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Overview

The Ferrari 360 was a mid engine rear wheel drive sports car built by the Italian car maker Ferrari Spa. The Ferrari 360 was the launched in 1999 and replaced the Ferrari F355, and its self was replaced in 2005 by the Ferrari F430. The 360 name came from engine size, the 3.6 liter engine.

The Ferrari 360 was offered in two body styles, either a 2 door 2 seater coupe or a 2 door 2 seater Spider. First to be offered was the Ferrari 360 Modena, which was the coupe version, the Ferrari 360 Spider was offered a year later in 2000.

The Ferrari 360 was styled by the Piuninfarina design house. The 360 Modena blends innovative design elements and styling solutions inspired by classic Ferraris, such as the 268SP, the 250LM and Dino 246GT. The front end of the car is dominated by the two generous air intakes for the radiators; these are essential for cars aerodynamics, channeling the air under to the rear diffuser, providing ground effect. The drag coefficient was very low at 0.335.

Variants

All variants of the Ferrari 360 used the 3.6 liter 90 degree V8. The engine managed to produce an output of 400 horsepower @ 8500 rpm and a maximum torque of 275 lb/ft @ 4750. As in its predecessor case, the standard gearbox offered was the 6 speed manual, the 6-speed "F1" electrohydraulic manual was offered as optional. The performances are very good, the car could reach 60 mpg from zero in not more than 4.3 seconds with both the manual or the F1 gearbox. That quarter mile with a stand still start could be traveled in a very fast 12.6 seconds. As for the fuel consumption the 360 returned an average of 12.1 miles per gallon (19.3 liter per 100 kilometers).

The Ferrari 360 features an adjustable suspension with dual aluminum wishbones at both front and rear. The anti-dive and anti-squat geometries are incorporated front and rear so the car remains level under braking and acceleration. The aluminum dampers were co-developed with Sachs, and are equipped with an electronic control unit, thus all body and wheel movements are guided in a process that takes just 0.04 seconds to eliminate any rolling or pitching.

Braking force is assured by large 13 inch diameter vented and cross-drilled discs with sensitive hydraulically actuated four-piston aluminum calipers, controlled by a braking effort proportioning valve and an ABS system that prevents wheel lock-up in deceleration. The system also features an integrated Bosch ASR/ABS that has three settings: "Normal", "Sport", and "Off".

As for the steering, Ferrari used rack and pinion with a linear servo, and a pump with two speed-determined flow levels. The steering is very direct with a ratio of 2.4 inches per turn, enhancing speed and precision.

In terms of dimensions both the Spider and the Coupe versions of the Ferrari 360 measured 176.4 inch (4,481 mm) in length, 75.7 in (1,923 mm) in width and 47.8 in (1,214 mm) in height. The wheelbase of the car was 102.4 in (2,601 mm), front track was wider than the rear track measuring 65.7 inch (1,668 mm), the rear track measured 63.6 inch (1615 mm). At the front Ferrari 360 used 215/45 ZR18 tires, were at the rear there were the massive 275/40 ZR18 tires. With all the engine fluids and water the Ferrari 360 weighed 3064 lbs (11378 kg).

Additional Information

Ferrari made a special version of the coupe, named Challenge Stradale from 2004 to 2005. This special version was more track orientated, being inspired by the challenge racing series and can be thought of as a Challenge car for the road. The 360 CS was only 243 lbs (110 kg) lighter, had 25 extra horse power and was available only with the 6-speed "F1" electrohydraulic manual. At the outside the Challenge Stradale can be recognized by the 19" BBS challenge styled alloys with titanium wheel bolts, large diameter carbon ceramic brakes, carbon-fiber side mirrors, updated front and rear bumpers, plexi-glass rear window and challenge Stradale badging on rear grille.

The Challenge Stradale is also a more hardcore 360 in terms of handling. Among the differences there were: a new stiffer rear anti-rollbar and reduce body roll, uprated flanbloc's replace all original rubber suspension bushes including anti-roll bar bushes improving alignment on the move, 20% stiffer uprated springs made from Titanium and reducing pitch and roll, different suspension alignment and ride heights, re-programmed electronic suspension control software with new 'race' mode and , specially devised Pirelli Rosso Corsa track biased road tires.