Ferrari, No Longer Safe From The Aftermarket

OK, some of you may be thinking, "Ferrari, what more do you need to do to it?" Well, in this day and age, even the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche are not immune from the tuning market. Whether it be performance upgrades, wheels, or a kickin' system, people are spending billions of dollars a year for the price of "individuality" even in the face of a troubled economy.



Take for instance one such owner. I had the pleasure of meeting this gentleman at an Exotic Car meet in Lake Geneva, WI last year who subsequently, allowed me to take a brief joy ride in his Ferrari F355. Even at first glance, you could immediately tell it was not stock. With 19" ROH Modena wheels imported from Australia wrapped in Michelin PS2's, the rear stance of the car looked extremely wide. To top it off, the owner had lowered the vehicle 1" by adding a set of H&R lowering springs. Coined the "Death Star", this F355 was darkened all the way around to include replacing the front and rear bumpers with European bumpers (no side markers), tinting the windows, and tinting the rear taillights. The front bumper indicators were also replaced with clear indicators to remove any indication of US Spec, amber markings. In my opinion, this was the best F355 I had ever seen.



Moving to the interior of the vehicle, you could tell the owner took great care in keeping somewhat of a factory look but changed out a few problematic pieces such as the sticky, plastic parts with carbon fiber from Powerspeed (earlier model Ferrari's were infamous for these somewhat questionable parts). The massive sill plates were then covered with CF inlaid with the silver CF Ferrari logo. The gauges, console and other minor interior pieces were also covered. Lastly, the owner added new aluminum pedals for the driver as well as an aluminum kick plate for the passenger to give it more of a challenge car feel. Upgrading the head unit to make it Ipod friendly was also necessary because let's face it, who carries cd's in their car anymore?



What impressed me the most however was not the stealthy styling, or the CF upgrades but more the engine and performance parts. Coupled to high flow cats and a Tubi exhaust, the F1 wail of this Ferrari was incredible. This was evident from the initial twist of the ignition. Now I know exhaust parts alone do not add much if any HP but the sound, oh the sound is worth every penny. The owner did reassure me though that I would feel "a little bit more kick" compared to other F355's I may have driven due to the addition of an ECU upgrade. Excitedly, I could not wait to jump in and test her out.

From what I've noticed on other F355's I've driven in the past, the steering is typically light and the clutch stiff but hey, this IS a true driver's car. With the addition of the lowering springs, the increase in handling was evident. This F355 felt more planted and I also felt like I was able to really "throw" it into corners without fear of losing the rearend. First gear still seemed a little short but after you've made it into second, you were really able to feel the horse come to life as they threw you back into your seat. I was able to do a highway run with my buddies Acura NSX and the results were more than impressive. As the image of the Acura NSX grew smaller in the rear view mirror, I could only imagine the look on his face as he picked pieces of rubber from his teeth while choking on the exhaust fumes of the F355.

(To view the Ferrari F355's stock specifications, visit Cars.com)