M stablemates, but they offer a much more relaxed driving experience. Here’s some of what we’ve said about these four-seat supercars.

“Veni, Vidi, Vici,” FORZA #85

The 456M turns in smoothly and is very nimble for its size, but I’m always aware of its weight as the pace quickens. The car leans a lot, too, even in Sport mode, though this doesn’t seem to affect its overall grip; more than once, I exit a corner only to realize I could have taken it faster.

The 456 is no canyon carver [compared to the 550 Maranello and F355], but as soon as the road opens up a bit the big Ferrari is back in its element: planted, powerful, quiet, and extremely comfortable. Even if it didn’t have back seats, this is definitely the car of the three to take on a road trip; the 456 delivers a sense of effortlessness the other two can’t match, simply eating up the miles.

“The ‘Practical’ Ferrari,” FORZA #53

As inviting as the 456M’s interior is, it has one shortcoming compared to the 456 GT: It doesn’t fit taller, longer-legged drivers as well as the earlier car. I’m six-foot-three, and while the headroom is more than adequate, the M’s seat rails would have to be moved rearward for someone my size to seriously consider owning one. The steering wheel, too, is closer than it should be.

The character of the M’s engine is different from that of the 456 GT. Although that car was also very fast, this feels a good deal quicker, and it has an aural excitement the earlier model lacks. You hear this engine, and its smooth growl under full throttle is amazing.

“With the 456M to Portofino,” FORZA #13

The 65° V12 responds crisply to the accelerator’s urge over 4,000 rpm, like a grissini snapping between your teeth. But, unlike the sportier and lighter 550 Maranello, there’s a smooth velvety edge to the power delivery. The 456M might not have the hearty aggression of its younger sibling, but its performance envelope is so far inside true supercar territory that it makes no difference.

This big Ferrari has huge grip and generates addictive levels of sideways g. But when you feel the little black box working its magic during serious high-speed sweepers, you instinctively feel grateful for that margin of safety the ASR gives.

In Sport mode, body (and there’s plenty of it, at 3,726 lbs.) control is exemplary through undulating switchbacks, the chassis exquisitely damped and settling fluidly into corners. Fierce braking into bends still shows a marked tendency for the nose to dive, but the front end now feels altogether more of a cohesive whole, stubbornly tracking the steering wheel’s chosen line.

“The Seduction,” FORZA #3

I stop the 456 GT and slip the gear lever into third. Keeping the revs in the neighborhood of 1,500 rpm and feathering the clutch ever so carefully, I ease her off and she gets up and goes without complaining at all, gathering a considerable head of steam as she clears 100 mph in the same gear! Such a test provides proof of the astounding flexibility of what is likely the most refined engine ever to emanate from Maranello.

While traveling at triple-digit speeds, the composure of the chassis, suspension, and powerplant is awe-inspiring. The car doesn’t even break a sweat.

The 348’s dog-leg first gear is a delightful reminder of cars from a couple of decades ago. Once the transmission fluid is warmed up, the shift action is not particularly heavy, but, sadly, there’s little of Ferrari’s traditional click-clack sound when I change gears. Unlike the earlier 328 or later F355, the 348 uses a cable shift mechanism. On the plus side, every shift is a bit of an event. While it can’t be rushed, why would I want to do so when every shift has such a satisfying, mechanical action to it?

Because there is no power steering, parking maneuvers are a pain, but that matters little when the Ferrari starts moving and I’m flooded with steering feedback. It has been a while since I’ve enjoyed a car’s steering feel to this extent, although it always takes some effort to make the 348 do what I want.

As I start to rev the engine harder, the V8 emits a more intense, soulful sound; its zest increases as it approaches the 7,500-rpm redline. There’s more than enough torque available in the middle of the rev range, but there’s no reason to dawdle when it’s so enjoyable to watch the orange tachometer needle spin as the engine howls away

Value & Versatility

There’s no cheaper way to get into a modern V12 Ferrari—and it even has a back seat.

    

December 1, 2022

The recently revealed Purosangue may be the first four-door four-seat Ferrari, but the marque’s two-door 2+2 “family cars” have long been part of its stable. While they are neither as fast nor sporting nor visually appealing as Maranello’s two-seaters, they are just as loved by owners; the 250 GTE, Ferrari’s first 2+2, was by far the most prolific model of the early 1960s.

By the late 1980s, however, enthusiasm had mostly evaporated for the company’s then-current 2+2, the 412, which had been in production in one form or another since 1972. A new car was sorely needed, and in late 1992 Ferrari unveiled the sleek, modern, all-new 456 GT.

The most obvious change from old to new was the understated, flowing aluminum bodywork, which owed as much to Pininfarina’s designers as the wind tunnel. As a result of the latter, the 456 received Ferrari’s first road-going active aerodynamic device: a small spoiler that deployed from underneath the rear bumper.

While the 456 was still built on a traditional steel frame, its underpinnings were anything but typical. Speed-sensitive power steering was used for the first time, while electrically adjustable shock absorbers made their first appearance in the V12 lineup.

The 5.5-liter V12 was the first to feature a 65° vee, an angle between cylinder banks that’s been used ever since. The engine produced 442 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque, output sufficient to launch the 3,726-pound car to 60 mph in a tick over 5 seconds. Top speed was 186 mph, and that terminal velocity could be reached in comfort thanks to the 456’s luxurious cabin.

The powerful and flexible V12 was paired with Ferrari’s first six-speed manual transmission when the 456 arrived in the U.S. in 1994. In ’97, however, Ferrari introduced the GTA variant, which featured an electronically controlled four-speed automatic built by Ricardo around General Motors’ internals.

In 1998, the updated 456M (for Modificata) debuted. The M received a light face-lift—the most noticeable changes were the deletion of hood vents in the now carbon-fiber hood and foglights set in the grille rather than the bumper—and a much more modern-feeling interior. While no more powerful on paper than the original car, the M felt faster in the real world. It was also more refined and better handling than its predecessor, thanks to the introduction of traction control and revised shock absorbers.

The 456 and 456M were essentially four-seat supercars when new. Today, these machines have the added bonus of being great buys; there’s no cheaper way to get into one of Maranello’s modern V12s. For anyone who wants a refined yet seriously fast Ferrari with room for the kids, check out the 456.

Marketplace

When introduced in 1992, the 456 GT was the first of the Luca di Montezemolo-era V12 Ferraris, a faster and more luxurious replacement for the earlier 400 and 412. Sales were slow due to the new car’s bland styling, a $200,000+ window sticker, and a reputation for serious quality issues, ranging from poorly sealing door windows to multiple electrical gremlins. That reputation was well earned, with extensive warranty repairs forcing Ferrari to pause production for the ’96 model year.

Production resumed for the ’97 model year, when the introduction of the automatic transmission-equipped GTA helped revitalize sales. The arrival of the improved 456M (and M GTA) in 1998 also helped move cars, although M sales never reached the level of the original.

Although produced from 1992 to 2003, the 456 and 456M are relatively rare cars today (especially when compared to Ferrari’s V8 models) due to their slow sales when new. Total production for the 456 reached 1,548 GTs and 403 GTAs, and when 456M production ended in 2004, just 640 stick-shifts and 631 automatics had been built. That’s a grand total of 3,222 cars, an average of fewer than 300 sales per year.

Happily for today’s buyer, these low build numbers haven’t translated into high prices. The 456 and 456M are the least-expensive modern V12 Ferraris on the market, and they’re fully depreciated from their $200,000-250,000 base prices when new.

Three-pedal cars are currently all the rage, so six-speed models, which offer much better performance on the street, sell for a substantial premium over the four-speed automatics. As usual, “high-mileage” cars cost significantly less than lower-mileage ones, but it’s rare to come across a 456 that doesn’t have at least 10,000 miles on the clock, with 15,000-20,000 miles being common and 30,000-40,000 miles not unusual. Higher mileage shouldn’t necessarily be a deterrent to buying a 456, as most of these cars’ problem areas are influenced by time, not usage. —Michael Sheehan

Model	Low	High
456	$60,000	$100,000
456 GTA	$50,000	$70,000
456M	$100,000	$150,000
456M GTA	$60,000	$80,000

These prices are for cars in good-to-great condition as of November 2022.

The Garage

There’s a lot to like about the 456. It’s affordable, it’s fast, it’s comfortable, and it offers enough room in back for small humans, dogs, and/or luggage that won’t fit in the trunk. Unfortunately, this luxurious model was plagued with problems when new, and some of those problems remain challenges today.

The biggest issue likely relates to the door windows, which suffer from suspect window regulators and notoriously poorly designed window seals. Ferrari redesigned the latter, and the updated seals offer a significant improvement, but it wasn’t until the 456M that most of the regulator-related issues were resolved.

Also updated during the 456’s lifespan were its fast-wearing motor mounts. If the mounts wear enough to allow the engine to rest on the speed-sensitive steering rack (itself a potentially problematic item), the oil-pressure sending unit can get snapped off by the front anti-roll bar, leading to an abrupt loss of engine oil. This is as bad a scenario as it sounds, so make sure your mechanic checks the mounts at every service and fits the newer version when it’s time for replacement.

If the V12’s valve guides (the same as used in the F355) wear out, make sure to replace them with the factory’s updated steel guides. Expect a five-figure repair bill if this happens, since the heads need to be pulled off the block.

Less expensive but more common are disintegrating rubber components inside the fuel tank. The 456’s fuel pumps sit on rubber mounts, which disintegrate over time thanks to today’s gasoline formulations. The bigger concern is that these bits of rubber can get sucked into the pumps, lines, and even the fuel injectors, and removing and cleaning the entire fuel system is a long and laborious process. To date, there are no non-disintegrating replacement mounts available.

The 456’s combination of high performance and hefty curb weight means that the front tires and front brakes are usually good for only about 10,000 miles. That’s also about the time the self-leveling rear shocks will begin to leak. Factory replacements are very expensive, but Delta Vee Motorsports will rebuild the originals for far less.

While on the topic of wearing out, the 456’s seat potentiometers are problematic. Replacements from the factory are expensive, but the same items from the Jaguar parts catalog cost much less.

Thanks to the large windshield and rear hatch glass, the dashboard and rear package tray get baked by the sun if the car is left uncovered. This will eventually lead to the leather shrinking. Removing, recovering, and reinstalling the dash and package tray will cost many thousands of dollars.

Like all Ferraris of its era, the 456 features Ferrari’s infamous “sticky” interior controls. New parts are hard to find (and sometimes come out of the box already sticky), but the originals can be refurbished at a reasonable price by various companies, most prominently Sticky No More.

When it comes to regular servicing, the 456’s V12 was the last to have solid lifters (which must be checked and adjusted during a cam-belt service) and the first to utilize a timing belt (which should be replaced every five years or 30,000 miles). An annual fluid-change-and-safety inspection will usually cost around $1,000-2,000, while a major service typically runs $6,000-8,000 on a stick-shift car. Prices are higher for automatic-equipped cars, around $8,000-10,000, since the rear bumper, transmission cooler, and other components must be removed during the process. A major service is often a good time to replace the factory’s low-quality coolant hoses (Scuderia Rampante offers high-quality replacements) and intake gaskets (updated factory items are available). —Michael Sheehan

On The Road

The 456 and 456M are less sporting than their 550/575M stablemates, but they offer a much more relaxed driving experience. Here’s some of what we’ve said about these four-seat supercars.

“Veni, Vidi, Vici,” FORZA #85

The 456M turns in smoothly and is very nimble for its size, but I’m always aware of its weight as the pace quickens. The car leans a lot, too, even in Sport mode, though this doesn’t seem to affect its overall grip; more than once, I exit a corner only to realize I could have taken it faster.

The 456 is no canyon carver [compared to the 550 Maranello and F355], but as soon as the road opens up a bit the big Ferrari is back in its element: planted, powerful, quiet, and extremely comfortable. Even if it didn’t have back seats, this is definitely the car of the three to take on a road trip; the 456 delivers a sense of effortlessness the other two can’t match, simply eating up the miles.

“The ‘Practical’ Ferrari,” FORZA #53

As inviting as the 456M’s interior is, it has one shortcoming compared to the 456 GT: It doesn’t fit taller, longer-legged drivers as well as the earlier car. I’m six-foot-three, and while the headroom is more than adequate, the M’s seat rails would have to be moved rearward for someone my size to seriously consider owning one. The steering wheel, too, is closer than it should be.

The character of the M’s engine is different from that of the 456 GT. Although that car was also very fast, this feels a good deal quicker, and it has an aural excitement the earlier model lacks. You hear this engine, and its smooth growl under full throttle is amazing.

“With the 456M to Portofino,” FORZA #13

The 65° V12 responds crisply to the accelerator’s urge over 4,000 rpm, like a grissini snapping between your teeth. But, unlike the sportier and lighter 550 Maranello, there’s a smooth velvety edge to the power delivery. The 456M might not have the hearty aggression of its younger sibling, but its performance envelope is so far inside true supercar territory that it makes no difference.

This big Ferrari has huge grip and generates addictive levels of sideways g. But when you feel the little black box working its magic during serious high-speed sweepers, you instinctively feel grateful for that margin of safety the ASR gives.

In Sport mode, body (and there’s plenty of it, at 3,726 lbs.) control is exemplary through undulating switchbacks, the chassis exquisitely damped and settling fluidly into corners. Fierce braking into bends still shows a marked tendency for the nose to dive, but the front end now feels altogether more of a cohesive whole, stubbornly tracking the steering wheel’s chosen line.

“The Seduction,” FORZA #3

I stop the 456 GT and slip the gear lever into third. Keeping the revs in the neighborhood of 1,500 rpm and feathering the clutch ever so carefully, I ease her off and she gets up and goes without complaining at all, gathering a considerable head of steam as she clears 100 mph in the same gear! Such a test provides proof of the astounding flexibility of what is likely the most refined engine ever to emanate from Maranello.

While traveling at triple-digit speeds, the composure of the chassis, suspension, and powerplant is awe-inspiring. The car doesn’t even break a sweat.

The 348’s dog-leg first gear is a delightful reminder of cars from a couple of decades ago. Once the transmission fluid is warmed up, the shift action is not particularly heavy, but, sadly, there’s little of Ferrari’s traditional click-clack sound when I change gears. Unlike the earlier 328 or later F355, the 348 uses a cable shift mechanism. On the plus side, every shift is a bit of an event. While it can’t be rushed, why would I want to do so when every shift has such a satisfying, mechanical action to it?

Because there is no power steering, parking maneuvers are a pain, but that matters little when the Ferrari starts moving and I’m flooded with steering feedback. It has been a while since I’ve enjoyed a car’s steering feel to this extent, although it always takes some effort to make the 348 do what I want.

As I start to rev the engine harder, the V8 emits a more intense, soulful sound; its zest increases as it approaches the 7,500-rpm redline. There’s more than enough torque available in the middle of the rev range, but there’s no reason to dawdle when it’s so enjoyable to watch the orange tachometer needle spin as the engine howls away

Two Steps Forward

The 348 pushed Ferrari’s V8 sports cars into new performance territory, but early examples suffered from serious quality issues.

Photos by David Bush

    

March 2, 2023

As the replacement for the long-running 308/328 series, as well as the first all-new model revealed after Enzo Ferrari’s death, the 348 had some seriously big shoes to fill. And when it debuted at the 1989 Frankfurt Auto Show, it appeared the new model had done exactly that.

Available initially as a berlinetta (tb) or targa (ts), the 348 introduced a new vision to Maranello’s V8 lineup. Most significant was the adoption of monocoque construction—in this case, a pressed-steel chassis with welded-on body panels—in place of the company’s traditional steel-tube frame. In addition, the 348’s 300-hp engine was mounted longitudinally, instead of the 308/328’s transverse placement, and paired with a transverse gearbox (an innovation first seen on the Mondial t) for better packaging and a lower center of gravity.

While the 348’s mechanicals were a clear improvement over those of its predecessors, the same couldn’t necessarily be said of its styling. Pininfarina’s designers dropped the 328’s classic lines in favor of a modern, angular, wedge shape outfitted with Testarossa-style slatted air intakes and taillights. Reviews were mixed.

Reports on the driving experience were likewise mixed. There was no question the newest “baby” Ferrari came with a significant increase in performance, one that brought it closer than ever to the company’s 12-cylinder flagship, but the 348 was accused of tricky at-the-limit handling. In an era when Acura’s NSX made driving an exotic car easy, this was a high hurdle to overcome. Extensive and well-publicized problems with build quality soon further blemished the new model’s image.

It wasn’t long before the 348 bounced back, however. Ferrari went to exceptional lengths to repair problems with existing cars, vastly improve the build quality of new ones, and sort out the handling issues (’92-and-later examples received reworked suspension hardware and settings). The launch of the sportier Serie Speciale in 1992 and the debut of the Ferrari Challenge racing series in ’93 gave the model newfound credibility, while the 1994 arrival of the 348 Spider reintroduced a true convertible to Ferrari’s stables for the first time in more than two decades.

Today, the 348 continues to divide opinion. While many owners swear by their cars’ performance and overall reliability, the model’s reputation remains tarnished by its early teething problems, even though most of those issues were resolved over time. While it’s crucial to search out a fully updated, fully serviced example, the 348’s bad rep is a boon for today’s buyer—it has kept prices relatively low.

Marketplace

The 348 was, in many ways, Ferrari’s first modern car. Unfortunately, the $120,000 model was also the wrong car at the wrong time. The 348 was introduced just as the 1985-89 collector-car market imploded, which reduced demand for new and used Ferraris alike.

Further diminishing buyers’ enthusiasm was the fact that early examples suffered from serious build-quality issues, while the Testarossa-inspired styling—so radical and in vogue a few years earlier—was starting to age, badly. All these factors conspired to reduce 348 production by nearly 50 percent by 1993.

In the end, though, the 348 ended up outselling both the 308 and the 328, with more than 8,300 examples produced between 1989 and ’95. Breaking down that total, Ferrari built 3,116 berlinettas, 4,446 targas, 1,146 Spiders, and 100 of the U.S.-only Serie Speciales.

It’s no surprise the comparatively rare Serie Speciale commands a higher price than its more populous siblings, although the difference is modest. Overall, the 348’s high production numbers mean there’s no chance of the model ever becoming collectable in any financial sense. —Michael Sheehan

Model	Low	High
348 tb	$60,000	$80,000
348 ts	$60,000	$80,000
348 Spider	$60,000	$85,000
348 Serie Speciale	$75,000	$95,000

These prices are for cars in good-to-great condition as of March 2023.

The Garage

Although the 348 was greeted with real excitement when it debuted in Frankfurt in 1989, that enthusiasm quickly began to wane. This came in two waves; first when automotive reviewers began to grumble about the model’s handling, second when owners began to receive their cars. Luca di Montezemolo famously complained about the feel and build quality of his own 348—he called it one of the worst cars ever to wear the Prancing Horse badge—which led him to prioritize the development of its replacement, the F355, when he became Ferrari’s president in 1991.

By that time, however, the company was already hard at work resolving the 348’s woes. Many components were redesigned (the early transaxle alone received three major updates), dealers worked hard to provide fixes, and the 1992-’95 examples were markedly improved over earlier cars.

Even if you’re buying a later 348, it’s well worth spending the extra money up front to get a car that’s been fully maintained, and fully updated per the factory’s recommendations, by an expert. These Ferraris are fairly inexpensive—they cost less than the 328 that preceded them and the F355 that followed—which has led many owners to cheap out on necessary maintenance and repairs. As always, it’s highly advisable to get an expert opinion on any Ferrari you’re considering, and that advice applies doubly to the 348.

So what can go wrong? Among other concerns, early 348s can suffer from excessive chain tensioner wear (the lower drive system should be inspected whenever the engine is removed) along with a problematic inner support bearing for the cam-drive jack shaft. The factory initially updated that bearing, then later revised the engine block itself in order to improve the arrangement.

Leaking engine seals and gaskets were sometimes an issue, but these should have been replaced with updated factory parts long ago. The same applies to early alternators and starter motors.

All 348’s can suffer from electrical gremlins. Today, most of these afflict the cabin’s electronics, especially the difficult-to-repair HVAC controller, so be sure to check that all of the switches, buttons, and dials work properly. However, with the newest 348 now being almost 30 years old, every wire and connector is waiting to corrode or break; it’s hard to know in the moment if a window won’t go up because of the wiring, the switch, or a mechanical issue in the door.

Like so many Ferraris, the 348 suffers from the irritating, and messy, “sticky switches” problem. Luckily, a few companies, including Sticky No More, have arisen to refinish sticky interior plastic pieces.

Last but far from least, the 348, like other Ferraris of the era, mounts its engine, transaxle, and rear suspension on a removable subframe. When it’s time for a major service (as well as many engine and transmission-related repairs), that subframe and all attached components must be removed from the car. This process is as laborious as it sounds, and the costs involved rise accordingly, so make sure you budget for that expense, which comes around every three years. You won’t want to stretch that timeframe, since if the 348’s single serpentine cam belt breaks or jumps timing, the valves will meet the cylinders with expensive results.

On The Road

Over the years, the 348 has received mixed reviews,
with critics alternately praising its power and panning its handling. Here’s some of what we’ve said about the model.

“Eastern Promises,” FORZA #180

The 348’s dog-leg first gear is a delightful reminder of cars from a couple of decades ago. Once the transmission fluid is warmed up, the shift action is not particularly heavy, but, sadly, there’s little of Ferrari’s traditional click-clack sound when I change gears. Unlike the earlier 328 or later F355, the 348 uses a cable shift mechanism. On the plus side, every shift is a bit of an event. While it can’t be rushed, why would I want to do so when every shift has such a satisfying, mechanical action to it?

Because there is no power steering, parking maneuvers are a pain, but that matters little when the Ferrari starts moving and I’m flooded with steering feedback. It has been a while since I’ve enjoyed a car’s steering feel to this extent, although it always takes some effort to make the 348 do what I want.

As I start to rev the engine harder, the V8 emits a more intense, soulful sound; its zest increases as it approaches the 7,500-rpm redline. There’s more than enough torque available in the middle of the rev range, but there’s no reason to dawdle when it’s so enjoyable to watch the orange tachometer needle spin as the engine howls away.

“The Unloved Ferraris,” FORZA #48

Despite comments by past testers, I still find the Serie Speciale’s driving position suited to someone whose legs are shorter and arms are longer than mine—and the seats are definitely made for someone with a narrower posterior. But there is a payoff, and it comes as soon as the drive begins.

The Serie Speciale is a rocket sled, pure and simple, with more straight-line speed than can be exploited on public roads, cornering potential far beyond my skill level, and superb brakes. It sounds terrific, too, especially as it reaches its 7,500-rpm redline.

This Ferrari makes its driver work for speed. Steering, braking, and shifting all require deliberate effort. Delicacy doesn’t count here; the car does what you make it do, no more and certainly no less. In its cornering behavior, the Serie Speciale is a vast improvement over earlier 348s, showing no tendency to wag its tail. That criticism of the breed was unjustified in my view, anyway, as what some found to be erratic behavior was simply the 348’s razor-sharp responsiveness.

“Sparkling Diamond or Gem in the Rough?,” FORZA #30

The Tipo F119 3.4-liter V8 is a pure joy, energetic and extremely tractable. Stomp on it in first gear and the 348 makes the 328 seem anemic, rough around the edges, and decidedly “old school.” When standing on it and whacking the shifter through second and third gears, the 348 delivers that exhilarating, relentless pull found in the F512M.

It also relishes sinuous roads. The [unassisted] steering is so beautifully direct that the car moves the instant I think about an input, in the exact amount I planned. Clearly, this Ferrari’s limits are way beyond those of most drivers, and you would have to be doing something awfully foolish to find the snap-oversteer manners Car and Driver and others spoke of.

That makes the 348 ts’s ride all the more of a letdown. It is bouncy on uneven pavement, and it often wanders at speed on similar surfaces. The body has a number of squeaks, and I can feel the frame flex slightly.

Climbing into the 348 Spider is a relief, especially after finding so much to gripe about in the ts. From the instant I get behind the wheel of the later version, it is immediately clear that this is a totally different car. The construction quality and attention to detail are decidedly better. More important, it is an altogether different experience on the road. On the same streets and freeways that had the earlier ts bobbing, the Spider remains glued to the tarmac, the suspension soaking up undulations without upsetting the occupants. It is even more delicious at high speed.

The 348’s dog-leg first gear is a delightful reminder of cars from a couple of decades ago. Once the transmission fluid is warmed up, the shift action is not particularly heavy, but, sadly, there’s little of Ferrari’s traditional click-clack sound when I change gears. Unlike the earlier 328 or later F355, the 348 uses a cable shift mechanism. On the plus side, every shift is a bit of an event. While it can’t be rushed, why would I want to do so when every shift has such a satisfying, mechanical action to it?

Because there is no power steering, parking maneuvers are a pain, but that matters little when the Ferrari starts moving and I’m flooded with steering feedback. It has been a while since I’ve enjoyed a car’s steering feel to this extent, although it always takes some effort to make the 348 do what I want.

As I start to rev the engine harder, the V8 emits a more intense, soulful sound; its zest increases as it approaches the 7,500-rpm redline. There’s more than enough torque available in the middle of the rev range, but there’s no reason to dawdle when it’s so enjoyable to watch the orange tachometer needle spin as the engine howls away

Two Steps Forward

The 348 pushed Ferrari’s V8 sports cars into new performance territory, but early examples suffered from serious quality issues.

Photos by David Bush

    

March 2, 2023

As the replacement for the long-running 308/328 series, as well as the first all-new model revealed after Enzo Ferrari’s death, the 348 had some seriously big shoes to fill. And when it debuted at the 1989 Frankfurt Auto Show, it appeared the new model had done exactly that.

Available initially as a berlinetta (tb) or targa (ts), the 348 introduced a new vision to Maranello’s V8 lineup. Most significant was the adoption of monocoque construction—in this case, a pressed-steel chassis with welded-on body panels—in place of the company’s traditional steel-tube frame. In addition, the 348’s 300-hp engine was mounted longitudinally, instead of the 308/328’s transverse placement, and paired with a transverse gearbox (an innovation first seen on the Mondial t) for better packaging and a lower center of gravity.

While the 348’s mechanicals were a clear improvement over those of its predecessors, the same couldn’t necessarily be said of its styling. Pininfarina’s designers dropped the 328’s classic lines in favor of a modern, angular, wedge shape outfitted with Testarossa-style slatted air intakes and taillights. Reviews were mixed.

Reports on the driving experience were likewise mixed. There was no question the newest “baby” Ferrari came with a significant increase in performance, one that brought it closer than ever to the company’s 12-cylinder flagship, but the 348 was accused of tricky at-the-limit handling. In an era when Acura’s NSX made driving an exotic car easy, this was a high hurdle to overcome. Extensive and well-publicized problems with build quality soon further blemished the new model’s image.

It wasn’t long before the 348 bounced back, however. Ferrari went to exceptional lengths to repair problems with existing cars, vastly improve the build quality of new ones, and sort out the handling issues (’92-and-later examples received reworked suspension hardware and settings). The launch of the sportier Serie Speciale in 1992 and the debut of the Ferrari Challenge racing series in ’93 gave the model newfound credibility, while the 1994 arrival of the 348 Spider reintroduced a true convertible to Ferrari’s stables for the first time in more than two decades.

Today, the 348 continues to divide opinion. While many owners swear by their cars’ performance and overall reliability, the model’s reputation remains tarnished by its early teething problems, even though most of those issues were resolved over time. While it’s crucial to search out a fully updated, fully serviced example, the 348’s bad rep is a boon for today’s buyer—it has kept prices relatively low.

Marketplace

The 348 was, in many ways, Ferrari’s first modern car. Unfortunately, the $120,000 model was also the wrong car at the wrong time. The 348 was introduced just as the 1985-89 collector-car market imploded, which reduced demand for new and used Ferraris alike.

Further diminishing buyers’ enthusiasm was the fact that early examples suffered from serious build-quality issues, while the Testarossa-inspired styling—so radical and in vogue a few years earlier—was starting to age, badly. All these factors conspired to reduce 348 production by nearly 50 percent by 1993.

In the end, though, the 348 ended up outselling both the 308 and the 328, with more than 8,300 examples produced between 1989 and ’95. Breaking down that total, Ferrari built 3,116 berlinettas, 4,446 targas, 1,146 Spiders, and 100 of the U.S.-only Serie Speciales.

It’s no surprise the comparatively rare Serie Speciale commands a higher price than its more populous siblings, although the difference is modest. Overall, the 348’s high production numbers mean there’s no chance of the model ever becoming collectable in any financial sense. —Michael Sheehan

Model	Low	High
348 tb	$60,000	$80,000
348 ts	$60,000	$80,000
348 Spider	$60,000	$85,000
348 Serie Speciale	$75,000	$95,000

These prices are for cars in good-to-great condition as of March 2023.

The Garage

Although the 348 was greeted with real excitement when it debuted in Frankfurt in 1989, that enthusiasm quickly began to wane. This came in two waves; first when automotive reviewers began to grumble about the model’s handling, second when owners began to receive their cars. Luca di Montezemolo famously complained about the feel and build quality of his own 348—he called it one of the worst cars ever to wear the Prancing Horse badge—which led him to prioritize the development of its replacement, the F355, when he became Ferrari’s president in 1991.

By that time, however, the company was already hard at work resolving the 348’s woes. Many components were redesigned (the early transaxle alone received three major updates), dealers worked hard to provide fixes, and the 1992-’95 examples were markedly improved over earlier cars.

Even if you’re buying a later 348, it’s well worth spending the extra money up front to get a car that’s been fully maintained, and fully updated per the factory’s recommendations, by an expert. These Ferraris are fairly inexpensive—they cost less than the 328 that preceded them and the F355 that followed—which has led many owners to cheap out on necessary maintenance and repairs. As always, it’s highly advisable to get an expert opinion on any Ferrari you’re considering, and that advice applies doubly to the 348.

So what can go wrong? Among other concerns, early 348s can suffer from excessive chain tensioner wear (the lower drive system should be inspected whenever the engine is removed) along with a problematic inner support bearing for the cam-drive jack shaft. The factory initially updated that bearing, then later revised the engine block itself in order to improve the arrangement.

Leaking engine seals and gaskets were sometimes an issue, but these should have been replaced with updated factory parts long ago. The same applies to early alternators and starter motors.

All 348’s can suffer from electrical gremlins. Today, most of these afflict the cabin’s electronics, especially the difficult-to-repair HVAC controller, so be sure to check that all of the switches, buttons, and dials work properly. However, with the newest 348 now being almost 30 years old, every wire and connector is waiting to corrode or break; it’s hard to know in the moment if a window won’t go up because of the wiring, the switch, or a mechanical issue in the door.

Like so many Ferraris, the 348 suffers from the irritating, and messy, “sticky switches” problem. Luckily, a few companies, including Sticky No More, have arisen to refinish sticky interior plastic pieces.

Last but far from least, the 348, like other Ferraris of the era, mounts its engine, transaxle, and rear suspension on a removable subframe. When it’s time for a major service (as well as many engine and transmission-related repairs), that subframe and all attached components must be removed from the car. This process is as laborious as it sounds, and the costs involved rise accordingly, so make sure you budget for that expense, which comes around every three years. You won’t want to stretch that timeframe, since if the 348’s single serpentine cam belt breaks or jumps timing, the valves will meet the cylinders with expensive results.

On The Road

Over the years, the 348 has received mixed reviews,
with critics alternately praising its power and panning its handling. Here’s some of what we’ve said about the model.

“Eastern Promises,” FORZA #180

The 348’s dog-leg first gear is a delightful reminder of cars from a couple of decades ago. Once the transmission fluid is warmed up, the shift action is not particularly heavy, but, sadly, there’s little of Ferrari’s traditional click-clack sound when I change gears. Unlike the earlier 328 or later F355, the 348 uses a cable shift mechanism. On the plus side, every shift is a bit of an event. While it can’t be rushed, why would I want to do so when every shift has such a satisfying, mechanical action to it?

Because there is no power steering, parking maneuvers are a pain, but that matters little when the Ferrari starts moving and I’m flooded with steering feedback. It has been a while since I’ve enjoyed a car’s steering feel to this extent, although it always takes some effort to make the 348 do what I want.

As I start to rev the engine harder, the V8 emits a more intense, soulful sound; its zest increases as it approaches the 7,500-rpm redline. There’s more than enough torque available in the middle of the rev range, but there’s no reason to dawdle when it’s so enjoyable to watch the orange tachometer needle spin as the engine howls away.

“The Unloved Ferraris,” FORZA #48

Despite comments by past testers, I still find the Serie Speciale’s driving position suited to someone whose legs are shorter and arms are longer than mine—and the seats are definitely made for someone with a narrower posterior. But there is a payoff, and it comes as soon as the drive begins.

The Serie Speciale is a rocket sled, pure and simple, with more straight-line speed than can be exploited on public roads, cornering potential far beyond my skill level, and superb brakes. It sounds terrific, too, especially as it reaches its 7,500-rpm redline.

This Ferrari makes its driver work for speed. Steering, braking, and shifting all require deliberate effort. Delicacy doesn’t count here; the car does what you make it do, no more and certainly no less. In its cornering behavior, the Serie Speciale is a vast improvement over earlier 348s, showing no tendency to wag its tail. That criticism of the breed was unjustified in my view, anyway, as what some found to be erratic behavior was simply the 348’s razor-sharp responsiveness.

“Sparkling Diamond or Gem in the Rough?,” FORZA #30

The Tipo F119 3.4-liter V8 is a pure joy, energetic and extremely tractable. Stomp on it in first gear and the 348 makes the 328 seem anemic, rough around the edges, and decidedly “old school.” When standing on it and whacking the shifter through second and third gears, the 348 delivers that exhilarating, relentless pull found in the F512M.

It also relishes sinuous roads. The [unassisted] steering is so beautifully direct that the car moves the instant I think about an input, in the exact amount I planned. Clearly, this Ferrari’s limits are way beyond those of most drivers, and you would have to be doing something awfully foolish to find the snap-oversteer manners Car and Driver and others spoke of.

That makes the 348 ts’s ride all the more of a letdown. It is bouncy on uneven pavement, and it often wanders at speed on similar surfaces. The body has a number of squeaks, and I can feel the frame flex slightly.

Climbing into the 348 Spider is a relief, especially after finding so much to gripe about in the ts. From the instant I get behind the wheel of the later version, it is immediately clear that this is a totally different car. The construction quality and attention to detail are decidedly better. More important, it is an altogether different experience on the road. On the same streets and freeways that had the earlier ts bobbing, the Spider remains glued to the tarmac, the suspension soaking up undulations without upsetting the occupants. It is even more delicious at high speed.

The 348’s dog-leg first gear is a delightful reminder of cars from a couple of decades ago. Once the transmission fluid is warmed up, the shift action is not particularly heavy, but, sadly, there’s little of Ferrari’s traditional click-clack sound when I change gears. Unlike the earlier 328 or later F355, the 348 uses a cable shift mechanism. On the plus side, every shift is a bit of an event. While it can’t be rushed, why would I want to do so when every shift has such a satisfying, mechanical action to it?

Because there is no power steering, parking maneuvers are a pain, but that matters little when the Ferrari starts moving and I’m flooded with steering feedback. It has been a while since I’ve enjoyed a car’s steering feel to this extent, although it always takes some effort to make the 348 do what I want.

As I start to rev the engine harder, the V8 emits a more intense, soulful sound; its zest increases as it approaches the 7,500-rpm redline. There’s more than enough torque available in the middle of the rev range, but there’s no reason to dawdle when it’s so enjoyable to watch the orange tachometer needle spin as the engine howls away

Two Steps Forward

The 348 pushed Ferrari’s V8 sports cars into new performance territory, but early examples suffered from serious quality issues.

Photos by David Bush

    

March 2, 2023

As the replacement for the long-running 308/328 series, as well as the first all-new model revealed after Enzo Ferrari’s death, the 348 had some seriously big shoes to fill. And when it debuted at the 1989 Frankfurt Auto Show, it appeared the new model had done exactly that.

Available initially as a berlinetta (tb) or targa (ts), the 348 introduced a new vision to Maranello’s V8 lineup. Most significant was the adoption of monocoque construction—in this case, a pressed-steel chassis with welded-on body panels—in place of the company’s traditional steel-tube frame. In addition, the 348’s 300-hp engine was mounted longitudinally, instead of the 308/328’s transverse placement, and paired with a transverse gearbox (an innovation first seen on the Mondial t) for better packaging and a lower center of gravity.

While the 348’s mechanicals were a clear improvement over those of its predecessors, the same couldn’t necessarily be said of its styling. Pininfarina’s designers dropped the 328’s classic lines in favor of a modern, angular, wedge shape outfitted with Testarossa-style slatted air intakes and taillights. Reviews were mixed.

Reports on the driving experience were likewise mixed. There was no question the newest “baby” Ferrari came with a significant increase in performance, one that brought it closer than ever to the company’s 12-cylinder flagship, but the 348 was accused of tricky at-the-limit handling. In an era when Acura’s NSX made driving an exotic car easy, this was a high hurdle to overcome. Extensive and well-publicized problems with build quality soon further blemished the new model’s image.

It wasn’t long before the 348 bounced back, however. Ferrari went to exceptional lengths to repair problems with existing cars, vastly improve the build quality of new ones, and sort out the handling issues (’92-and-later examples received reworked suspension hardware and settings). The launch of the sportier Serie Speciale in 1992 and the debut of the Ferrari Challenge racing series in ’93 gave the model newfound credibility, while the 1994 arrival of the 348 Spider reintroduced a true convertible to Ferrari’s stables for the first time in more than two decades.

Today, the 348 continues to divide opinion. While many owners swear by their cars’ performance and overall reliability, the model’s reputation remains tarnished by its early teething problems, even though most of those issues were resolved over time. While it’s crucial to search out a fully updated, fully serviced example, the 348’s bad rep is a boon for today’s buyer—it has kept prices relatively low.

Marketplace

The 348 was, in many ways, Ferrari’s first modern car. Unfortunately, the $120,000 model was also the wrong car at the wrong time. The 348 was introduced just as the 1985-89 collector-car market imploded, which reduced demand for new and used Ferraris alike.

Further diminishing buyers’ enthusiasm was the fact that early examples suffered from serious build-quality issues, while the Testarossa-inspired styling—so radical and in vogue a few years earlier—was starting to age, badly. All these factors conspired to reduce 348 production by nearly 50 percent by 1993.

In the end, though, the 348 ended up outselling both the 308 and the 328, with more than 8,300 examples produced between 1989 and ’95. Breaking down that total, Ferrari built 3,116 berlinettas, 4,446 targas, 1,146 Spiders, and 100 of the U.S.-only Serie Speciales.

It’s no surprise the comparatively rare Serie Speciale commands a higher price than its more populous siblings, although the difference is modest. Overall, the 348’s high production numbers mean there’s no chance of the model ever becoming collectable in any financial sense. —Michael Sheehan

Model	Low	High
348 tb	$60,000	$80,000
348 ts	$60,000	$80,000
348 Spider	$60,000	$85,000
348 Serie Speciale	$75,000	$95,000

These prices are for cars in good-to-great condition as of March 2023.

The Garage

Although the 348 was greeted with real excitement when it debuted in Frankfurt in 1989, that enthusiasm quickly began to wane. This came in two waves; first when automotive reviewers began to grumble about the model’s handling, second when owners began to receive their cars. Luca di Montezemolo famously complained about the feel and build quality of his own 348—he called it one of the worst cars ever to wear the Prancing Horse badge—which led him to prioritize the development of its replacement, the F355, when he became Ferrari’s president in 1991.

By that time, however, the company was already hard at work resolving the 348’s woes. Many components were redesigned (the early transaxle alone received three major updates), dealers worked hard to provide fixes, and the 1992-’95 examples were markedly improved over earlier cars.

Even if you’re buying a later 348, it’s well worth spending the extra money up front to get a car that’s been fully maintained, and fully updated per the factory’s recommendations, by an expert. These Ferraris are fairly inexpensive—they cost less than the 328 that preceded them and the F355 that followed—which has led many owners to cheap out on necessary maintenance and repairs. As always, it’s highly advisable to get an expert opinion on any Ferrari you’re considering, and that advice applies doubly to the 348.

So what can go wrong? Among other concerns, early 348s can suffer from excessive chain tensioner wear (the lower drive system should be inspected whenever the engine is removed) along with a problematic inner support bearing for the cam-drive jack shaft. The factory initially updated that bearing, then later revised the engine block itself in order to improve the arrangement.

Leaking engine seals and gaskets were sometimes an issue, but these should have been replaced with updated factory parts long ago. The same applies to early alternators and starter motors.

All 348’s can suffer from electrical gremlins. Today, most of these afflict the cabin’s electronics, especially the difficult-to-repair HVAC controller, so be sure to check that all of the switches, buttons, and dials work properly. However, with the newest 348 now being almost 30 years old, every wire and connector is waiting to corrode or break; it’s hard to know in the moment if a window won’t go up because of the wiring, the switch, or a mechanical issue in the door.

Like so many Ferraris, the 348 suffers from the irritating, and messy, “sticky switches” problem. Luckily, a few companies, including Sticky No More, have arisen to refinish sticky interior plastic pieces.

Last but far from least, the 348, like other Ferraris of the era, mounts its engine, transaxle, and rear suspension on a removable subframe. When it’s time for a major service (as well as many engine and transmission-related repairs), that subframe and all attached components must be removed from the car. This process is as laborious as it sounds, and the costs involved rise accordingly, so make sure you budget for that expense, which comes around every three years. You won’t want to stretch that timeframe, since if the 348’s single serpentine cam belt breaks or jumps timing, the valves will meet the cylinders with expensive results.

On The Road

Over the years, the 348 has received mixed reviews,
with critics alternately praising its power and panning its handling. Here’s some of what we’ve said about the model.

“Eastern Promises,” FORZA #180

The 348’s dog-leg first gear is a delightful reminder of cars from a couple of decades ago. Once the transmission fluid is warmed up, the shift action is not particularly heavy, but, sadly, there’s little of Ferrari’s traditional click-clack sound when I change gears. Unlike the earlier 328 or later F355, the 348 uses a cable shift mechanism. On the plus side, every shift is a bit of an event. While it can’t be rushed, why would I want to do so when every shift has such a satisfying, mechanical action to it?

Because there is no power steering, parking maneuvers are a pain, but that matters little when the Ferrari starts moving and I’m flooded with steering feedback. It has been a while since I’ve enjoyed a car’s steering feel to this extent, although it always takes some effort to make the 348 do what I want.

As I start to rev the engine harder, the V8 emits a more intense, soulful sound; its zest increases as it approaches the 7,500-rpm redline. There’s more than enough torque available in the middle of the rev range, but there’s no reason to dawdle when it’s so enjoyable to watch the orange tachometer needle spin as the engine howls away.

“The Unloved Ferraris,” FORZA #48

Despite comments by past testers, I still find the Serie Speciale’s driving position suited to someone whose legs are shorter and arms are longer than mine—and the seats are definitely made for someone with a narrower posterior. But there is a payoff, and it comes as soon as the drive begins.

The Serie Speciale is a rocket sled, pure and simple, with more straight-line speed than can be exploited on public roads, cornering potential far beyond my skill level, and superb brakes. It sounds terrific, too, especially as it reaches its 7,500-rpm redline.

This Ferrari makes its driver work for speed. Steering, braking, and shifting all require deliberate effort. Delicacy doesn’t count here; the car does what you make it do, no more and certainly no less. In its cornering behavior, the Serie Speciale is a vast improvement over earlier 348s, showing no tendency to wag its tail. That criticism of the breed was unjustified in my view, anyway, as what some found to be erratic behavior was simply the 348’s razor-sharp responsiveness.

“Sparkling Diamond or Gem in the Rough?,” FORZA #30

The Tipo F119 3.4-liter V8 is a pure joy, energetic and extremely tractable. Stomp on it in first gear and the 348 makes the 328 seem anemic, rough around the edges, and decidedly “old school.” When standing on it and whacking the shifter through second and third gears, the 348 delivers that exhilarating, relentless pull found in the F512M.

It also relishes sinuous roads. The [unassisted] steering is so beautifully direct that the car moves the instant I think about an input, in the exact amount I planned. Clearly, this Ferrari’s limits are way beyond those of most drivers, and you would have to be doing something awfully foolish to find the snap-oversteer manners Car and Driver and others spoke of.

That makes the 348 ts’s ride all the more of a letdown. It is bouncy on uneven pavement, and it often wanders at speed on similar surfaces. The body has a number of squeaks, and I can feel the frame flex slightly.

Climbing into the 348 Spider is a relief, especially after finding so much to gripe about in the ts. From the instant I get behind the wheel of the later version, it is immediately clear that this is a totally different car. The construction quality and attention to detail are decidedly better. More important, it is an altogether different experience on the road. On the same streets and freeways that had the earlier ts bobbing, the Spider remains glued to the tarmac, the suspension soaking up undulations without upsetting the occupants. It is even more delicious at high speed.