1998 Ferrari F355

Only lightly run in and mechanically standard, this delightful Ferrari F355 F1 Spider is owned by an equally delightful chap, which is important because we buy great cars from nice people, don’t we?

Anyway, enough of the touchy-feely stuff and on to the objective: the car has fewer than 26,000 miles on the odometer, is finished in Ferrari red, has an untouched cream leather interior, and is powered by a powerful V8 engine that feeds its power to the rear wheels via a semi-automatic gearbox.

And it’s got *that* prancing horse on the bonnet. Really, who could ask for more?

Oh, you want more, eh? In that case let us tell you about the unmarked alloy wheels, the extensive and impeccable service history, the fact that it’s been covered and garaged from new, has been in the same hands for the past six years, and, we think, still wears its original, and virtually perfect, paint.

You want even more? In that case, read on…

We think this car is still sporting its original paintwork, this car could be five years old rather than twenty, which just shows how good a Ferrari can be when it’s been owned by the right people. The coachwork has been recently professionally detailed and protected by a hard glaze finish, so there are only a very few, very minor stonechips – just enough, in fact, to hopefully convince is that it’s never had paint. Onviously we cannot guarantee this and you are encouraged to organise a viewing before auction end using Contact Seller.

Nor has it been used in the rain during the current owner’s stewardship and is kept under a fitted cover in a dry garage when it’s not being used. As you might expect after all that pampering, its only real imperfection is some minor scuffing on the front undertray.

The rear grille has been replaced with a Challenge-style item at a cost of well over £500, an alteration that not only looks terrific but also helps keep things nice and cool under the ‘bonnet’. The owner tells us that it the engine stayed at its normal operating temperature while queuing to get in to the 2016 Le Mans Classic, even in temperatures that nudged the high 30s.

(By the way, his Top Tip is to book the Ferrari on the Eurotunnel as an extra high vehicle in order to get one of the extra-wide carriages, something that’ll save frayed nerves as you manoeuvre those expensive alloy wheels along the carriage…)

The cream leather interior is in extraordinarily good condition. As you can see from the photos, the stitching is completely unmarked, which confirms that the leather has never been re-coloured. And, while the driver’s seat could do with a spot of light cleaning, the rest is nigh-on perfect and good for another couple of decades. The plastics have been professionally cleaned and refurbished to remove any traces of stickiness, something that aficionados will know is a common problem with these cars; while some other owners ignore it in the hope that potential buyers won’t spot anything amiss, he paid an extraordinarily large sum to sort it out properly.

There is a tiny problem with the F1 gearchange display, which has lost the two left-hand LCD bars. This could be rectified but it’s something that has never bothered the owner and so has been left. Another very common F355 problem is the poor leather on the passenger airbag cover.

Oh, and the offside headlight sometimes doesn’t retract. Again, this isn’t a huge problem as it can be wound down by hand. The owner suggests that because he rarely drives the car at night, it might just be a bit sticky through lack of use and may well free up by itself over time.

The V8 engine has been serviced on the dot and has had no fewer than five cambelt changes in its lifetime. Recent bills include one for general fettling and two new Pirelli P-Zero tyres (£2,424), an annual service, new cambelt and an exhaust manifold (£4,808) and the aforementioned ‘destickyfication’ of the interior plus new air filter covers, sill plates and bonnet/boot struts (£8,235).

Yes, this Ferrari F355 has truly has been maintained regardless of cost - and because it won’t need its cambelt changing for another three years, your running costs should be kept to routine servicing alone.

Unusually, the exhaust is the standard Ferrari item rather than an aftermarket one. The owner, who is an uncommonly perceptive man with impeccable taste, says that it already sounds so “incredible” that he’s never, ever used the six-CD multi-changer.

He says that the car is “incredibly easy to live with”, which might make you think he’s a bit of a fuddy-duddy until we tell you that he then went on to extol the virtues of the car as it nudges the 8,500rpm rev limit.

Like we said: he’s our kind of chap.

The online MOT history is as clean and problem-free as we’ve ever seen, with seventeen stamps in the service history book, all of which are from Ferrari main dealers or specialists.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will a huge number of old invoices and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has an impeccable service history.

The car also comes with its original tool kit, leather owner’s wallet and handbooks, Ferrari-branded trickle charger and a fitted car cover.

Regular followers might have seen the Ferrari F355 F1 we displayed, and sold, at the London Classic Car Show, and those that did might remember just how good that example was. Well, the good news is that this one is genuinely every bit as good.

In fact, it might just be even better because it’s a convertible, which turns the unique tactile and sensory Ferrari experience up to eleven.

And that Ferrari mystique is very real. We think every enthusiast should own one at some point in their life and few examples offer the safety and security of a car like this one: with very low miles, regular, money-no-object servicing and a semi-obsessive owner who has taken the time – and spent the money – to look after it and use it properly, this is as good as it gets.

The seller is also a realist and has set the reserve at a sensible level, one that is well below the car’s guide price of £70-80,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at Patina 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: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.