Last Sunday I was privileged enough to extensively test drive a 1995 F355 GTS. It’s one of those very rare moments when I was handed the keys to drive such an exotic machine. Without any hesitation I jumped at this opportunity.ffice
ffice" />My first impression was wow, that’s a very striking yellow Ferrari and to make things better, it was a convertible. Personally prefer mine in Red for obvious reasons. When I had to open the door, I had to bend over to reach the door handle. Getting into the car was lower then getting into my Z4. As I surveyed the interior of the 12 year old car, I thought to myself that this stuff looks pretty dated. Nothing too fancy except for the famous 6 speed gated shifter. My first thought was that it might be difficult to rip through the gears because of the gates. It was not too impressive and it seems like Ferrari didn't really spend too much time effort and money into keeping the small movable parts like the signal stalk window buttons, stereo to stand the test of time. The A/C was pretty terrible and some indicator lights were not working.As I started up the engine, the 355 immediately came to life. All the thoughts of the dated interior were quickly forgotten. This machinery that was behind the seats was a high revving 3.5 liters V8 with about 370 hp and 270ft lbs of torque. And to add to this the owner added an exhaust system and straight piped the car. This car was modified to wake up the neighborhood. Just hearing the exhaust rumble out of the covered parking lots made me grin from ear to ear.High speed testing on our highways can be a little tricky due to the authorities but I took it to my regular tolled highway just south of Rawang for a very spirited drive. My buddy was following me in my Z4. Needless to say, keeping up to a Ferrari is a very tall order. Driving with the top open was quite an experience, the exhaust note is pronounced in all gears. It felts like the car was growling when my revs were below 4000 rpms. And one past 5000 rpms, the V8 sings a very sweet tune that no cars on this planet can replicate. It screams like a freaking witch that is being tortured at the stake all the way to 8500rpms. It was scary and sweet at the same time. I didn’t think the sound of the engine and exhaust could be any better until I drove past an overpass and heard the echo from the roar of the engine gave me a better idea so later after stopping for lunch and chatting my buddy about the experience I decided to experience it in a tunnel. So off to the Penchala Link tunnel I went. The drive through the tunnel was so quick I had to do it again to experience the sweet sounds of the V8 singing. The sound was worth the 4 ringgit toll. You could see all the drivers in the tunnel wondering where the thundering roar was coming from as I zipped past them. Btw, note to self, this tunnel is not straight so I should not full throttle all the way as it can get a little dicey when there are lots of cars.The sound is the next closest thing to the F1 cars. Driving this slightly older manual Ferrari at above its posted speed limit takes a lot of driver concentration and feedback. Going through the gated shifter sound awesome as there is a pronounce click-click as I upshifted. It reminds me of the sound from the Fast and Furious movies when they shift gears. The suspension setting can be adjusted to a harder setting with a click of a button. This made the car more planted as I exited the off ramp.After the two hours of driving this F355, I have an even greater respect for older sports cars. How can you not? It’s a Ferrari, old or not, it still one of the rarest cars to drive. Getting back into the Z4 becomes more sedate. My exhaust note on the Z4 is much quieter, acceleration is much slower but I like the fact that the Z4 is still handles well, AC blows cold air and its still is turns heads. Would I trade my Z4 for a F355 Ferrari, well, the jury is still out. I don’t think I can afford the maintenance of the Ferrari.Sorry for not posting any pictures cause it isn’t my car and it would not be nice without getting the permission of the owner. Hope you all can one day get a chance to drive a Ferrari.
ffice" />My first impression was wow, that’s a very striking yellow Ferrari and to make things better, it was a convertible. Personally prefer mine in Red for obvious reasons. When I had to open the door, I had to bend over to reach the door handle. Getting into the car was lower then getting into my Z4. As I surveyed the interior of the 12 year old car, I thought to myself that this stuff looks pretty dated. Nothing too fancy except for the famous 6 speed gated shifter. My first thought was that it might be difficult to rip through the gears because of the gates. It was not too impressive and it seems like Ferrari didn't really spend too much time effort and money into keeping the small movable parts like the signal stalk window buttons, stereo to stand the test of time. The A/C was pretty terrible and some indicator lights were not working.As I started up the engine, the 355 immediately came to life. All the thoughts of the dated interior were quickly forgotten. This machinery that was behind the seats was a high revving 3.5 liters V8 with about 370 hp and 270ft lbs of torque. And to add to this the owner added an exhaust system and straight piped the car. This car was modified to wake up the neighborhood. Just hearing the exhaust rumble out of the covered parking lots made me grin from ear to ear.High speed testing on our highways can be a little tricky due to the authorities but I took it to my regular tolled highway just south of Rawang for a very spirited drive. My buddy was following me in my Z4. Needless to say, keeping up to a Ferrari is a very tall order. Driving with the top open was quite an experience, the exhaust note is pronounced in all gears. It felts like the car was growling when my revs were below 4000 rpms. And one past 5000 rpms, the V8 sings a very sweet tune that no cars on this planet can replicate. It screams like a freaking witch that is being tortured at the stake all the way to 8500rpms. It was scary and sweet at the same time. I didn’t think the sound of the engine and exhaust could be any better until I drove past an overpass and heard the echo from the roar of the engine gave me a better idea so later after stopping for lunch and chatting my buddy about the experience I decided to experience it in a tunnel. So off to the Penchala Link tunnel I went. The drive through the tunnel was so quick I had to do it again to experience the sweet sounds of the V8 singing. The sound was worth the 4 ringgit toll. You could see all the drivers in the tunnel wondering where the thundering roar was coming from as I zipped past them. Btw, note to self, this tunnel is not straight so I should not full throttle all the way as it can get a little dicey when there are lots of cars.The sound is the next closest thing to the F1 cars. Driving this slightly older manual Ferrari at above its posted speed limit takes a lot of driver concentration and feedback. Going through the gated shifter sound awesome as there is a pronounce click-click as I upshifted. It reminds me of the sound from the Fast and Furious movies when they shift gears. The suspension setting can be adjusted to a harder setting with a click of a button. This made the car more planted as I exited the off ramp.After the two hours of driving this F355, I have an even greater respect for older sports cars. How can you not? It’s a Ferrari, old or not, it still one of the rarest cars to drive. Getting back into the Z4 becomes more sedate. My exhaust note on the Z4 is much quieter, acceleration is much slower but I like the fact that the Z4 is still handles well, AC blows cold air and its still is turns heads. Would I trade my Z4 for a F355 Ferrari, well, the jury is still out. I don’t think I can afford the maintenance of the Ferrari.Sorry for not posting any pictures cause it isn’t my car and it would not be nice without getting the permission of the owner. Hope you all can one day get a chance to drive a Ferrari.
