by Mike Gulett –
I am always on the look out for a cool car I would love to own and I find at least one per week for sale. Ever since I was a kid I have always searched the classified ads for a special car. That is why this blog is called My Car Quest.
This week it is a Ferrari 360 Modena coupe with a manual transmission (transaxle). I owned a yellow 360 for a few years (the one pictured here) and drove it regularly. It is a wonderful sports car with great looks and the performance to back up the looks.
Mine was the F1 paddle shifted transmission that I was not crazy about but I loved the rest of the car. The F1 transmission put too much control in the hands of the computer like when the computer decided the clutch was too hot it would emit a very unpleasant alarm sound that could not be stopped when the clutch was engaged. This happened to me a couple of times when I was in stop-and-go traffic. There was nothing I could do but listen to that silly alarm. I asked the Ferrari dealer if they could disconnect this alarm and they determined it could not be done.
One day I was at an event where a gentleman had a 360 Spyder with the manual gated shifter. He let me drive it and my 360 with the F1 transmission was never the same again.
I sold the 360 and bought a 550 Maranello with the manual gated six-speed (all 550s came with this transmission). I drove the 550 every day for one year and loved the car and the transmission. But I never stopped dreaming about a 360 with the manual transmission. Most 360s imported into the US were equipped with the F1 transmission so today the manual gated shifter versions are rare and usually carry a price premium.
But, wait a minute I keep forgetting that my wife did not like the 360 because it was so low to the ground, the engine was too close to her ears and she did not like all the looks we got in that car (it was a new model at the time). She especially did not like it when people would follow us on side streets and drive by then circle around us on the freeway just to get a better view.
I better keep looking.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
I HAD A YELLOW FERRARI THAT COLOR. BUT IT WAS A, 1965, 330GT. LOTS OF FUN AND VERY DEPENDABLE. I DROVE IT DAILY, ALL OVER THE PLACE. PEOPLE WOULD ASK ME, “AREN’T YOU AFRAID TO DRIVE IT”? MY REPLY WAS, “NO, I AFRAID TO PARK IT, UNATTENDED”.
Skip,
My yellow 360 was allowed to park in front of every hotel and restaurant I went to.