360 transition car... appreciated for what it is and is not....? ever happen?

When I went on a factory tour 3 years ago. They had several 360's on display. Not one 430! I go the feeling it was a game changing car for Ferrari.

 

The 360 was a corner turned IMO for Ferrari. The first Ferrari with a lot of "engine in" not "engine out" maintenance. Also I believe this was the first car Ferrari wanted to make that would leave that idea of a finicky, unreliable, Ferrari in the past. A new era of sorts. So yes, IMO the 360 in my mind is a benchmark car. One that carries a timeless body design with a fairly reliable platform.

Those that keep their 360s in nice shape, well cared for, and mostly original, will be the benefactors of a Ferrari that may well see some decent appreciation.

The 430, while a wonderful car in it's own right seems to me a warmed over design. A few changes of angles on the vents, sharpening up of corners here and there, and other details like the tail lights and headlights, simply don't exactly say "new model" to me. Of course there were also the engine and clutch upgrades, but for the most part I really don't view those as real game changing advantages over the 360.

Now the 458, that's another story. Beautiful car. But as perfectly put by one poster here, "not as engaging". You've got to love the tech. For me, I don't. I love the design but the tech clearly has the car placed into the modern landscape of today's exotic car. The 360 is the Ferrari to me that has just the right amount of tech to keep me totally engaged in the driving of the car-- and not so much as to give me the niggling feeling of disconnect as the driver.

just my .02

 

The 360 is timeless, especially a 6speed manual , it is the car that made me even consider a Ferrari while being a Porsche guy, the car is still very engaging and has an analog feel plus its easy to drive daily and seems pretty darn solid and reliable, oh and the sound..i love it- 430 is nice but looks too modern, and the newer ones aren't very engaging.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Those who know the 360 already appreciate it , whether the general market does is irrelevant IMO, and it may actually be an advantage if it doesn't - you can then play in this field for reasonable money. It is arguably the first reasonably reliable and reasonably maintenance cost-wise of the mid-engine V8s, and is an all around very nice car IMO. The 360 manual was my first F-car years ago, and will be the last to go. Others have come and gone since, but the 360 manual is still here

Beautiful Tarek!

 

It was the first mid V8 Ferrari with the aluminum subframe, so the first truly modern car in that line, and it was the last with the old belt driven cam motor, so really the ultimate evolution from the 308: 308, 328, 348, 355, 360. The F430 was on the same platform, but with an all new engine design, so it is objectively the better car, but I wasn't taken with the minor styling changes, and I also like the sound of the 40 valve V8 better than the 430's 32 valve one. For me it's perfect, especially with the manual and sunroof. I'll never sell this car.


Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Love your car, George. Ever come to Austin with it??!!


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

I haven't yet, but I had my 456M up there a few times, so it'll happen at some point. Just looking for the right car show or other event. Do plan on doing COTA again, this time with the 360.

I had a lot of fun last time.

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

My tagline say it.

Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

 

360 the next 275gtb

Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

 

The 360, as others have said, is a timeless car. I don't think it's widely received as such but it will be. It's gorgeous, available in a stick (one of the last cars to be arguably better in a manual transmission) and was a turning point for Ferrari mechanics (engine-in vs. engine-out). It'll take time, but it will be appreciated.

 

A 360 Spider was the first Fcar I ever owned. I loved every second with that car.

 

I think it's going to be appreciated with time. When you look at the windows and quarter panel windows, its the same profile as the later cars. It's the first of the design language of modern cars. All the 80's and early 90's cars had that Testarossa front end, flat popup headlights with really questionable build quality.

Give it time.

 

360, suffers the 308 syndrome. High production, easily attainable. For what seemed an eternity, the 308 could be bought for peanuts, until about 5-6 years ago. They hit.

The 360 will head on up, the question is when? They are about near bottom, but I think they still have room to drop a bit more, as the 430 is becoming more affordable, and is a much better car over all..looks not withstanding.

I have to add..it appears the 360 has fallen into the "skip" catagory. Just like the 348 did. Because of the sever beating the 348 go in the press, and by the CEO of Ferrari himself, people skipped over the 348 and went straight to the 355. Not to say the 360 is a bad car, but it was not what it should have been. I feel the car was rushed into production, and in may ways it shows.

 

Honestly most people have no idea and just equate what they "think looks good" with what's expensive. Bentley's and Maseratis are horribly ugly cars but people know how much they costs so they go "Woooooo Bentley niiiiccee".

The 360 is one of the prettiest cars ever made. However they made too many for those with truely discerning tastes to bid they price up. They can easily pick one up for cheap from some guy who moves on to the next thing "lap times bruh!".

Some day when many more are crashed, the price will eventually reflect how good they are, but it will take a long time since they made so many.

 

I'm not sure exactly what the combination of factors was, but it was the first new Ferrari model that the market went insane over. It was the first model that flippers made a ton of money on, and especially the '99's and '00's were flipped a lot for great profit. You can see that in the CARFAX ownership histories on some of them. Personally, I think it was because the design was so beautiful and modern. Even today, some people who see my car can't believe it's almost twenty years old. And the performance was quite good for the time.

There's no way the 360 will remain a bargain forever. It may never be a collectable like some of the classics that were made in such low numbers, but they have nowhere to go but up.

 

First model flippers made a ton of money on? I guess you were not around in 1985 and saw what happened to the Testarossas and GTO's or in 86-87-88-89 with 328's or in 90-92 with the F40's.

Sorry, 360's sold well because the economy was good, DOT Comer's were buying them like there was no tomorrow and it was a good car.

 

Me too and I’m on my 3rd one now. Can’t seem to get it out of my system. I agree with the above posters. It was a turning point for Ferrari, first mass produced (so to speak) alloy body Ferrari with timeless styling and raw aggression. I would put it against any modern car in artistic excellence and driving emotion.

 

The 360 was flipped at an unprecedented level. That's just a fact. I doubt that happened just because the economy was good.

 

After 35 years I was ready to move from being a "Porschephile" into a new direction. Actually, I was considering the move when I bought my last 911 over 18 years ago. At the time I could have bought a nice 60's 250 GTB running and roadworthy for about the same price ---of course that was a BIG mistake NOT to have bought one then. Anyhoo... When I got the itch again last August, I thought I would revisit buying a 250. Of course I quickly realized that those cars were way, way, beyond what I could afford now. So....

...I began looking at what Ferrari had to offer at my price point. The 360 was a beautiful design. The research (thanks in a large part to the great group of guys on this forum) proved out that the 360 was truly a reliable, reasonably affordable car to maintain, and as I would have expected, a blast to drive. After almost a year and a half of owning my 360 coupe, I can tell you-- even as a designer-- I don't see many areas of the car that I would want to change in order to alter it's stock appearance. It is simply a Grand Slam Home Run for me on that front. And while the performance numbers don't put it at the top of the exotic car hill, it's still a car, as is, that is very gratifying for me to own, drive, and look at. Pluses include that it is also a very easy car for me to work on if I choose to.

Spoilers, carbon fibre interior, etc. No way. Not for me. As others have said, the 360 drops jaws as is-- And especially when you tell folks it's sneaking up on being 20 year old car-- 20 year old design.

 

99.999999% vs 0.000001% - I honestly doubt anyone buys it to make it look like a newer model, sounds like an unwise path. You can buy a 430 F1 for not that much more... and either will never look like a 458 or 488, thank god

 

I always thought a 308/328 would be my first FCar, but when the time came to start looking to purchase, the 360 was what I wanted. I chose it over the F430 and all other models in that price range. It isn't near iconic for Ferrari, yet, maybe some day. To me, it is one of the most beautifully designed models - I absolutely love the lines on it.

As far as I know, my car is completely stock (which I love), and I have no intention of ever modding it. There are some 360's that have been modded to the point that make me shudder. To each their own, and I can appreciate others getting into that, but it's just not my thing.

It's interesting to discuss, but for me, I'm not concerned with the market's perception (looks, value, etc.) of the car, I own it simply because I love to drive it, it is a complete blast. I always wonder if the people around me can see the massive smile on my face. I don't know if I'll ever sell it, but that partially depends on whether or not my wife will be agreeable to a collection.