Ferrari 360 specs and engine detail

Ferrari is a brand built in front-engine V-12 touring cars. However, a few decades ago, their mid-engined V-8 sports cars became the real money makers of Prancing Horse and are now made or broken every time a new one is debuted. This was especially true in 1999, when it was time to replace the F355. The car had been well-liked, the best-selling Ferrari of all time at that time, and a hit with the automotive press as well. But the F355 was based on the 348, and a design dating back to 1989, and was getting a bit long on the tooth.

The Ferrari replacement for the F355 was the 360, the first car the company made out of aluminum, and just looking at it, it is obvious that the V-8 mid-engine berlinetta was fully reconsidered for this car. The naming scheme was changed for the 360 ​​as well. The F355 has its name having a 3.5-liter engine with 5 valves per cylinder. The new version of the engine was 3.6 liters and still had five valves per cylinder, but there were already many Ferrari models called 365, so the whole name comes from the total displacement of the engine, a first for a Ferrari V-8 model.


Exterior

The evolution of the style from 348 to F355 to 360 is unusual for a few reasons. The 348 was stylized with some very obviously borrowed elements from Ferrari's flagship car at the time, the Testarossa. Most notably those uncomfortable sidebars of the 1980s. In 1994, when the F355 came to replace the 348, the side strakes obviously had to go, but the Testarossa (now officially called the F512 M) remained the flagship of the company , So there was really nothing to base the design on. It was a unique look, but ultimately still a complement of style, because when the 360 ​​debuted, clearly took some inspiration from the great 550 insignia.

The design of the 360 ​​is much more curved than the designs of Ferrari of the two previous decades, and owes much to the old designs of Dino. The 360 ​​is slightly larger than the F355, with a cockpit that lies more towards the center of the car. And unlike the flat roof and reinforced roof of the F355, the 360 ​​has a fastback design. This makes the car less obviously central engine, certainly to help mimic the appearance of the front engine 550. But the most important difference was the all-aluminum space frame design that not only brought more advanced materials up to the entry- Level V-8, but also made for a car that was both stiffer and considerably lighter than its predecessor.

External Dimensions

Length 4.777 mm (176.25 inches)
Width 1.922 MM (75.66 inches)
Height 1.214 mm (47.79 inches)
Wheelbase 2,600 MM (102,36 inches)
Front track 1.669 MM (65.70 Inches)
Rear Track 1.617 MM (63.66 Inches)
Inside

The 360 ​​is a two seat sports car. Not a great tourer, and this spot is done very well by the interior space. It is not narrower than its competitors, but it is better than the person who is riding on it. But the 360 ​​was about 10 percent larger than the F355 and was therefore able to offer something you could not find in the previous V-8 berlinettas, luggage space. This came in the form of a small shelf behind the seats. It was not huge, the advertising shots of Ferrari showed it with a bag of golf clubs and nothing more, but it was enough space for a pair of night bags for you and your passenger, and that is more than what you had in the 360's predecessors. The seats were larger and more comfortable as well, and the usual high quality materials were used throughout.

Transmission


The engine of the F355 was quite the technological marvel of the time, and as a result, it did not change much for the 360. It held the five valves per cylinder and the connecting rods of titanium and displaced the displacement from 3.5 liters to 3 , 6. Horsepower went from 375 to 400, which certainly is not much of a gain. But the 360 ​​was also 25 percent lighter than the F355, so the power went much further than before. Like the F355, the 360 ​​was available with a 6-speed electro-hydraulic manual transmission. There are a lot of different types of paddle-shifted transmission out there, and they're definitely not all the same. So here it should be noted that this is the type that is found in F1 cars, not the type that takes several seconds to change when asked to do so. Many people still prefer three pedals to this, but change of palette gets much worse than this.

Drivetrain Specifications

Type rear, longitudinal 90° V8 Bore/stroke 85 x 79 mm Unitary displacement 448.29 cc Total displacement 3586.20 cc Compression ratio 11 : 1 Maximum power 400 HP @ 8,500 RPM Power per liter 112 hp/l Maximum torque 275 LB-FT @ 4,750 RPM Top speed over 295 KM/H (183 MPH) Acceleration 0-100 km/h (62 mph) 4.5 seconds Prices 1999 - 2004 Ferrari 360 Modena - image 32217 There were several different forms that the 360 took, and while the track-focused version might be somewhat more rare, the standard road models definitely are not. The 360 broke the record set by the F355 of the most-produced Ferrari ever, although by this point in the company’s history, every V-8 model was breaking the sales record set by the previous one. Total production for road models was in excess of 16,000 units, and the 360 is unusual in that the fixed-roof units outsold the Spider, although both were obviously very popular. The 360 sold for $140,000 when new, but due to its being relatively common and far from old enough to be considered a classic, today they go for an average of about $60,000. Seriously concours-level examples can push prices up to about $77,000, and you can pick one up in fair condition for less than $50,000, although you should be careful of anything too far below that threshold.