Browsing the Pistonheads classifieds one afternoon got me thinking: if I won the lottery, or was ever in the position to be able to buy a fleet of cars, what exactly would I choose? If you’re into cars, I’d bet every penny to my name that you’ve often wondered what it’d be like to be in such a privileged position and what you’d choose to buy.
Paul Savage is in that exact hallowed position. After forging a successful career in the haulage industry, in 2009 he sold up and is enjoying retirement. At 63, he’s living the dream of every petrolhead. Approaching his substantial estate on the outskirts of Huddersfield, there’s even a purpose-built outbuilding to house his prized collection.
The first garage door opens. Hiding behind is an immaculate Imperial Blue Escort RS Cosworth. Head-on its oval bonnet vents and squat stance strike a mean pose, but this is just a hint of what’s hiding in the gloom to its left. The second door is opened, and a gleaming orange 997 GT3 RS comes dazzling into view with its vibrant hue. Even what is arguably one of the greatest road cars ever made pales into relative insignificance with the third member of Paul’s fleet, the gorgeous Ferrari 355.
We’ll come to the exotics later, so let’s start with the iconic Ford. Seeing one in the metal’s a real treat, because although they can now be had for just £10,000, this one’s absolutely pristine and would be worth much more as it’s just covered its 30,000th mile. It’s quite simply the indomitable icon of a generation.
Its looks are still as controversial now as they were when it was unveiled, almost 20 years ago. Hot hatches follow a tried and tested recipe over their lesser-engined siblings of packing a bigger visual punch, but with an air of subtlety to them at the same time. The Cosworth is completely different to this method, and the huge whale-tail on its back is an absurd addition, but I absolutely love it. The rest is dominated by the usual side-skirts and flared-arched treatment, and the front’s got a chunky splitter and those evocative oval bonnet vents.
Inside, it’s typically dated but the Recaro seats still give a reassuring clasp in all the right places. You’re high up in the Cosworth though which is far from perfect and the steering wheel is on a slant, so first impressions of its ergonomics aren’t great.
Its turbocharged 2.0 engine sounds rough and gruff on tickover, but a few flexes of a right foot gives a pleasing roar. Its 217bhp isn’t impressive in today’s world of over-powered hot hatches, but between 3000-6000rpm it feels properly fast. The noise is addictive and this is where the Cosworth does its best work, as there’s a huge amount of turbo lag below 3000rpm.
There’s a nice old-school feel to it too. The steering’s direct and well-weighted but its four wheel drive system robs it of true compelling fluency. Although the system gives a secure feel and great traction, there’s definitely a sense of understeer when pushing on.
‘I bought this car in 2005 as I’ve always been a fan of fast Fords, and for me this is the ultimate example of that. Its looks aren’t for everyone, and it does have its faults but there’s a lovable nature to how it goes about its business and the attention it generates is surreal. It’s still fast too; 0-60 in 6.2 seconds or so is still quick by today’s standards.’
Paul sums up the car perfectly. Although it’s not as dynamically sharp as it once was due to today’s incredible hot hatches, the Cosworth is such an icon you can forgive its few flaws. There’s much turbo lag so it’s predictable, but its character and aura surrounding its crazy curves is always the underlying thought.
Next up is the glorious first generation of the 997-shaped GT3 RS. Painted in orange with its gleaming gloss black alloys, there’s an orange roll cage, ludicrously tight bucket seats with harnesses, alcantara everywhere and even a fire extinguisher in the foot well. As far as road cars go, this Porsche takes some beating.
I’ve been in a few 911s, but this is the coolest. I loved the GT2 RS and its astonishing twin-turbo grunt, but this is more my sort of car: naturally aspirated, supremely focused, and a rev-hungry engine that’ll sing its sonorous sound until 8000rpm is breached.
It’s quite hard to describe just how good this marque is at producing cars of this genre. Their recipe for success is just so simple and effective. Their gear changes are precision personified, their steering is perfectly balanced and the build quality is exceptional. ‘Feel’ and ‘sense of occasion’ are used so much when describing road-racers from Porsche, but it’s just so true. As soon as you settle into its narrow seat and buckle up the harness, you know it’s a car of extraordinary talents.
The idle’s rough and lumpy due to its lightened flywheel, but the revs zip round its rev counter at the merest brush of its right pedal. There’s torque, instant response and a heady crescendo where the peak power and incredible noise reaches its climax. This first generation 997 GT3 RS is really some piece of kit.
‘I owned a 996 GT3 RS for two years so this was a natural progression. Whereas that car was quite harsh on the roads, this one if anything is much better damped and no chore at all to drive for long distances which you’d presume it would be; if I didn’t have the Range Rover I’d not think twice about using it day-to-day. I’ve tried the gen two RS and didn’t feel it was worth the extra money to upgrade, so this one’s a keeper.’
After being completely over awed by the RS and its abilities, the 355 has a lot to live up to. It’s amazing how quickly the Porsche memory slips away though when Paul awakens its sonorous V8, and rolls the iconic Ferrari onto the gravel.
Ferrari as a marque encapsulates everything we associate with supercars. They’re incredibly expensive to buy, run, and maintain. They’re fast, beautiful and always sound utterly brilliant. To many, the 355 is still the best, and what’s more is that it’s even more enticing now that prices have dipped below £35,000.
Could you ever seriously recommend buying one though? If you’re in the market for a sports car around the 355’s value, you’d just have to go and investigate it further. For £35,000 the world’s your oyster; Exige S, M3 CSL, Sagaris, a whole host of 911’s… And while each and every one of these cars pulls you in, nothing quite grabs you like the Prancing Horse does.
‘I’d recommend one. Although the running costs are expensive, it’s been largely reliable since I bought it last year. They’re good value now as well, and if you can get a good one, it’s not going to lose much money. I wouldn’t have bought this if it didn’t have an extensive service history from main Ferrari dealers, and the cam belt changes are essential.’
Launched in 1994, the 355 was the first Ferrari to have five valves per cylinder, so its 40v 3.5 V8 produced 375bhp. It wasn’t especially heavy either, so its performance figures were very fast: 4.5 seconds to 60mph, a shade over 10 seconds to 100mph, and north of 180mph flat out.
But while the iconic 355 is indeed an affordable proposition today, actually maintaining one is another thing entirely. It’s a supercar after all, and while its price is the same as a 5 series BMW, it still comes with supercar running costs.
An annual service will be around £700, regardless of how many miles you cover. Then, every 12,000 miles, there’s a bigger service that’ll set you back around a grand. Cam belts need changing every three years, again regardless of mileage, and this too will cost north of £1,000.
‘Tyres will last anything from 6,000 to 12,000 miles, but when they need replacing they’ll be another £1,000. There just aren’t any small numbers when it comes to supercars.’
These are the unavoidable running costs too. There’s no dodging an all-important belt change, as they have the ability to completely ruin an engine if they fail. A warranty of some sort is essential with something like a 355, simply due to its age and the costs involved in replacing minor and key components.
You don’t buy a Ferrari 355 with your head though, you buy it whole-heartedly with err, your heart. They’re just beautiful. More than 15 years have passed since the 355 was born, yet still it looks incredible. The 360, F430, and the 458 has preceded this car and moved the game on without question, but still people marvel about the 355.
You approach a 355 with a different view to others, because there’s so much nostalgia surrounding it. The pop-up headlights may well be a thing of the past now, but they look great whether they’re blazing away or are neatly hidden in its nose. The prominent gaping front grille dominates below, with the proud central Prancing Horse. The chiselled doors have huge intakes integrated into its design, so air’s constantly channelled to the engine behind. From behind it’s even better looking; the tell-tale quad exhaust pipes, and iconic quad lights. It’s a gorgeous car.
The interior’s dated though, there’s no denying that. We’ve become accustomed to two contrasts with modern Ferrari interiors; they’re either beautifully crafted in the finest leather like in the 458 and the FF, or completely sparse like the road-racer specials – 360 CS, 430 Scuderia, 599 GTO… In the 355 there are swaths of leather. No carbon fibre’s visible, but instead leather features on every surface. The large steering wheel dominates the view ahead, but best of all is the lovely open-gated manual gearbox.
Once you’re driving the 355 you’ll notice its size. It’s not especially wide or long, and the visibility’s not a problem either. I think supercars from the late 80’s and 90’s have this gargantuan stereotype surrounding them in general – the Lamborghini Diablo for instance. The 355 though is positively small. It’s low and squat, but the dimensions are great.
Its signature flat-plane crank V8 sound is there as soon as it blares into life. There’s a hesitant-free feel to the way the revs climb, too. A few obligatory blips of the throttle are a necessity when you’re behind the wheel of any Ferrari, and its spine-tingling note exemplifies the Ferrari sound even at low revs. You’re merely at the start of the 8500rpm rev-range. Its after-market Capristo exhaust is amazing.
The gearbox is a joy to use. It’s a great shame that Ferrari have ditched their manual gearboxes in favour of F1-style semi-autos. I love their responsiveness, but the feel of the cold aluminium gear knob and the way in which it snicks into the grooves is wonderful. It feels better when you don’t rush the process though; although it’s direct it’s more pleasing revelling in its simplicity with a slower throw.
The speed builds and the noise grows to the most glorious tone possible. The accelerator is incredibly long in its travel; for most of the time you only require 20% of it but you’re almost shocked at how far you have to plant your foot till it reaches the floor. It’s not a bad thing though, because it’s almost impossible to dial in too much throttle and get a flare of noise and speed. When you bury your foot on a 355, you know when you’ve done it.
It’s not got the incredible speed of the 458 of course, but it makes full use of the 375bhp it’s got. Ferrari continues to push the boundaries with their supercars, and it’s incredible to think that this car’s sibling has very nearly 200bhp more. The 458’s rev needle swings round so fast it’s barely believable, but the 355’s has a more long-legged feel with its gearing. It’d be impossible to get bored of its speed though, and 4.5 seconds to 60 is still fast in today’s world.
The drama and sense of occasion of being behind the wheel of a supercar is there, though. You may only be paying £35,000 to get into one, but the drama created rivals cars costing three times as much. But that’s the magic of Ferrari, as their cars are built around three key factors; looks, speed, and noise. The 355’s most certainly got all three, and if you’re willing to put up with the running costs, the 355 is the most evocative car available for the price.
‘I’ve driven newer cars like the F430 and the 458, but as you say they’re too clinical and easy with their transmissions,’ says Paul. ‘Supercars should be intimidating and difficult and different to the norm, and this most certainly is. You can’t rush it as it’s in charge. Many would see this as a bad thing but you’re most alive and awake when you’re in this. Changing gear cannot be rushed when it’s cold, and it takes an age to warm up but when it does, it’s the epitome of Italian supercars.’
They always say never meet your heroes, but when the cars in question are this trio, that’s definitely incorrect. The ludicrous but utterly lovable Escort, the supreme GT3 RS, and the Italian thoroughbred. This is what dreams are made of.
