Paddle shifters have been in Ferraris for so long that it’s hard to think of when exactly they first became available in the Italian sports cars. Now, they’re the only kind of transmission in a new Ferrari, although there’s news Ferrari may offer a three-pedal setup in the future. So when did Ferrari start down the road to footless gearchanges and faster shift times? With the 355 F1 lineup of Berlinetta, GTS, and Spider models back in 1997. Our Pick of the Day is a 1999 Ferrari 355 F1 Spider posted on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in California.
The 1995-1999 355 was an evolution of the preceding 348 and was offered in Berlinetta, GTS, and Spider body styles. Although both models had a wedge shape and a mid-engine layout, the 355 did away with its predecessor’s dated side strakes and received a slightly larger engine. Equipped with five-valve heads and lightweight titanium connecting rods, the 3.5-liter V8 produced 380 horsepower and 268 lb-ft of torque, according to Ferrari. At first, a six-speed manual was the only available gearbox. Ferrari was no stranger to two-pedal cars; it had offered automatics before in the 400 series and 456 GTA, but the F1 single-clutch automated manual was bound to happen at some point. After all, Ferrari was a Formula 1 powerhouse and its road cars were known for their speed. The body mechanics of shifting a car manually can add time to acceleration runs and lap times; keeping your right foot down while pulling back on a paddle cuts some steps out of the shifting process. About halfway through the wedge-shaped 355’s production run, Ferrari equipped it with its new F1-style six-speed gearbox.
Now for a little history on this Rosso Corsa ’99 355 F1 Spider. According to the selling dealer, it’s been a California car with only two owners since new. Neither one of them seems to have driven it much because this car has only 13,665 miles on it, which the black soft top and the overall shape of the tan interior seem to reflect.
Aside from the transmission itself, conveniences include power controls for the windows, seats, mirrors, and top. The ultimate convenience is knowing this Ferrari recently received a major service that included new timing belts, which should be shown in the service records that come with this angular ’90s classic.
If you want an example of the car that showed what the future of Ferrari was going to be, this 1999 355 F1 Spider can be yours for $109,800.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com