1996 Ferrari F355 GTS - Manual

We are delighted to be able to offer what might just be the best value manual Ferrari F355 GTS for sale on the open market today.

Fresh from a £13,000 body and mechanical restoration in 2017, fitted with the desirable manual gearbox and finished in black, it is in stunning condition and in need of nothing.

It really is ready and waiting to thrill and delight its new owner, if you’ve ever fancied getting your hands on what many consider the last of the ‘real’ Ferraris, you might want to read on…

The gorgeous black paintwork presents very well indeed with good shut lines, dent-free panels, and a fit-and-finish that is up there with the very best of them. If you can ignore the ‘P’-plate (easily done with a timeless private registration number) you could be looking at a pampered five-year-old car rather than one that has gracefully entered its third decade.

The first owner took the bold decision to eschew the more usual red and ordered his new Ferrari in black, a decision we can only applaud; rarely have we seen a car that manages to combine gorgeous and menacing so effectively. Our lead photographer is a talented chap, but he should probably hand back at least half of his fee for this job because a half-witted chimpanzee armed with nothing but a 1970s Polaroid could’ve made this particular Ferrari F355 look good.

And then there’s the small matter of the roof; removing the roof panel not only adds to its stunning good looks, it also adds yet another element to the equation offering the driver and passenger the opportunity to better enjoy the sunshine along with the car’s evocative engine and exhaust note.

Plus smells, of course. A fine summer’s evening would add the smell of newly mown grass, pollen, and perhaps the odd whiff of unburnt hydrocarbons on the over-run. In the days before we all started worrying about emissions and started buying EVs, few motoring experiences rivalled a Ferrari popping and crackling as you brake late and snick your way down through the gearbox. Time travel is still an impossibility, but a fast run in this is a very close second.

The roof panel itself in in very good condition both inside and out, sealing tightly and evenly; with it fitted the Ferrari does a very credible job of impersonating a coupe, offering the very best of both worlds depending on the weather and the owner’s inclinations.

The pop-up headlights add an element of understated cool that more conventional recessed lights never could, and while Italian electrics might have had some bad PR over the years, these buck the trend by seemingly working perfectly.

It comes with a genuine Ferrari hard top cover to protect it while it is not fitted to the roof.

The four 18-inch magnesium alloy wheels are in excellent condition and are shod, of course, with matching tyres, in this case the simply brilliant Pirelli P-Zero. Cheapskates fit mis-matched tyres to save money, while meticulous and mechanically sympathetic owners fit a full set of good rubber and to hell with the cost.

If you've looked at UK F355s you will know that they can rust - this example's prior history means that the arches are clear of bubbles, although there is a fingernail-sized bleb on the panel below the drivers side windscreen - a usual F355 weakness.

To spare you more of our gushing, why not pop along to The Market HQ here in Abingdon and take a look at it for yourself? We promise you won’t be disappointed, and we make a mean cup of coffee.

The black leather interior might be on the sombre side but there’s no denying its condition; the seats have just the sort of patina that hints at long road-trips and pre-dawn back-country blasts. Marred by nothing so vulgar as rips, tears or other damage, they just have some gentle creasing. Like Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen and Helen Mirren, some things look even better as they age and we think this interior is up there with Hollywood’s finest. (And not a plastic surgeon in sight…)

And just take a look at the gated gear-change too with its simple metal gear knob and contrasting stitching on the console; you can almost hear the metal-on-metal click as you snap your way up and down the ‘box with a flick of your wrist, can’t you?

And this tactility goes right to the heart of why every enthusiast should own at least one Ferrari if they can possibly afford it: it’s a sensory overload, providing a unique combination of haptic feedback. Modern Ferraris, with their automatic gearboxes, might be faster but to concentrate on efficiency and ultimate speed at the expense of driver satisfaction is to miss the point entirely.

A modern Alpine headunit (including iPhone connectivity via a lead) sits in the dashboard and a Clifford alarm and a Tracker system protects the car and its contents. It still has its original tan leather case too, which sits in the front luggage compartment.

In fact, the worst thing we can find to say about the interior is that the carpets could do with a vacuum, and that a small amount of the usual '1990's sticky Italian plastics' is prevalent on the switches. Those who know their 1990s Italian cars will know that this can afflict the air vents, the heater controls and more beyond - limited to just the switches suggests further careful ownership and preventative maintenance.

This F355 has the sort of extensive (and expensive) service history you want to see when you’re contemplating buying an older Italian supercar.

Originally supplied to its first owner in Germany it was imported into the United Kingdom (many years before this became a fashion), when it was professionally converted from left-hand-drive to right-hand-drive in around 2007. To show the thoroughness of the job, there is a photo history of the works in progress - repeated in our Gallery. 

Additional work includes new timing belts in 2013, along with a recharge of its air-conditioning system, a new rear main gearbox oil seal, and the installation of uprated, cross-drilled front and rear brake discs.

A more comprehensive restoration was carried out in 2017, and this included another pair of new timing belts plus new front springs, a full service and refurbishment of the air-conditioning system, two new catalytic convertors plus a full service. The bill for the mechanical and electrical work (which can be seen online) was carried out by Ferrari expert Bob Houghton and came to more than £13,000.

The cramped engine bay – there’s a lot to fit in there – is clean and tidy. The same can be said of the underside, which is clean and showing no sign of having been damaged.

The online MOT history shows nothing of any real concern bar a minor oil leak and confirms the car’s mileage. (The odometer was replaced just prior to its MOT in August 2007. It had read 62,673kms at the previous MOT which was carried out in June 2006 - therefore the current mileage is proven as 48,000miles although the odometer displays around 8,000 now) The MOT certificate itself runs out in October 2019.

The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a thick sheaf of invoices and bills from marque experts such as Foskers, Maranello and DNK Developments confirm the meticulous maintenance work that has been done on it over the years. The restoration was documented with a number of photographs, which will be supplied with the vehicle.

Of course, it also comes with the stamped service history book plus the various owner’s manuals that it was originally supplied with, all safely nestled in an impressive tan leather Ferrari wallet.

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 restored and maintained to the very highest standard.

The Ferrari F355 never really went through the it’s-just-an-old-Ferrari stage, which means they tend to have been pampered and rarely neglected. Take this car, for example; it looks like every single niggle (and potential niggle, come to that) has been ruthlessly eradicated over the years - at huge cost.

Which makes it an easy car to bid on because this single-minded fanaticism makes for a very safe place to put your money. We’ve also seen a steady rise in the value of good cars over the years, and they really don’t come any better than this…

Our guide price of £52,000 to £60,000 reflects the care with which this vehicle has been maintained and the work that has been carried out on it in recent years. But please do remember that, as ever, the reserve is set at an even lower point, so you might be able to snag your dream Ferrari at a bargain basement price. This must be the best value manual F355 in this condition available on the market. 

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive. 

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.