2000 Ferrari 360 Modena F1

Welcome to our latest auction, this time for a 2000 Ferrari 360 Modena finished in Tour de France Blue with the ultra-rare ‘Moonroof’ and the F1 semi-automatic gearbox.

With a good history and only 70,000 miles recorded on the odometer, it’s had the cambelts changed only recently and, just as importantly, it still has the red key and PIN.

In the care of its co-owners for the past five years, they’re slowly working their way through their Bucket List cars. Curiosity now sated after a very satisfactory period with it, it’s time to let it go to a new owner to free up cash and space for their next car. (It’s a De Tomaso Pantera, in case you’re interested…)

[Note: you may have seen that this car did not quite hit it's reserve with us last week; after numerous discussions with interested parties, the vendors have decided to offer the car with No Reserve]

Finished in Tour de France Blue with black alloy wheels, this lovely example of the ever-popular Ferrari 360 is wonderfully discreet and impeccably presented. With excellent panel alignment and sharp shutlines, it has an absence of dents, dinks, and scrapes. This, along with the straight flanks and neatly aligned creases in the metalwork, all point to a life gently led.

The paintwork is in an excellent condition too, and the dark blue colour suits the car’s lines to perfection; we really like the black five-spoke alloy wheels as well although changing them back to silver would be straightforward should the new owner prefer them finished in their original colour.

Regardless of colour preferences, we can all agree that they’re in fine fettle bar some minor nibbling to the outer edges of the front rims. They also give a great view of the yellow brake calipers and ventilated discs – and the fact they’ve been fitted with matching Bridgestone Potenza tyres, all of which have good tread, can only be a positive sign.

Because, as we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you an insight into their attitude towards maintenance.

Benefitting from the ultra-rare ‘Moonroof’ - we are led to believe that only four right-hand-drive examples were ever built thus configured - it is effectively a GTS, albeit never badged as such. The roof itself seals tightly and fits the aperture very well. Easy to remove and stow behind the seats, its presence is a very welcome addition to what is already a very attractive proposition.

The 360 has also been enhanced with a Challenge grille on the rear (the original panel comes with the car) and the light lenses, badges and glass are all in great shape.

Oh, and those Ferrari emblems on the wings? They’re the proper enamel items rather than the more usual stickers…

Problems are almost non-existent. Sure, there are a few small stone chips here and there, but otherwise the car needs nothing doing to it other than to sort out a couple of very minor areas of corrosion, most notably on the rear of the offside sill plate.

NB: The 360 has been re-registered as ‘X639 JOM’, and the new number plates have been fitted.

The blue and black leather seats are in a good condition, being firm and supportive and free of rips, tears and other damage. Yes, it’s true that the outer edge of the driver’s seat is showing more cracking than the passenger’s seat as well as a little colour loss, but a half-decent leather restorer could resolve that very easily. The rest of the leather is in great shape, and the electrical adjustment works as it should.

The dinky little gear-lever for the semi-automatic F1 gearbox might lack the romance of the gated manual but there’s no denying its diminutive size and metal construction imbue it with a charm of its own.

The three-spoke leather steering wheel is a delightful thing, too. Hiding its airbag better than most, it manages the tricky job of balancing 21st century safety with 20th century aesthetics better than most.

The rest of the cabin is in good shape, with only very gentle patination to the touch-surfaces and no sun-fading or cracking to the top of the dashboard.

In fact, the work for the new owner to do seems to be limited to the removal of the notorious sticky finish that plagues some of the interior trim. This is a well-known problem and one that can be resolved on either a DIY or a professional basis, depending on their proclivities and budget.

The servicing regimen, according to the stamped service history booklet and the attached invoices, is as follows:

03.12.2001 and 3,351 miles

27.01.2003 and 5,664 miles

20.04.2004 and 20,704 miles

27.07.2005 and 38,096 miles

10.07.2006 and 43,338 miles

31.08.2007 and 47,827 miles – plus cambelt and clutch

11.07.2008 - cambelt

11.06.2009 and 51,728 miles

22.09.2010 and 54,137 miles

01.11.2012 and 54,215 – service, cambelt and new brake pads all round

24.07.2013 and 63,435 miles – full service plus suspension and steering work

30.04.2014 and 66,908 miles – service and extensive work costing over £7,000. Please see attached invoice for full details

13.05.2014 – oil change and plenum chambers cleaned

14.10.2014 and 69,616 – cure misfire and new engine and gearbox mounts

11.04.2017 and 73,591 miles – major service plus cambelt, bearings and tensioner

The boot contains a new Ferrari toolkit complete with fuses, bulbs, and belts in addition to the more usual tools. The tan leather case that holds them all together is a genuine work of art - and it gives you an insight into the vendors’ curation of the car when you learn that they went to the expense of replacing it after discovering that a previous owner had retained the original as a souvenir…

Highly visible, the engine and engine bay are as clean and well-presented as you’d hope them to be. The underside looks strong and free of scrapes and the sort of damage that comes with uncaring owners; again, it says only good things of the car and its life to date.

The owner drove it to us from Norfolk and was full of praise for its performance and handling on his arrival. He also went on to say that the compliant ride never ceases to amaze him; this really is a Ferrari that demands nothing by way of compromise.

We’ve driven it and can confirm that it drives as it should and, as you can hear in the video, it sounds every bit as good as a Ferrari should.

It also comes with a high-quality battery trickle charger and an indoor car cover.

The Ferrari’s MOT certificate expires in November 2020 and was gained without a single advisory, something it’s been doing since 2016.

It also comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

The original owner’s handbook, book pack and wallet are present and correct, as is the certificate for the Tracker, the Certificate of Conformity, and two standard keys and the ubiquitous red key and PIN.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

And please be reassured, we’ve undertaken a full COVID-assessment and put into place strict control measure to enable us to safely facilitate a no-contact, socially distanced viewing that includes disinfection of the vehicle before and after your viewing.

It might be a well-worn cliché that every petrolhead should own a Ferrari at some point in their life, but clichés become so for a reason and this delightfully specified – and almost completely standard and unmodified - 360 Mondial F1 would make an ideal introduction to the marque.

As a modern classic and probably the first Ferrari to embrace technology to control things like the engine power curve, gearbox shift points and even the ride, the 360 balances the analogue nature we all love in our classic cars with a level of reliability, performance and safety that would have been unheard of even a decade previously. This makes them a very attractive proposition for the discerning enthusiast who wants to experience an old school supercar but doesn’t want to compromise their driving pleasure or the car’s everyday usability to get it.

And, with a guide price of somewhere between £48,000 and £60,000, this isn’t an expensive way to get behind the wheel of something as timeless, elegant, and thrilling as a Ferrari 360, either.

Plus, as you’ll known by now, the reserve is even lower so you might be able to snaffle a bit of a bargain…

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.