There are Ferrari owners who obsess over preserving every factory bolt, paint mark, and piece of documentation, but whoever created this 1996 F355 clearly belonged to a different school of thought.
Almost nothing about the car’s appearance suggests restraint. It sits impossibly low, wears enormous rear tires, and carries the sort of rear wing normally associated with a purpose-built GT racer rather than one of Ferrari’s prettiest road cars.
The radically modified F355 has now surfaced through Barrett-Jackson, where it is headed to auction after previously making its international debut at the SEMA Show. Its next owner will be buying something that has traveled a very long way from Maranello’s original vision.
Ferrari’s famously protective attitude toward its brand makes the car’s rebellious appearance particularly amusing. Yet the extensive bodywork is only the beginning, because someone has been equally busy with the 3.5-liter V8 sitting underneath that transparent engine cover.
The F355 Was Completely Reshaped
The custom body wasn’t created by simply bolting a widebody kit onto the Ferrari. According to Barrett-Jackson, the owner’s design was first sculpted by hand in clay and then digitally scanned so molds could be produced.
The front incorporates hood vents and fenders inspired by F430 Super GT race cars, while the bumper takes inspiration from the F40. Reshaped rear fenders dramatically increase the F355’s width.
Then there is that wing. The one-off carbon-fiber piece uses chassis-mounted uprights inspired by the Ferrari 488 GTC, while an F430 Scuderia rear diffuser sits underneath.
Carbon-fiber splitters extend into a flat underbody secured with aircraft-grade CNC-machined fasteners. Even the transparent rear engine cover is unusual, having been fabricated from acrylic material normally used for Boeing aircraft windshields.
Twin Turbos Give The Ferrari Some Extra Muscle
Ferrari originally gave the F355 a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V8, but this example has gained a considerably more complicated induction system. Voodoo Design fabricated a custom twin-turbo setup using center-mounted, mirror-image Xona Rotor turbochargers.
Custom 3D-printed intercoolers are mounted behind the rear tires, while Tubi headers feed a ceramic-coated Inconel exhaust system with 3D-printed tips. An aftermarket oil pump and sump are also fitted, and the fuel filler has been relocated.
Barrett-Jackson doesn’t state how much horsepower the modified engine currently produces, but the auction house does note that it underwent a complete engine-out major service, including its timing belt, approximately 100 miles before the custom build, and has traveled fewer than 100 miles since the build was completed. Better still for traditional Ferrari fans, the V8 is connected to a six-speed gated manual transmission.
Even The Suspension Got The SEMA Treatment
An AccuAir E-Level air suspension system allows the F355 to adopt its pavement-hugging stance, with the compressors hidden in the front compartment. The original factory suspension will also be included with the car.
One-off polished Rotiform wheels complete the transformation, with the rear wheels measuring a massive 15 inches wide and wearing Toyo R888R tires. Functional C-pillar cooling ducts and custom rear taillight-panel venting show that some of the visual drama serves a practical purpose.
Inside are Momo F40-style racing seats, a suede Momo steering wheel, billet carbon-fiber floor mats, and prototype carbon-fiber aerodynamic mirrors with magnesium bases.
The finished F355 has already spent time appearing at automotive shops, retail locations, and museums following its SEMA debut. Now it is preparing for something considerably different: finding an owner brave enough to put their name on the title.