1998 FERRARI F355

Geneva, 1994. Ferrari arrived at the motor show with a great deal to prove. The 348 had not entirely delivered, Honda’s NSX had embarrassed the marque on its own ground, and the F355 was unveiled in answer. It went on to define its class for the remainder of the decade – and to take its place, in the years that followed, as the last truly hand-built Ferrari of its kind.

The numbers in its name set the formula: 3.5 litres, five valves per cylinder. The flat-plane V8 revved to 8,500rpm, produced 380bhp without recourse to forced induction, and – in 1997 – was paired with the first paddle-shift gearbox ever offered on a road car, derived from the technology Ferrari had pioneered in Formula 1 a few years earlier, when the system made its winning debut at the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix in the hands of Nigel Mansell. The F355 was, in effect, the moment Ferrari brought the technology of its grand-prix programme into the showroom.

Pininfarina handled the styling and got it right. Pop-up headlights, an undertray engineered for downforce, and proportions that have aged better than almost any of its contemporaries – the shape has stood among the great Maranello Berlinetta’s ever since.

This particular car is presented in its original factory specification of Giallo Modena over Black Connolly hide – one of the more striking and less commonly seen combinations the car was offered in, and certainly one of the most evocative.

Inside, the cabin remains as it left the works: Connolly leather throughout, with two additions made by a long-standing previous owner – carbon fibre kick plates, and an Alcantara steering wheel in place of the standard item. The original wheel is supplied with the car, should the next custodian prefer to refit it. Crucially, the car displays none of the sticky interior plastics that afflict so many examples of this generation, indicative of careful storage and meticulous ownership throughout.

The service file is comprehensive – a complete record of maintenance through Ferrari main dealers and specialists, with invoices throughout. As part of our own preparation, a fresh cambelt service will be carried out prior to delivery to the next owner. The car retains its original handbooks and tools.

It has now covered just 21,950 miles from new – a figure entirely commensurate with the standard of care evident throughout. A genuine collector-grade example of Ferrari’s last truly hand-built sports car.