1999 Ferrari F355 F1 Berlinetta

This Ferrari F355 Berlinetta (coupé) was first registered on the 24th March 1999, and is an original UK specification RHD car, built very late in the six-year production run and so benefitting from all those years of development.

About 1 in 5 of all F355s were fitted with Ferrari’s Formula 1-derived 6-speed electro-hydraulic, 'paddle-shift' manual gearbox and this car is one of them, so is actually a little less common than the standard stick-shifted manual.

The first owner, a Mr Baker from North Staffordshire, bought the car on 26th March 1999 from Stratstone Ferrari of Wilmslow, Cheshire. It spent the first 9 years of its life in the North West and Midlands area before moving to Scotland (West Lothian) for about 5 years.

Its penultimate owner was a collector who bought the Ferrari from McGurk Performance Cars in January 2015 and only drove it 348 miles before selling at auction 3 years later - where the current owner (its 12th keeper) acquired it.

The F355 was the first sports car that he bought and since then he has built up a collection of around 15 performance cars of varying marques and periods. Like its previous owners, he hasn’t driven the Ferrari a great deal - maybe adding around 1,000 miles mostly just through weekend drives in the first year.

However, he has spent more than £35k with DK Engineering and other specialists over the last few years to bring the F355 up to its current excellent condition. It has been in professional dry storage for the last year and barely used so he is now looking to trim his collection and sell it on to someone who can get to enjoy it more.

Everyone knows that a Ferrari sports car has to be painted in what the Italians call “Rosso Corsa” (loosely translating as “Resale Red”) right? No, quite wrong! There are many models from Maranello which look equally good, if not better, when painted in a handsome mid to dark blue - such as the gorgeous Tour de France (TdF) blue of this F355. Whilst red shouts “went with the default spec” - TdF suggests that the first owner really thought about how they wanted their Ferrari to look, feel and perform.

The paint and bodywork on this Ferrari is rather beautiful and, although not perfect, looks very strong. There’s a smattering of small stone chips across the nose and a couple of light scratches on the rear bumper but no other evident damage. There’s some unevenness under the paint in some places, most noticeable in front of the driver’s door mirror and where the leading edge of the offside buttress joins the rear wing - but the latter especially is hardly discernible unless you’re really close up.

The car has proper, recessed Scuderia shields and the other badges and emblems around the car appear in good order.

It sits on its original, good condition 18-inch five-spoke speedline alloy wheels, through which you can see the silver Ferrari-branded Brembo calipers. All wheels are shod with matching Pirelli P-Zero tyres which have only around 800 miles on them since being fitted in August 2018.

Matching tyres are an infallible sign of a car that has been looked after by a mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the money to keep the car in the very best condition; as such, we use them as something of a ‘shortcut’ when assessing a car’s likely overall mechanical condition – and they’ve never let us down.

The interior is in a great condition - the perfectly-specified Crema leather upholstery was cleaned and reconnolised in December 2019 and although it still shows a light creasing, is in good condition. At the same time the infamous sticky interior trim was dealt with. Plastic trims, knobs and switches from Italian cars of the late nineties and early noughties were notorious for becoming rather gummy to the touch over time - but the trim in this F355 is now a lot better for the overhaul.

The dashboard is clad in black leather which has discreet blue stitching to match the exterior, a detail that’s easily missed but harks back to the presumption of a considerate and thoughtful specifier.

Behind the wheel, the original F1 paddle-shifters have been replaced with carbon-fibre units and although the exposed weave looks a little ahead of its time compared to the rest of the car, it’s a subtle upgrade that doesn’t detract from the late ‘90s feel.

All the electrics are understood to work as they should - other than the cassette player within the original Ferrari Sony radio. The dark blue carpets and matching fitted over mats are all in good undamaged condition and up above, the cream headlining looks to be clean and intact.

On opening the driver’s door, you can see some small patches of rust around the rubber sill plate, to which a temporary repair has been made.

Under the bonnet inside the front boot, the carpet and linings are clean and intact. Secured in place by a leather strap is the original Ferrari tool kit, containing pliers, screwdrivers, spanners, and spare bulbs and fan belt. In another pouch is a tyre repair canister in lieu of a spare wheel and jack.

The undersides of the car are mostly hidden behind the protective plastic undertrays. There is a fair bit of scratching and scraping on these panels - likely from grounding on speed bumps - but of course that is what they are there for; to protect the underbody. Elsewhere is fairly clean with just some light rust on jacking points and some of the fixings. In the wheel arches, the suspension and brake assemblies are in very good order since their refurb (see photos and History Highlights).

The engine bay looks very modern, with most of the mechanicals obscured by plastic airboxes, ducting and the large inlet manifolds atop each bank of the V8. The characteristic red crackle-finish cam covers are visible down the sides and everything appears to be in a clean, well looked-after condition with nothing out of place and no obvious signs of corrosion.

We would welcome and encourage a personal inspection of the Ferrari by any potential bidders (within Govt. guidelines of course). We are looking after the F355 at our Oxfordshire HQ during the sale and, although we operate in a Covid-safe way, we imagine most would prefer to discuss and inspect the vehicle via a live video call. Use the ‘Contact Seller’ option to arrange it with us.

This Ferrari comes with a current MOT certificate valid until November 2021 - which it passed with no advisories - and only one previous failure in 2014 for brakes and emissions issues, which were then rectified.

In terms of maintenance, a combination of the invoices and the service booklet shows that the car has been regularly serviced by Ferrari main dealers and specialists throughout its life. It also shows that the belts have been changed every three years regardless of mileage - as per Ferrari’s recommendations - including the latest in August 2018.

Feb 2000 - 2,694 miles - Stratstone Ferrari Wilmslow

Aug 2000 - 5,789 - Stratstone Ferrari Wilmslow

Aug 2001 - 10,800 - Stratstone Ferrari Wilmslow

Feb 2002 - 13,315 - Stratstone Ferrari Wilmslow (incl. belts)

Feb 2004 - 14,938 - Graypaul Loughborough

Oct 2005 - 393 (15,610) - Graypaul Nottingham (incl. belts)

Nov 2006 - 1,558 - Stratstone Ferrari Manchester

Nov 2007 - 1,984 - Stratstone Ferrari Manchester

Aug 2008 - 2,984 - Monks Heath Motors Macclesfield (incl. belts)

Sep 2009 - 4,135 - Top Gear Cars Bathgate West Lothian

Nov 2011 - 4,625 - Top Gear Cars (incl. belts)

Feb 2013 - 4,815 - Top Gear Cars

Feb 2014 - 5,416 - R&D Automotive Manchester

Feb 2015 - 5,909 - McGurk Performance Cars Kineton (incl. belts)

Jun 2018 - 6,474 - post-purchase inspection DK Engineering

Aug 2018 - 6,601 - DK Engineering (incl. belts)

Dec 2019 - 7,251 - DK Engineering

A significant amount of money was spent with DK Engineering between June 2018 and December 2019, which is fully detailed on the invoices in the gallery but can be summarised as follows:-

- Post purchase inspection

- 4 new Pirelli PZero tyres (Aug 2018)

- Brembo brakes

- F1 overhaul plus new carbon-fibre paddles

- Engine refurb

- A/C regas

- Investigate and clear fault codes

- New alarm fobs

- New sidelight

- Clean and re-connolise interior leather

- Replace “sticky plastic” switches and controls

Invoices for other works include the fitting of a Larini exhaust in January 2015 by McGurk, refurbishment and renewal of brakes and suspension in November 2019 by Plans Performance (see printed photos in gallery) and investigative work by Rees and Allen into electrical issues draining the battery in June 2020.

The F355 is fitted with a tracker (subscription required) and comes with two sets of keys, Ferrari toolkit (which appears complete) and a full book pack including key codes and PIN. It also has a fitted cover for indoor use and another for protection outside.

Whilst the odometer currently displays just 7,400 miles, the service book shows that the speedometer head was changed in 2005 at 15,217 so the true total mileage is still only around 22,500 miles.

The Ferrari F355 is one of the most popular Ferrari models and is considered to be among the best they ever made. Forming a link between the classic and modern Maranello cars, the F355 bypassed the “it’s-just-an-old-Ferrari” stage, which means they tend to have been pampered and very rarely neglected.

Indeed on this car, it appears that every possible Gremlin has been ruthlessly eradicated, especially over the last few years - at considerable cost. As a result it currently runs and drives exceptionally well.

Although, according to our data, asking prices for F355s rose to a peak in mid-2016, they then cooled and have been relatively steady over the past few years. Our guide price of £70,000 to £80,000 reflects the low mileage and condition of this car plus its superb service history and the extensive work that has been carried out on it in recent years.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), 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’.