Chris Harris Drives the Ferrari 348 Competizione | Rarer than a French Service Station Steak

Summary

In this exhilarating video, Chris Harris dives into the world of rare Ferraris, spotlighting the 348 GT Competizione. With only 50 units produced and a mere eight in right-hand drive, this model is a hidden gem among Ferrari enthusiasts. Harris embarks on a brief yet thrilling test drive, showcasing its lightweight advantage, courtesy of a 200 kg reduction and Kevlar components, over its standard counterpart. The car boasts a dog-leg 5-speed gearbox, F40 seats, and distinctive styling reminiscent of a 'pimped up Testarossa'. Despite its underappreciated engine compared to later models, Harris finds the driving experience exceptionally pleasing, highlighting its agility, responsive engine, and classic Ferrari charm. A rare find, the 348 GT Competizione emerges as a must-have for collectors seeking exclusivity and performance.

Takeaways

• 😍 The 348 GT Competizione is a very rare and special Ferrari, with only 50 made in total and 8 in right-hand drive
• 🚗 It's based on the 348 but with significant weight reduction of around 200kg, making it much faster
• ⚙️ It retains the 348's 3.4L V8 engine but gains a bit more power through a more free-flowing exhaust
• 🏎 The interior features F40 seats and a lovely thin steering wheel from the 512 TR
• 😎 Chris loves the dog-leg manual gearbox which adds to the experience and engagement
• 👌 The overall driving experience exceeds Chris' expectations - it feels light, quick and smooth
• 🔊 It doesn't have the best V8 sound but still has an appealing hollow note
• 🎨 Chris thinks the 348 design has aged beautifully and the Competizione enhances it further
• 💰 At the price of an F50 service, the Competizione offers incredibly rare, exclusive Ferrari motoring
• ❤️ Chris struggles not to really like this car - it ticks so many boxes as a rare and special machine

Q & A

What model and version of Ferrari is featured in the video?

The video features a 348 GT Competizione, an ultra-rare lightweight version of the 348 model. Only 50 were produced in total.

What makes the 348 GT Competizione special compared to a standard 348?

It's much lighter, weighing about 200kg less due to the use of Kevlar and other lightweight materials. The weight reduction makes it significantly faster than a standard 348 despite having similar power.

How rare is the 348 GT Competizione?

Extremely rare. Only 50 were produced in total and just 8 were right-hand drive models.

How does the interior of the 348 GT Competizione compare to a 355?

The host notes that the interior looks better than a 355, highlighting the nicely aging split rim F40 seats in particular.

What type of gearbox does this car have?

It has a 5-speed dog leg manual gearbox, which was the last V8 Ferrari to feature this type of transmission.

How does the car perform based on the host's impressions?

He states it feels light and quick with a very smooth engine, loads of torque, and responsive handling. He believes it would easily outperform a Porsche 964 RS.

What does the host say is the appeal of this car compared to more powerful Ferraris?

He notes you shouldn't look at it as a power exercise but rather a weight reduction one. Combined with its rarity, it offers exclusive Ferrari motoring and history at a fraction of the cost of other rare models.

What criticisms does the host have of the car?

Very little. He notes the engine noise isn't as nice as some other Ferrari V8s but otherwise finds the car lovely to drive with no rattles.

Why does the host recommend this car for collectors?

Due to its extreme rarity. He states you could show up at any event and say you have something rarer than the F50s and F40s that would cost far more.

What is the host's overall impression of the 348 GT Competizione?

Extremely positive. He states it was never on his radar before but has left him struggling to not really like the car, highlighting its great sound, steering, history and appearance.

Outlines

00:00

😎 A Rare Exotic Ferrari 348 GT Competizione

Paragraph 1 introduces a rare Ferrari 348 GT Competizione, of which only 50 were made and 8 in right-hand drive. It highlights the car's lightweight design, with reductions of 200kg from the standard 348 via use of Kevlar. The paragraph also notes it has a dog leg 5-speed gearbox and split rim speed lines like an F40.

05:02

👌 A Smooth and Quick Vintage Ferrari

Paragraph 2 continues discussing the 348 GT Competizione, noting its smooth and quick feeling V8 engine compared to the more powerful later 355. It emphasizes the enjoyable lightweight handling and driving experience, with great steering and shifts, along with the appeal of its vintage dog leg gearbox and F40 seats.

Keywords

💡Ferrari 348

The Ferrari 348 is a mid-engine V8 sports car produced by Ferrari from 1989 to 1995. In the video, the 348 GT Competizione model is featured, which is an ultra-rare, lightweight track-focused version of the 348. Only 50 were produced, making it one of the rarest Ferraris. Its rarity and driving experience are discussed extensively.

💡Dogleg gearbox

A dogleg gearbox refers to a manual transmission where 1st gear is left and down, instead of left and up like a normal H-pattern. This video emphasizes how the 348 still had this feature, unlike later Ferraris, which enhances the driving experience.

💡Weight reduction

The 348 GT Competizione was engineered with significant weight reduction in mind. The video mentions it weighed about 200kg less than a standard 348, improving power-to-weight ratio and performance.

💡Chris Harris

Chris Harris is an automotive journalist known for his YouTube videos and work with DRIVE on NBC Sports. He test drives the 348 in the video and provides commentary from a racing driver's perspective.

💡Rarity

A major theme is the rarity of the 348 GT Competizione, with only 50 units produced and 8 in right-hand drive. Its exclusivity is compared to even rarer Ferraris like the F40 and F50.

💡Driving experience

Much of the video focuses on Harris' impressions of driving the 348 GT Competizione, praising its steering, shifter, power delivery and overall experience versus expectations.

💡964 RS

The Porsche 964 RS is referenced as a benchmark to compare the 348 GT Competizione's performance to, since both are lightweight, track-focused sports cars.

💡V8 engine

The 348 features a 3.4L naturally aspirated V8 engine, smaller than Ferrari's later 355 V8. It produces around 300 hp, less than the 355 but the car's lightness compensates.

💡Investment

Given its rarity, the video suggests the 348 GT Competizione represents a smart investment opportunity compared to even more expensive Ferraris.

💡F40 seats

The 348 interior includes seats from the Ferrari F40, giving it a race-inspired look.

Highlights

First significant research finding

Introduction of new theoretical model

Example of practical application

Transcripts

so you want a rare Ferrari forget about

f50s and f40s you want one of these a

348 GT competi only 50 made in total

only eight right hand drive coming soon

to collecting cars let's have a little

going in

[Music]

it today's brief Drive of something

coming to collecting cars soon this

three 48 GT competiion rarer than a

French service station stake we'll go

through the numbers in a minute these

cars are beginning to look rather

special to me let's go for a quick

squirt right inside you're looking at a

dog leg 5-speed gearbox as is standard

34 interior is aging really beautifully

actually to me it looks better inside

than a 355 now these seats look familiar

cuz they are they're from an F40 split

Rim speed lines on the outside strakes

down the side I mean it looks like a

pimped up tester Roo doesn't it 348 it's

a really really good looking shape and

it's very short overhangs it's aging

beautifully so the most important thing

about this car is don't look at it as a

power enhancement exercise look at it as

a weight reduction exercise it's got

they claimed about 10 horsepower more

than a 348 because of a a more

breathable exhaust the rest is kind of

the same but it weighs wait for it 200

kg or so less than a standard 348 that's

a massive weight reduction so everything

that looks big and bold is made of

Kevlar really and you can see the weave

coming through it I'm told it's all

original panels but take 200 kg out of a

car you end up with something a lot lot

faster have you ever wondered what car

is fastest well we're going to show

you this is a wild

ride I'm Chris Harris this is andow

laps so GT competiion

348 this is interesting this car does

feel light and then what you're supposed

to compare it to is a let's say a 964

RS this must have easily had the legs of

one of those back then because it feels

light and it feels quick to me first

things first I think this is the last

Ferrari or the last V8 Ferrari to have a

dog leg gearbox a dog leg manual

automatically just excuse the pun makes

the experience more special I've got a

beautiful thin little steering wheel

which I recognize from my 512 TR

actually same uh sure it's the same

thing with a little plaque in the in the

in the front there which looks gorgeous

feels gorgeous it's thin in the hands

why is steing wheels so thick and

horrible now this is just a lovely thing

this

has class leading steering as we used to

say on old car back in the late '90s

gear Chang is light and good this engine

is not considered to be Ferrari's finest

moment because of course on the back of

this they put a five valve head on their

next little V8 small H V8 and they

created the

355 this is well down on that in terms

of power I think the 355 was 400

horsepower this is early 300s but the

car is light and this is a very very

smooth engine maybe it's unfairly

unloved cuz it feels quite special to me

the noise but all of these Ferrari vehic

with that particular crank don't sound

great so it doesn't sound like a V8 but

it's got a sort of hollow appeal to it

very responsive with so little weight if

you w your foot down it goes rather

nicely loads of talk as well this is

much much more pleasant driving

experience than I'd expected it's really

rather lovely going to do all your heel

of toes and your decl otherwise doesn't

really work these little brief test

drivey things are always little bit

frustrating as you can imagine

but it's January and I'm driving one of

eight right hand drive lightweight

Ferraris what's not to love happen to we

par for that a

bit yeah this is this is quicker than a

964 RS great noise F40 seat unassisted

steering dog leg

gearbox struggling not to really like it

and from the outside

isn't the 348 shape looking rather good

these

days I know this cuted my face in half

but I can't really do much M you know

sunvis and stuff don't really work in

Ferraris of this era special car 51,000

miles so has done a few miles but I'd

rather a car been used wouldn't you

here's something weird about it there's

no squaks or rattles are you hearing

anything there's literally nothing

gearbox is

good oh I see really really special

thing if you've got the lineup of all

the rare

Ferraris this is like a minor service on

an F50 you need one of these in your

collection cuz this is the rarest of

them all it really is dog leg manual

gearboxes they're just the best this was

never on my radar this car it is now

lovely thing what a lovely thing this is

the entry point into Super

exclusive Ferrari motoring you can turn

up to any event and say mine's rarer

than yours and it probably cost the same

as as I said a minor service in their

car imagine seeing the bloke in the F50

going B common mate have one of

these weth thinking about get

bidding

[Music]