Great write-up. Sounds you driven the cars a lot. What is your opinion on F1/manual?

@@328gts1987 I could opine on this topic all day and if you see some of my historical posts you'll see that. Ultimately, if you want a manual Ferrari, you'll be more than happy with a manual 360 or 430. At its most basic, they are simply cheaper to maintain (although, obviously cost more to buy in the first place). That doesn't mean a manual gearbox can't explode on you of course, but cars are cars! The manual can be notchy and a bit of tw*t between gears, but this can usually be improved with bushings or linkages or whatever has worn over time. My 2p is thus: I'd (probably) always buy an F1. I was having a chat with Aldous @ AV about this and he basically confirmed what I already thought. These are slippy mid-engined Ferraris, right? And even the 360 feels quick enough at the limit. So if you imagine red-lining fundamentally low-grip cars in 3rd or even 4th, you are going at real speed. It's nice (euphemism) to be able to have two hands on the wheel. It's also nice to have the F1 manage your gear changes, because you really don't want to eff up your feet going at 9k revs. I am no heel-toe master (and I've been driving manuals for 20 years now), and the idea of coming to a bend at spend, in a £70-120k car with the onus on you to both brake correctly (easy to overbrake when heel-toeing), change correctly and manage a corner correctly (esp if you are late braking) - that's a lot on your plate. When you are "in the zone" in one of these cars, on gloriously empty, open roads, and you are hammering (literally) through gears in the F1 - it's a great feeling. Perfect downshifts every time. Moreover, when you aren't hyper concerned with foot technique, you begin to focus more on what's happening in your hands and even more importantly, what's happening underneath you. These cars can snap oversteer on you fairly readily, so having two hands on the wheel is certainly my preference! Having said all of that, and as I said above, the F1 system isn't the most robust. These aren't DCT boxes that go and go. They can be flakey - so you have to manage that. As we speak, my 430 has a hydraulic pressure issue. So it is what it is. Perhaps, if I had a manual I'd have been able to enjoy this recent sunny weather! :( (forgot to add that in the 360 F1 you need to spend decent money to get it up to a proper level. Either the CS TCU (gearbox ECU) or one from a 2003 or later 360 will make earlier cars far easier and more enjoyable to drive)

Love your writeup -- I own an F430 and have driven a few 360s. The F430 feels like something I can drive every day year round -- and frankly, I nearly do. The 360 feels more delicate and thus more "classic italian". I love the 360 but I think I'd have a 355 [or possibly even a 348] if I wanted the more vintage Ferrari feel in addition to the F430. In regards to the F1 vs 6mt -- I think it really really depends on what else you have in your garage. These are not typically an owners only car. I have an F Type convertible w/ the automatic and so I am having my F430 converted from F1 to 6mt. Ideally I'd add another F1 car to the garage at some point but given I currently have two "weekend toys" I wanted one to be manual. That said the F1 surprised me in a great way -- I LOVE the way it drives -- but I bought this car with the plan of converting it.

@@drivencollection good luck with the conversion!

Great comments. Thank you.

It really is the last of an old era

Ha! I am of the exact same opinion.

I prefer the 360 over the 430 and 997.2 over the 993.

@@19poundpound94 I’ve driven many many many miles in a 997 - and I’ll concede it also has its pro’s …. but that’s the newest one for me

So very true. Back in a time where you truly felt connected to the drivetrain. Where you didn’t have a ton of electronic nannies trying to prevent you from having too much fun. Late 80s, 90s and very early 2000s we’re great times in automotive history not long past.

Thanks for the support

Thanks buddy

Thanks matey

Agree 100%. The F430 spider (roof down) looks amazing and sounds are around. As the engine is more eager and more powerfull (85Bhp you will notice) combined with the E-diff (a great feature of the F430 and massively underrated) this "Analog Ferrari" is the last real Ferrari not everyone can drive. The 458 is faster, but also everyone (incl mother -inlaw) cab drive it. Not so with the F430. It is the last proper ferrari (for men, kuch! ;-)) after which each supercar gets faster but not quicker.

You are so right. I owned a 360 manual spider a few years ago. I really liked it, and it shifted great, but the car was just a bit too ratty for my taste. Too many scratches and the seats were overly worn etc. So a year ago my dealer called me and said he just got an immaculate condition 08 F430 spider in Rosso Corsa, but it was an F1. So although I was hesitant about the F1, I said I’d give it a try. Well, when I got there the car was absolutely pristine. It looked brand new in every respect with very low kilometres. When I drove it I was blown away by how nice the F1 shifted. Really smooth,quick and accurate even at low speed. The downshifting is fantastic. So I now own it with zero regrets. It’s WAY MORE enjoyable than manual shifting, which I’m kinda over after twenty years of manual Ferrari ownership.

Thanks :)

Well spotted