1990 Ferrari 348 TS Straman Conversion

1990 Ferrari 348 TS Straman Conversion

Good Ferraris are rare, better Ferraris are harder to find and then there are special Ferraris like this one. MotoeXotica Classic Cars is very proud to present this 1990 Ferrari 348 TS Targa Conversion. Originally manufactured in Maranello, Italy, this model is extra special because it is one-of-a-kind with only 3,074 miles on the clock and still has its original window sticker!

It was delivered new to Thoroughbred Motorcars in Nashville, Tennessee. The car was then sent to R. Straman Company in Costa Mesa, California for conversion to a convertible spider model. Straman is considered the best at Ferrari Spider conversions. The total investment cost in this unique model was $151,550.

This is a two-owner low mileage Tennessee car and has always been stored in a garage. It was the final V8 mid-engine model developed by Enzo Ferrari before his death, commissioned to production posthumously.

Dressed in Rosso Corsa (code 300), the car's paint and trim are in excellent order. There is, a minor blemish at the driver's side rear bumper. The car's windows are in very good shape, clear and crack-free. The car's lights, including its pop-up headlights, are in very good condition and work as intended. This Prancing Horse rolls on new Pirelli radials, size 225/40ZR18 in front and 255/40ZR18 in rear. Each radial is wrapped around special ordered Speedline Wheels that were designed and supplied by Ferrari. As you might imagine, the tires and wheels are in fantastic condition.

All of this stallion's bodywork is solid and straight, its bumpers fit well to the body and the engine bay is very tidy. Under the rear hood is a mid-mounted 3.4L DOHC 32-valve V-8 engine with Bosch Motronic 2.5 port fuel injection, making 300 horsepower and breathing through dual exhausts and quad tailpipes. This sweet engine is buttoned to a transverse-mounted five-speed manual transmission. Driver convenience features include air-conditioning, four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock, power door locks and power mirrors. In addition, the car has a leather Ferrari case with hand tools and a trouble light.

Inside, the car's tan leather bucket seats are in excellent shape while the matching carpet is in very good order. The black-over-tan instrument panel is in very good order, as is the three-spoke steering wheel with the prancing horse logo in its hub. The inner door panel, mirror glass, center console and gated shift lever are all in similar condition and there are no "sticky" buttons to be found which is common problem with this generation of Ferrari.

The 348, badged 348 tb for the coupé (Trasversale Berlinetta) and 348 ts (Targa) and the 348sp (Spider, or Convertible) versions, features a normally aspirated 3.4-liter version of the quad-cam, four-valve-per-cylinder V-8 engine. As with its predecessors, the model number was derived from this configuration, with the first two digits being the displacement and the third being the number of cylinders. The engine, which produced 300 horsepower, was mounted longitudinally and coupled to a transverse manual gearbox, like the Mondial t, with which the 348 shared many components. This was a significant change for Ferrari, derived from their immensely successful 312-T Formula 1 racecars, with most previous small Ferraris using a transverse engine with longitudinal transmission. The "t" in the model name 348 tb and ts refers to the transverse position of the gearbox.

The 348's styling differed from previous models with straked side air intakes and rectangular taillights resembling the Testarossa, stylistic themes reminiscent of the F40, the world's fastest production car at the time, and other prestigious Ferraris of the past. The model was also the final design overseen by chief stylist Leonardo Fioravanti, known for such designs as the Ferrari F40, Ferrari Daytona, Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer, Ferrari 288 GTO, P5 and P6 and others.

The 348 was fitted with dual-computer engine management using twin Bosch Motronic ECUs, double-redundant anti-lock brakes and self-diagnosing air conditioning and heating systems. U.S. spec 348s have OBD-I engine management systems.

Similar to the Testarossa but departing from the BB 512 and 308/328, the oil and coolant radiators were relocated from the nose to the sides, widening the waist of the car substantially but making the cabin much easier to cool since hoses routing warm water no longer ran underneath the cabin as in the older front-radiator cars. This also had the side effect of making the doors very wide.

The 348 was equipped with a dry-sump oil system to prevent oil starvation at high speeds and during hard cornering. The oil level can only be accurately checked on the dipstick when the motor is running due to this setup. The 348 was fitted with adjustable ride-height suspension and a removable rear sub-frame to speed up the removal of the engine for maintenance.

Documentation includes books, records and original window sticker and invoices.

Competition to this car in 1990 included Chevrolet's Corvette, Mercedes-Benz's 500SL and Porsche's 911.

This car is currently located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer shows 3,074 miles which is understood to be actual. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, actual mileage title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!!

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VIN: ZFFFG36A3L0087079 Assembly #:03774

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