Introduced in 1994, this mid-engined V8 Ferrari replaced the 348 and marked a major step forward in the company’s road-car evolution. It was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show and later presented in more detail to customers in Fiorano, where Ferrari emphasized how thoroughly the car had been reworked rather than merely updated. The styling moved away from the 348’s sharper forms and returned to a more flowing, classic Ferrari look, with clear echoes of earlier V8 berlinettas. Mechanically, it retained the basic rear-mid-engine layout but added a much more advanced 3.5-liter five-valve V8, a configuration that became one of the defining technical features of the model.
The car quickly earned a reputation for combining serious performance with a level of usability that made it more approachable than many earlier supercars. Ferrari also used the model as a bridge between traditional manual sports cars and the brand’s later electronically assisted transmissions. In 1997, a paddle-shift F1-style gearbox became available, making this one of the first road Ferraris to offer that technology. The model line also broadened into related versions such as the open Spider, the targa-roof GTS, and the track-focused Challenge derivative, helping make it one of the most versatile V8 Ferraris of its era.
Production ran through 1999 before the nameplate was succeeded by the 360 Modena. Among enthusiasts, this car is remembered as a turning point: it was still compact, analog, and visually elegant, but it also foreshadowed the more refined, technology-rich Ferraris that followed.