- Ferrari 348 TS

FERRARI 348 TS

FERRARI 348 TS

3y ago
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Ferrari’s 348 TS could be considered something of a disappointment. After all, this Spider version of the 348 TB looked rather mild compared to its wild-child 328 predecessor. Ditching the curvaceous lines of the 328, the 348 TS came out looking like a duller version of the Testarossa. Then there was the performance, which was respectable but not earth-shattering. Let’s just say that some of the more fervent 328 fans felt the Italian carmaker had let them down when the new car debuted for the 1989 model year. Don’t take that to mean this is a bad car, however, as time has proven it to be a great example of a 1980’s Ferrari.

Ferrari 348 TS

Ferrari 348 TS

RESPECTABLE PERFORMANCE NUMBERS

Short for Transversale Spider, the “TS” in the model name refers to the positioning of the gearbox relative to the engine, as well as the car’s convertible top. A completely new unit for the 348, the manual transmission used five forward gears to propel the car to a top speed of 275 km/h. As for acceleration, the 348 TS could hit the 100 km/h mark in 5.6 seconds; the same as its hard-topped brother. With twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, the 348’s 3.4-litre V8 developed 300 bhp, 30 more than the 328’s 3.2-litre V8 could muster. A dry-sump system was used to prevent oil starvation at high g-loads.

Ferrari 348 TS

Ferrari 348 TS

A RESTRAINED-YET-HANDSOME DESIGN

Leonardo Fiorvanti, famed Pininfarina designer responsible for the exterior styling of such prestigious nameplates as the 280 GTO and F40, was put in charge of the 348 as his last assignment for Ferrari. Fiorvanti borrowed copiously from the both the Testarossa and F40 as he penned his design, with the egg-slicer side strakes, rear lights hidden behind black slats, and the sharply angled nose. With the 348 TS being on the affordable end of the Ferrari spectrum, Fiorvanti used much more restrained hand in his design for the 348 TS, but the styling has aged gracefully and looks good to this day. After receiving a mild refresh in 1993, the model became known as the 348 GTS for its final two years of production. Ferrari discontinued the 348 line altogether in 1994, making room for the new F355.

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