Introduced in 1989, the 348 was a major departure for Ferrari\u2019s successful road-going, mid-engine series of sports cars and it replaced two of the most popular Ferrari models in history, the 308 and the 328. The new car featured a pressed-steel monocoque chassis that helped to reduce mass and, in the style of the legendary 288 GTO, it combined a transversely mounted gearbox coupled to a longitudinally mounted engine allowing for a very balanced and agile sports car.<\/p>\n
Luca di Montezemolo described the Ferrari 348 as \u2019clearly the worst product Ferrari had developed for some time\u2019. When a legend says that you can see why the Ferrari 348 is one of the most controversial Ferrari road cars around. Things weren\u2019t always that way of course. In fact, when it was first released most journalists loved it. It competed with the NSX, 911 and Lotus Esprit and most magazines and testers chose it as the best of that talented bunch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The biggest issue with the 348 was that its precarious \u201con-limit tail out widow making behavior\u201d, and that kept buyers away (both then and now). That was not a rumor by the way. The car had a habit of wanting to put you into a hedge facing the wrong around if you got things wrong mid-corner. On the limit the car was not just tricky, it was vicious and that rightly so scared people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However much Ferrari might have objected to negative verdicts at the time in public, in private it knew the car had problems and issued updates throughout its time in production to address them. The peak of the base range was the 348 GTB and it did a lot to fix the underlying issues with the platform (although it did very little to improve the 348s already bruised reputation amongst buyers).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This was the first Ferrari road car to get rid of the ageing space frame construction (think simple tubular steel frame with bodywork tacked on), replaced instead with a modern monocoque structure. The 348 was indeed stiffer and lighter. The 3.4-liter V8 engine was positioned on a subframe mounted \ufb01ve inches lower in the chassis than the engines in the 308 and 328, and it was longitudinal, too, with only its gearbox retaining the old transverse location. The 300 hp, 3.4 liter V8 engine was related to the one first seen in the <\/span>308 GT4 in 1974<\/span><\/a>. Its power went through Ferrari\u2019s last \ufb01ve-speed manual gearbox. The engine was great and had that \ufb02at-plane- crank and sound and urgency at 7,000 rpm that we have come to love about modern Ferrari power plants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The 348\u2019s styling was the work of Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina and is pure 80s slats <\/span>and strakes at the back and sides. The rounder edges of the 348 worked well and the design was genuinely liked by people at the time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The 348 was luxuriously equipped with air-conditioning and a multitude of power features, making it a much more civilized overall package than its predecessor. It was a watershed design for Ferrari who, for the first time, incorporated innovations learned from Formula One Grand Prix development programs into the basic attributes and configuration of production road cars, a technology that continues today in supercars like the current F430. The 348 also introduced the Ferrari Challenge Series that remains popular with enthusiasts.<\/p>\n We had fun looking for Ferrari 348 videos. We found a great one by the funny Doug Demuro as well as a video from MotorWeek Retro which was super cool. Enjoy the videos and let us know what you think.<\/p>\nSpecs & Performance<\/h2>\n
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\n submitted by<\/td>\n Richard Owen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n type<\/td>\n Series Production Car<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n built at<\/td>\n Maranello, Italy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n price $<\/td>\n $ 94,800<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n engine<\/td>\n V8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n position<\/td>\n Mid, Longitudinal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n aspiration<\/td>\n Natural<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n valvetrain<\/td>\n DOHC 4 Valves \/ Cyl<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n fuel feed<\/td>\n Bosch Motronic Fuel Injection<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n displacement<\/td>\n 3405 cc \/ 207.8 in\u00b3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n bore<\/td>\n 85.0 mm \/ 3.35 in<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n stroke<\/td>\n 75.0 mm \/ 2.95 in<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n compression<\/td>\n 10.4:1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n power<\/td>\n 223.7 kw \/ 300.0 bhp @ 7000 rpm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n specific output<\/td>\n 88.11 bhp per litre<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n bhp\/weight<\/td>\n 215.36 bhp per tonne<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n torque<\/td>\n 310.5 nm \/ 229.0 ft lbs @ 4000 rpm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n redline<\/td>\n 7500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n body \/ frame<\/td>\n Steel Monocoque<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n driven wheels<\/td>\n Mid Engine \/ RWD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n front tires<\/td>\n F 255\/45ZR-17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n rear tires<\/td>\n R 255\/45ZR-17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n front brakes<\/td>\n Vented Discs w\/Vacuum Assist & ABS<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n rear brakes<\/td>\n Vented Discs w\/Vacuum Assist & ABS<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n front wheels<\/td>\n F 43.2 x 19.0 cm \/ 17.0 x 7.5 in<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n rear wheels<\/td>\n R 43.2 x 22.9 cm \/ 17.0 x 9.0 in<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n steering<\/td>\n Rack & Pinion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n curb weight<\/td>\n 1393 kg \/ 3071 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n wheelbase<\/td>\n 2450 mm \/ 96.5 in<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n front track<\/td>\n 1502 mm \/ 59.1 in<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n rear track<\/td>\n 1578 mm \/ 62.1 in<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n length<\/td>\n 4230 mm \/ 166.5 in<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n width<\/td>\n 1894 mm \/ 74.6 in<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n height<\/td>\n 1170 mm \/ 46.1 in<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n transmission<\/td>\n 5-Speed Manual<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n gear ratios<\/td>\n 3.21:1, 2.11:1, 1.46:1, 1.09:1, 0.86:1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n final drive<\/td>\n 3.56:1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n top speed<\/td>\n ~275.2 kph \/ 171.0 mph<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 0 – 60 mph<\/td>\n ~6.0 seconds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 0 – 100 mph<\/td>\n ~14.5 seconds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 0 – 1\/4 mile<\/td>\n ~14.3 seconds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Videos<\/h2>\n