The Ferrari 348 offers a raw driving experience that every gearhead should enjoy. Without power steering and the weight of modern safety features. This is the purest of classic cars while still packing enough punch to keep pace with even some of today's performance cars. Existing in the shadow of the F355, the icon of the 1990s that solidified the mid-engined Ferrari's future the 348 has long gone unnoticed. But with a wacky 80s, aesthetic many should consider this classic Ferrari for their collection or hypothetical five-car garage.
According to Ferrari, their 348 was "a radical departure from the design philosophy of its predecessor". Previous mid-engined models like the Dino and 308 were only sold by Ferrari as the company had to produce mid-engined cars to rival Lamborghini. However by the time of the 348 the company properly committed to this new philosophy. As a result, the 348 bridges the gap between old Ferrari and the modern classics like the 360 and 458 that gearheads adore.
The unloved classic Ferrari offers an affordable and pure driving experience.
The Ferrari 348 Offers A True Gearhead's Driving Experience
Ferrari's 348 seems like an awkward middle child of the mid-engined V8 series of Ferraris. A model of the 1990s it seems aesthetically caught between the sharp angles of the Testarossa and the sumptuous curves that would come with the Ferrari 360 in the early 2000s. In production between 1989 and 1995, the 348 proceeds the much more famous F355. For those that need reminding this car saw the introduction of the Formula 1-derived flappy paddle gearbox, thus the F in the name. A successor to the 328 and 308s the oft-forgotten 348 has a direct lineage to the Ferrari Dino. The 348 takes its place as an important stepping stone to the pinnacle of the Ferrari mid-engined V8 supercar, the F8 Tributo.
But without the earth-shattering technology of the flappy paddle gearbox, even though in its first incarnation the gearbox needed serious work, the 348 sat in the wake of might 355 for a long time, the iconic Ferrari of the 1990s. The Ferrari F50 exists in the shadow of the amazing F40. After all the F50's successor, the Enzo, and then the La Ferrari dropped the F moniker, no car can live up to the F40's legendary status.
However, the 348 came on to sale at the precipice of the digital era of cars. The model came as the last V8 Ferrari to not have power steering. Couple this unaided steering with a proper manual gated shifter, and you've got a recipe for an excellent handling supercar.
Although one has to take into consideration just how slow the Ferrari 348 actually is. With the F119 3.4 liter V8, the car ought to pack enough grunt to get to speed easily. However, you should remember this is a 1980s V8 producing around about 300 horsepower. The Ferrari 348 should still reach 170 mph, which is plenty fast enough to get both in and out of trouble.
But in the world of modern supercars, this is rather slow. After all, a Mercedes-Benz AMG A45S would bite at this Ferrari's heels, but nothing can beat a Ferrari as a complete package. Nothing matches the prestige of that prancing horse.
The Ferrari 348 Has An Air Of The Testarossa
Stylistically the 348 seems like a completely different type of Ferrari. For nearly three decades now, all Ferrari cars used the quad tail light design. For the V8 model, this saw an introduction with the 355. The 348 has a peculiar rear grill fascia, a design motif inspired by the legendary Testarossa. The flat-12 powered equivalent to a Ferrari SF90 of its day. The same wedge-like design continues at the front of the car.
The 348 as a result actually makes a brilliant value proposition. According to Classic, an aggregator of classic car prices the Testarossa on average demands an asking price of $136,070 with sales frequently exceeding $200,000. However, the aggregator finds the average sale price of the 348 at only $72,619. At nearly half the price for those wanting to emulate their inner Miami Vice dreams but don't quite have the budget to match.
A Ferrari 348 Looks Like An Excellent Investment
Buying cars as an investment quite frankly never seems like a good idea. More importantly, buying old Italian cars will put you in a financial hole. Between spare parts that are rarer than diamonds, peculiar designs that increase labor times, and fuel economy figures in the single digits. Old Ferraris cost lots of money.
However, with models from this era, the cusp of the 1990s increasing in value the 348 will surely soon increase in value. After all, with a wedge-like design, an Italian marque, and those pop-up headlights this shares more with the Diablo than you'd first think. As models like the Ferrari's 355 and Testarossa and Lamborghini's Diablo move further and further out of reach. Gearheads will move on to what is still in reach, buying up the best examples and only driving up prices further.
Even then once one is significantly in the financial hole of maintaining a nearly 30-year-old Ferrari, the 348 has one last trick up its sleeve. As the entry-level Ferrari, many drivers desired a softer experience. As a result, most examples are convertibles, spiders, or targa tops. So while the bills are stacking up, at least the 348 owners can take in the joys of open-top motoring.