The Ferrari 355 Challenge Sports Car

Ferrari 355 Challenge Image

from Classic to Modern

THE CAR

The Ferrari 348 Challenge sports car was a race Series for amateur drivers, first established in 1993.

Ferrari offered an optional Challenge kit priced at $14,000 and, by using it, the original 348 could be transformed into the race version in the order of 60 man hours.

The 3.4 litre, V8 engine used in the Challenge Series, when converted, would develop an output of 320 bhp.

The 348 Challenge car's last season was in 1995, which coincided with the launch of the 355 Challenge variant.

The Ferrari 355 Challenge car consisted of a basic 355 Berlinetta 3.5 litre coupe that had been modified using a Challenge kit costing $30,000, and supplied by Ferrari.

These kits first became available in 1996, and the conversion required 110 man hours to fully install. The early cars came with the roll cage mounting points already fitted by the factory.

Some of the components included in the Challenge kit included:

Racing - clutch, springs, slick tyres, steering wheel, and seats
Roll cage
Safety harness
Carbon fibre rear wing
Uprated 14 inch lightweight Brembo composite disc brakes with cooling ducts
18 inch Speedline wheels
Safety engine cut-off switch
Lightweight exhaust system and front bumper
Modified steering rack

Between 1996 and 1997, the 355 Challenge cars came factory fitted with a steady increase in race parts until, in 1998, the final evolution variant was available as an almost complete factory assembled race car. However, some parts still needed to be added, such as the wings.

A total of 108 of the 355 Challenge cars were built, and fitted with six speed gearboxes, together with a plaque at the rear denoting "355 Challenge".

A small number of right hand drive variants were exported to the UK where they were further modified into race trim.

It has been suggested that a handful of these cars have subsequently been converted into road-going variants.

Technical Data	355 Challenge	355
Production	1996-1998	1994-1999
Engine, cc	3496	3496
Cylinders, bhp	8, 380	8, 380
Torque ft/lbs	268	268
Top Speed mph	186	183
0-60 mph, secs	4.6	4.7
0-100 mph, secs	9.4	11.3
Standing 1/4 Mile, secs	12.4	13.3

Ferrari 355 Challenge Image

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COMPETITION

Typical competition for the Ferrari 355 Challenge were the following: Porsche 996 GT3, Nissan R390 GTI, and TVR Cerbera. Ferrari performance:

Technical Data	355 Challenge	Porsche 996 GT3	Nissan R390 GTI	TVR Cerbera
Production	1996-1998	1999-2001	1997-1999	1996-2004
Engine, cc	3496	3606	3496	4573
Cylinders, bhp	8, 380	6, 360	8, 550	8, 415
Torque ft/lbs	268	272	465	375
Top Speed mph	186	187	199	180
0:60 mph, secs	4.6	4.6	3.9	4.1
0:100mph, secs	9.4	10.5	6.9	8.8
Standing 1/4 Mile, secs	12.4	13.0	11.9	12.3

Ferrari 355 Challenge Image

SPORTS CARS FOR SALE

Since a Ferrari 355 Challenge car is not easy to find, this will be reflected in the price. An excellent example would sell at auction within the range $70,000 to $90,000.

This is another of the classic cars from Ferrari.