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Finished in Rosso Corsa 300 with Crema hide 3997, stitched in Bordeaux Red, and complemented by Bordeaux Red carpets.

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Upon completion, the car was transported to Ferrari UK in Thorpe, Surrey. It is one of just 68 cars officially imported into the UK, of which 57 remain taxed or on SORN.

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The car was first registered by Lancaster Garages of Colchester, Essex, to Mr K. M. of Essex on 29 April 1994. The list price at the time was £80,999.80, plus delivery, number plates, and road tax.

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Over the following nine years, the car had a further three registered keepers before being purchased by the penultimate owner, from South Yorkshire, with 21,000 miles recorded.

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It was subsequently purchased by the last registered keeper, a 33-year-old lady company director from Hampshire, on 26 June 2020 with 24,419 miles. Apparently, she only used the car only for annual trips to Ascot races!

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We have just completed (June 2026) a major engine-out service, including valve clearance checks, replacement camshaft oil seals, and the fitting of four new tyres.

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The car benefits from carbon-fibre door sill covers, a carbon-fibre centre console, and a carbon-fibre gear knob.

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It is complete with its original factory handbooks, wallet, all three keys, tools, and a substantial history file containing past invoices and MOT certificates.

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The spiders built by Ferrari have always been a perfect expression of their sporting heritage. It was this very heritage that inspired Pininfarina stylists as they set about designing the spider to clothe the refined 348 series chassis.

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The result was a car that offered the same impressive performance as the berlinetta, with a remarkably flex-free chassis, as well as the possibility of true top-down motoring.

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Ferrari spiders have always epitomised the marque sporting heritage. It was that heritage that inspired the designers when they set about clothing this superb chassis and running gear. The Pininfarina-designed 348 Spider was the latest in this long and glorious line when it debuted in 1993.

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The Body

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The two-seater 348 Spider had a steel and aluminium body. The soft-top was canvas and beautifully integrated into the car’s line, thanks to in-depth wind tunnel testing. It folded, in fact, into a compartment behind the seats using a system that didn’t impinge on either on longitudinal occupant comfort or fuel tank capacity.
Its interior volumes and driver position were designed for maximum comfort given its sporty set-up. The seats and trim were a plush Connolly leather.

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The 348 Spider had a steel monocoque with differentiated tubular elements and a tubular rear sub-frame for the engine-suspension assembly. The suspension was independent unequal-length wishbones front and rear. It had coil springs over gas-filled telescopic dampers, and stabiliser bars. The steering was rack and pinion. The car also had self-venting disc brakes with ATE antiskid.

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The Engine

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The mid-rear 3405 cc 90° V8 engine was mounted longitudinally and punched out 320 hp. It had twin overhead cams with four valves per cylinder and a Bosch M 2.7 control unit. The 348 GTB also had dry sump lubrication, a five-speed plus reverse transverse gearbox in unit with the self-locking differential, and a single-plate dry clutch.

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Taken from Ferrari's own website

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True convertible Ferraris have traditionally not been extremely popular with Ferrari's production planners.  Only 200 275 GTS's vs. 454 275 GTB's; 100 330 GTS's vs. 600 330 GTC's; 20 365 GTS's vs. 150 365 GTC's; 122 365 GTB/4 Spyders vs. 1,383 365 GTB/4 Berlinettas.  While the GTS designation was adopted for the various targa-top Ferraris - 246 GTS, 308 GTS/GTSi/GTS QV, 328 GTS and 348 ts, the 365 GTB/4 "Daytona" Spyder was the last two-seat true convertible production Ferrari to be made, and it went out of production almost 20 years ago!  Devotees of true open-air motoring since then have had to be content with the various models of Mondial Cabriolets.  The purists, however, found the 2+2 configuration a negative feature.

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Ferrari has now corrected this shortcoming with the new Spider, based on the 348 but apparently not using that nomenclature.   The car is also Ferrari's first ever production mid-engine two-seat full convertible.  The new Spider incorporates many of the improvements recently introduced on the 348 Serie Speciale.  Externally this means an F40-style front spoiler; new front grill featuring a chrome prancing horse; bumpers, rocker panels and engine cover in body colour; and new rear grill also with a chrome prancing horse.

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The interior has been slightly changed, with the rear bulkhead reconfigured to allow the seats to go further back to better accommodate tall drivers.  But, thankfully, the hard-to-get-into-and-out-of F40-style seats of the Serie Speciale have NOT been carried over into the Spider.

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Mechanically, the Spider has the new less-restrictive exhaust system, which increases horsepower by 12.  This, combined with shorter gearing, gives an estimated top speed of 173 mph and a 0 to 60 mph time of 5.3 seconds.  Refinements continue to be made to the 348's handling (Car and Driver referred to the rear suspension as "independent to the point of defiance").

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Different springs and shock absorbers have been fitted, the geometry revised, and the rear track increased.  The chassis has been reinforced, as has the windshield frame to compensate for the rigidity lost with the removal of the full (or partial) roof of the tb/ts versions.

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When raised, the manual convertible top (available in black only) does a good imitation of the roofline of the berlinetta.  When lowered, it virtually disappears beneath its cover, leaving the lines of the Spider clean.

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In defence of Ferrari's past practices, it should be pointed out that demand, not Italian whims, dictated the number of convertibles produced.  One market where open-air motoring has always been popular is the United States.  In the 50's and 60's Ferrari catered to that market with the aptly named Spyder California; in the 70's almost 80 per cent of the Daytona Spyder's production was slated for that side of the pond.  With that market in mind, Ferrari took the sensible route and chose to debut the new Spider in California, on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

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Taken from Ferrari Market Letter Vol.18 No.6

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For further details or viewing, please contact   Mike Wheeler

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“This material is protected by the laws of copyright. The owner of the copyright is Mike Wheeler. These details form part of my database, and are protected by the database rights and copyright laws. No unauthorised copying or distribution without permission

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Copyright 2026

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