There are only a handful of cars in the automotive world which are assured to be good whenever they are updated. Perhaps two of the most noteworthy examples are RS-badged Porsches and hardcore, mid-engined V8s from Ferrari.
However, for Scott Chivers in the UK, it’s not the modern V8 Ferraris that pull at his heartstrings, but rather the 360 Challenge Stradale, the first of the hardcore breed.
Interestingly, the car in question started life out as a regular 360 Modena, but Chivers purchased every single part need to convert a Modena into a Challenger Stradale and built his dream car. Chivers has owned his converted 360 for almost a decade and has clocked up more than 70,000 miles (112,000 km) in it. That’s a simply staggering figure for a vehicle of this sort, which is far from suitable for everyday use.
Our favorite hardcore, mid-engine V8 Ferrari has to be the 458 Speciale Aperta, though the 360 CS would probably be a very close second. A testament to attraction of the Stradale is the fact that Chivers owned a Ferrari 430 Scuderia, too, but decided to sell it and keep the 360 because the Scuderia wasn’t as visceral as its predecessor.
Matt Farah from The Smoking Tire recently recently had the chance to drive this 360 Challenge Stradale, so you can watch the video and find out what he thinks of it.