Even by Maranello’s exalted standards, the Ferrari F355 remains unquestionably a landmark automobile. Far more than the upgraded 348 that it was initially dismissed as being, the F355 is the first of the truly modern Ferraris – a magnificent driving experience that luxuriates in the handbuilt aura of its predecessors while delivering performance that remains exceptional even today.

First launched at the Geneva Motorshow in 1994, the F355 adopted F1-style cylinder heads on its 3.5-litre V8 to raise the rev limit to a stratospheric 8,250pm – and the power went equally sky high as well, from 312bhp on its 348 predecessor to a mighty 375bhp. F1 was also an inspiration for its transmission, with the 355 the first modern Ferrari with a single-clutch automated gearbox, premiering in 1997.

But if you could somehow put its technical genius aside, the F355 would still drop jaws with its classical beauty, and raise pulses with its phenomenal speed and handling. Consider this: the F355 could dispatch 100kph in a mere 4.7 seconds, do the quarter mile in 12.9 seconds, and go on to a top speed of nearly 300kph. This is no nostalgia trip, no boulevard cruiser, but a thoroughly well-engineered supercar that will delight its future custodian every time he or she clicks the ignition key.

This particular F355 left the factory on the 6th of March, 1996, and was delivered to its first owner in Modena in August of that year. After four total owners in Italy, the car made its way to us in Dubai, where we performed a full engine-down, timing-belt service in February of 2024, at just over 20,000 kilometres from new. A superb looker in classic Rosso Corsa, this F355 is in its original configuration and comes accompanied with tools, manuals, and service records.