The last time I did a post about the Ferrari brand, it highlighted the trip I took to Foreign Cars Italia in Greensboro, North Carolina. Not only was that trip, one of my first times being around a slew of exotic cars, it was my first time being face to face with Ferraris. So here it is nearly a year later and I returned to the dealer to take some more pictures. Then a thought hit me. With this load of Ferrari pics, I could do a sequel to my “The Beauty of Ferrari” post.
This time, while standing in the middle of a F355 Spider, 360 Spider and F430, I came up with the idea for this post, which focuses on the mid range Ferraris. While these aren’t the flagships like the 599GTB/GTO or F12 or hypercars like the LaFerrari and Enzo, these are some of the most popular models. As a matter of fact, these cars actually are meaningful to me.
When I was much younger, my mom bought me a F355 Spider Hot Wheel. This was the first Ferrari I noticed. Built (or atleast debuting in) 1995 It was a mid-engine, RWD, V8 sports car built by the infamous Italian brand. The F355 was powered by a 3.5L V8 pushing, 375HP, which was connected to either a six speed transmission or a F1 inspired transmission.
Next in line is the 360 Spider. What’s the significance of the 360 you might ask? Well, it’s quite simple. How many of us played Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2? Granted I had a preference towards the Modena coupe, the Spider wasn’t a bad choice. The 3.6L V8 cranked out 395HP, a 20HP improvement from the F355. Fun Fact: The 360 Spider was Ferrari’s 20th road going drop top.
2005 was the end of the 360, but the birth of the F430. The F430 was the first Ferrari I saw on the road. I remember seeing the F430 Scuderia on a trip to the fair, while I was being attacked by a vicious bumblebee. To me, the 360 was better looking, but the F430 wasn’t ugly either. I mean, the F430 wasn’t ugly because it looked like the 360, with stretched headlights.
After the F430, Ferrari gave us the 458 Italia. Unlike the prior two models, the 458 Italia was more angular but still a monster. The first “The Beauty of a Ferrari” post featured a white 458 Speciale. The 458 was also the benchmark in its category. Everything from the McLaren 650 to the Lamborghini Huracan was compared to the 458. The 458 features a 570HP 4.5L V8 mated to a seven speed dual clutch transmission.
Replacing the 458 is the 488GTB. The 488GTB was featured on the first post on The Car Files. The 488GTB is the newest of this series of Ferraris and makes a statement with a twin-turbo 3.9L V8 making near 100 more HP than, 661 to be exact, than the 458. The dark red 488 Spider was the first 488 I’ve seen on the road, even though it was in a showroom. While the 458’s design took a little bit for me to get used to, the 488’s attraction was instantaneous.
Other honorable mentions during this trip was a black 599GTB, which I wish was a GTO or XX, a California T and a Testorosa. All of which, complemented the stable of 355s, 360s, 430s, 458s and the lone 488.
Ferrari, wasn’t always my favorite exotic car brand, until I started writing this blog. I’m not saying Ferrari is now my favorite, I’m saying that Ferrari has defiantly moved up my list. Whether the love came from Hot Pursuit 2, Hot Wheels, or my couple of trips to Foreign Cars Italia, the Beauty of a Ferrari is undeniable. The prancing horse brand, will always pull some of the visually stunning vehicles out of the stable, with the performance to match.
Here’s some more pics from the trip to Foreign Car Italia in Greensboro.
WOW!! You were born to write these blogs!! Thank you for enlightening us viewers about these cars!
Proud MOM!!
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