Convertible top operating instructions:
Both doors MUST be closed
Parking brake MUST be on
Undo roof latch
Pull leading edge of roof halfway back, until you hear a beep
Hold console-mounted roof button back until roof action is finished and seats move back to normal position
Attach tonneau cover with 9 metal snaps
I can’t remember ever getting out of a car and thinking “what is the best engine I’ve ever driven, …and is this better than that?” Maybe this is the best?
The engine combines the bleeding edge mechanical fury of a modern 911 GT3, with more primitive 1990s electronic engine management. A GT3 feels so fluid and precise, but the fuel delivery and engine management is so perfectly optimized that it feels almost digital by comparison. The 355 engine still feels raw, a little unrefined. It’s a living thing. I left it idling while taking photos, and occasionally it would wander from a 1000 RPM idle to a 2000 RPM idle, before settling back down. The soul of the machine reminds you of its presence.
Steering and gearbox are pretty great, and supremely confidence inspiring. Once I got a sense of the clutch feel, I was very comfortable going fast, taking corners a bit aggressively, and even heel-and-tow’ing whenever possible, as an excuse to make dramatic noises with the throttle pedal. The shifter is fantastic, the first manual Ferrari I have driven that *wasn’t* dogleg, which felt more natural to me, however the shift I had the most trouble with was second-to-third, so maybe there’s something to the whole dogleg thing.
It makes such a noise — boomy, and voluminous, even at 2000 RPM — that you don’t realize that you are often very far from its 8500 RPM redline. At low RPM, it feels a little slow when you step on it — maybe not slow, but not a match for the noise it makes. When it wakes up, above 5000RPM, it’s something else.
All the best cars I’ve ever driven are from this period, 1995-2005. Fast feels fast, but still raw and full of feel. Is it possible that a 360 Modena drives even better?
