1991 Ferrari 348 tb Berlinetta

This car sold for $66,000, including buyer’s premium, at RM’s New York auction, held September 21, 2002.

“.the 348 will do 0 to 60 in 5.4 seconds and will top out at 171 mph. Put in perspective, this is as fast as a Boxer.”

So goes a promotional piece I wrote about the 348 for the FAF Motorcars Buyers Guide back in 1991. This proclamation was controversial at the time, but concisely captured the essence of this new generation of V8 Ferrari.

The macho 512 Boxer was one of the premier supercars of its time. Its looks made high school boys drool, and its performance impressed people even after a $10,000 EPA emasculation. The 348, on the other hand, was just the replacement for the 328. As the lowly kid brother to the Testarossa, it was expected to look pretty but performance was not top priority.

However, instead of being just another small Ferrari, the 348 was the precursor to a line of new Ferraris destined to revitalize and invigorate the proud firm. The 348s, and the 355s and 360s that followed, not only looked good, but packed kick-butt performance. They were no longer little brothers to the 12-cylinder and turbocharged 8-cylinder supercars, they were full-fledged alternatives.

The 348 was new from the ground up. It started as a fresh sheet of paper and changed Ferrari’s thoughts on how automobiles should be built. Virtually every component of the 348 was new, the only holdover from the 328 being the basic V8, mid-engined sports car layout. Where the 328 had a separate chassis and body, the 348 was built with unitized construction. Where the 328 had a transverse engine, the 348 had a longitudinal one. And where the 328 transaxle sat under its engine, the 348’s was attached behind its V8 and mounted in a transverse position.

Ferrari has traditionally been a follower when it comes to technology. Enzo Ferrari was legendary for his resistance to disc brakes and mid-engined cars. The 348 finally featured up-to-date components, and its innovative use of manufacturing technology set it far ahead of the supercar competition. The 348 was designed to be built faster, cheaper and less labor-intensive than any previous Ferrari.

So was this 100-mile 348 coupe a good buy? It depends on if you want a 100-mile 348 coupe. Despite the significance the 348 may have played in Ferrari’s manufacturing history, it was a dud in the marketplace. Its design was uninspiring and the impressive drivetrain performance was compromised by a far-less-impressive chassis. The electronics, perhaps in an unintended homage to the notoriously finicky Mondials, were plagued with gremlins that caused warning lights to illuminate erroneously, and control computers to fail prematurely. There weren’t enough problems to call the 348 a bad car, but there were too many to call it a good one.

Further, the 355 and the 360 that followed were better cars in every way, including that all-important aspect of visual appeal. Without question, you’ll get more attention showing up at a club meet in a Modena Spyder than you will in a 348 coupe.

At the right price a good 348 offers an enormous amount of performance for not much money, but you get no prancing horse swagger. Furthermore, it will never appreciate.

$66,000 is a heck of a good price for a “new” Ferrari (the MSRP on a 360 coupe is $154,550) but all the money for an 11-year-old coupe from an unloved model. Best bet for the new owner is to put 3,000 miles on it a year, sell it in 2005 for about the same amount paid here, and just enjoy the ride.-Steve Ahlgrim