Ferrari 355 Spider

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A Ferrari for everyday? It cant be I hear you shout! Actually, our long-term enthusiast vendor did pretty much just that and has owned this magnificent six-speed manual September 1996 Spider since 2002 with both himself and his former wife recorded as owners. He purchased the car 17 years ago with just over 31,000 miles on it and has covered around 57,000 additional enjoyable miles in the car over this period making a current total of 88,000 miles.

In addition to its historic and routine servicing schedule, the car has recently had some £33,000 spent on a major overhaul and restoration and as a result the car is in ruder health than ever. This has all been documented in detail with photographs and supporting documentation along the way.

These works were, on the whole, carried out by MDL Specialist Cars who are well known and highly regarded Ferrari specialists in Telford. They carried out the strip down and rebuild with the bodywork, wheel refurbish and repaint being carried out by CMS Porsche of Telford.

The 355 had worn its use and miles well but was starting to suffer as any high-performance car might so the car was completely stripped and all parts were either refurbished or replaced. The engine was stripped and the cams, crank and liners all found to be in sound order, but all 24 inlet- and 16 exhaust valve guides were replaced along with 40 valve stem oil seals, big ends replaced along with main bearings, piston rings and 16 con rod bolts which cost a whopping £1,018 for the set alone along with a new speedo sensor and other fixings. The camshaft rocker covers were also refurbished and repainted in the correct red crackle finish at this time. These engine works cost £3,750 alone. In addition to these works, a new clutch kit and timing belt kit was fitted at an additional cost of £1,290.

Next to be sorted was the engine cross member, a known weak point, so this was removed, shot blasted, repaired and powder coated. Another bill loomed, £1,400 for refurbished radiators, uprated water pump, uprated cooling fan and other cooling ancillaries were replaced and overhauled before £4,040 was spent overhauling the exhaust system including two new manifolds (originals known to crack), back box and Prosport-Ferrari high flow sports cats were fitted along with new rings, clamps and new catalyst temperature control unit.

The suspension and brakes received attention with two overhauled rear shocks, replacement actuator, brake hoses, rubber mounts, new hand brake cables and two new tyres fitted; another £2,039 (The brake callipers had been refurbished on a previous service). A further £809 was spent on electrical items including a refurbished alternator, HT leads and plugs.

The lights, glass and other bits of trim including badges and gas struts all received attention with £1,831 spent here. The interior didn’t escape some expense either with over £2,000 spent on reupholstering both seats, a new leather tonneau cover and retrimmed airbag covers where they wrinkle in the sun. In addition to this, the electric hood was also replaced with a new original spec black Mohair item with new potentiometers and hydraulic oil with all systems checked and bled.

The car’s body was stripped completely (screen, trim, badges, engine out etc) and rubbed down to inspect for any damage or corrosion but found to be straight and largely corrosion free. Any affected areas were addressed, and the car prepped and repainted in the original Rosso red, the wheels were also being refurbished at this time at a total cost of some £6,400.

After all this work and expense came more, the re-assembly by MDL after initial component strip down. Fortunately, all this work has been well documented with photographs of parts, before and after and during the restoration along with images of the body before, during and after paint/prep etc. The rebuild cost some £6,000 in labour.

The works were completed by October 2017 and the car has seen regular use since and can often be seen and heard around Hereford’s sweeping A and B-roads. In addition, the car’s history file contains various files of invoices, magazines, the owner’s pack and service book showing some 13 stamps, numerous old MOTs; other associated photos and docs and a current MOT until October 2019 with just one advisory for a windscreen wiper blade.

The car has been loved, with several memorable trips, to Le Mans in 2004 with 3 laps of the circuit undertaken as part of a documented Ferrari Owner’s Club tour, another was taking part in the Guinness World Record in 2012 with the most Ferraris ever in a parade at Silverstone with some 964 cars on track at once. The other was being a major feature in issue 207, February 2019’s Ferrari Owners Club magazine, an 8-page article all about our vendor’s ownership journey and the incredible restoration undertaken.

The sale is a hugely reluctant one, but our vendor is relocating to enjoy his retirement and new life in Thailand and the car cannot go with him.

This is one for the avid enthusiast, sure its done a few miles, but every single one of those has put a smile on its owners face and as repayment, he has indulged in a detailed and costly restoration. A fantastic opportunity to buy a restored icon. We all want this one.