Ferrari 348 Has Many Fans Enthusiasts
The Ferrari 348 was produced from 1989 until 1994 and was a major milestone in Ferrari’s evolution of the mid-engine, eight-cylinder Berlinetta and Spider design. The Ferrari replaced the Ferrari 328 which was produced between 1985 and 1989. The Ferrari, in tb and ts forms, made its debut at the 1989 Frankfurt Auto Show.
The Ferrari 348 features 3 body styles: Berlinetta, Targa and Spider and the car’s side air intakes are very similar to those of the Ferrari Testarosa. There were a total of 8,844 Ferrari 348 for sale during that six year time period and the purpose of this registry is to document each of those cars. The Ferrari successor was the Ferrari F55, in production until 1999.
The Ferrari series marked a radical departure in the way Maranello constructed its cars; replacing a chassis of traditional steel tubes was a much stiffer monocoque structure with a tubular rear sub frame. The Ferrari 348 was the last design done under the supervision of chief stylist Leonardo Fioravanti.
Taking cues from the Testarossa, the Ferrari forms were softer than those of the Ferrari 328 but still curvaceous, the side strakes being the most obvious Testarossa inspiration. Featuring a wheelbase of 2,450 mm (or 96.5 in), Ferrari 348 has a length of 4,230 mm which equals to 166.5 in and a width of 1,894 mm or 74.6 in for the coupe (TB) and spider (TS) body styles and a width of 1,890 mm or 74.4 in for the GTS, GTB, and Spider models.
The height of the Ferrari 348 is 1,170 mm or 46.1 in. The Ferrari 348 chassis features and steel platform and sub-frame and the car’s suspension is independent all round. The Ferrari features a naturally aspirated 3.4-litre version of the quad-cam, 4-valve-per-cylinder V8 engine which was originally found in the 288 GTO sports cars.
The Ferrari 348 engine produced 300 hp (224 kW) at launch and sits longitudinally with a transverse gearbox, like the Mondial t with which the 348 shares many components. Many Ferrari reviews said the 348 was a major switch for Ferrari, with most previous small Ferraris using a transverse engine with longitudinal transmission.
The transverse gearbox gives the Ferrari 348 its “T” on TS and TB. Overall 2895 units of Ferrari 348 tb and 4230 units of 348 ts made. All Ferrari 348 were shipped with dual-computer engine management with twin Bosch 2.5 Motronic ECUs, and double-redundant Anti-Lock Braking systems. Likewise, all Ferrari 348 were shipped with on-board self-diagnosing Air Conditioning and heating systems.
Ferrari 348 Today
Some Ferrari 348 reviews has proved the car was not so ideal in the real world. Road-testers couldn’t quite match the Ferrari 348 claimed 5.6 seconds 0-60 mph and 171-mph top speed, worse, they found the car a challenge to drive near or at the limit. Other Ferrari 348 problems included a harsh ride, a wandering front end at high speed, and a stiff gearbox.
The Honda-designed mid engine V-6 two-seater equaled the Ferrari 348 performance, had better-balanced road manners, greater comfort, and one-upped Ferrari with superior engineering and build quality; and it cost some $30,000 less.
Today, the Ferrari 348 is one of the affordable Ferrari models on the secondary auto market and can be purchased for as low as $45,000. The Ferrari 348 has many fans enthusiasts despite the mixed reviews and opinions and various online sites provide comprehensive resources regarding its car maintenance.
