Ferrari 360 Spider

Genius. Unfortunatly I cannot afford one of these but on my 26th birthday last year my lovely partner had arranged for a hire from a local company for the weekend. My current car (Impreza 22b) was locked in the garage for two days while I went off for a weekend's drive in the prancing horse. exhilarating. Fun while it lasted. Sorry to say I thought my Subaru was the ultimate thrill machine but alas I am now in awe of this big red machine.

I first viewed a Ferrari 360 spider sports car prior to their release at the Melbourne motor show being held in conjunction with the F1. I thought it looked pretty damn sexy, especially in profile. At the time I also had a F355 Spider, so it seemed the obvious thing to do to upgrade.

In the end I ended up with both of them, and side by side, you could see that for starters the F360 is a much bigger car than its predecessor - taller, slightly wider, and a bit longer. It also had a higher seat position (easier for girls in skirts to get into I guess), and I'm picking a higher COG.

The suspension is also a lot softer, and actually spooked me in a couple of places on track and road with a bit of a tendency to dive on the outside front wheel in cornering.

To get the engine really singing sweet you really have to nail it, since the butterflies on the exhaust headers only open to the short tubes above a certain rev range (can't remember), so I found it a bit hard to get it to sound as brutal as my 355 (with sports exhaust - maybe that's why).

I also kept having problems selecting second gear when nailing it - the flex in the engine mounts meant that the cable from the gear lever to the gearbox at the back of the car was under tension, so you could guarantee to miss second... got a bit sick after a while of nailing it, and having to miss second gear.

Also had problems putting the roof up if you weren't on flat and level ground.

Oh, and final niggle was the bonnet (hood for you Americans) release catch - you couldn't open it with one hand!!!!

Anyway in the end one had to go, and I kept the 355 for the following reasons.

1. It looks better (in my view) - the front looks less like a japanese car (nothing against them, I race one)

2. The throttle is more responsive. The fly-by-wire throttle I am not keen on, gimme a cable, or one that will actually do what you tell it.

3. It sounds better

4. Even though the figures on the cars tell you otherwise, the 355 feels like it handles better. Lower, and more direct.

However, have to say that the 360 is a much friendlier car in many ways, more comfortable ride, the seats are fantastic (had the electric ones, which are an option), and the car is much gentler on passengers... but hell, you don't get a Ferrari to be kind to passengers!