‘Barn Find’ 1995 Ferrari F355 Saved And Restored After 13 Years Of Neglect

The Ferrari F355 is one of the most beloved sports cars to come from Maranello in the post-Enzo Ferrari era.

Built between 1994 and 1999 in Berlinetta and Spider body styles, the mid-engine model became Ferrari’s most popular car, with over 11,000 sales. The timeless styling signed by Pininfarina certainly helped, as did the performance that remains respectable more than two decades after production ended.

Powered by a 375 HP 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V8, the F355 was able to sprint from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.7 seconds. 0-100 mph (0-161 km/h) took just 10.8 seconds and the top speed was 183 mph (295 km/h).

Watch: Guess How Much It Cost To Maintain A Ferrari F355 Over 1,000 Miles?

With those looks and that kind of performance, it would be shame if not all surviving F355s were in working order for everyone to enjoy. Fortunately, London-based H.R. Owen Ferrari Service Centre has just saved one from extinction.

A customer presented them with a neglected F355 Berlinetta that had been left standing for almost 13 years, covered only by a sheet. The current owner found it in Macau while hunting for a Ferrari 512 TR. Having found a great example, he noticed the F355 hidden next to it.

When he pulled off the sheet, he saw that the F355 was finished in the rare Verde Silverstone paint and had the sought-after gated manual gearbox and optional carbon-fiber racing bucket seats. After tracing its owner and finding that the car was first registered in July 1995 in Macau, he decided to buy it.

He then shipped it to the UK for a full mechanical recommissioning at H.R. Owen Ferrari in London. Tasked with getting the F355 to run in perfect order once more, the Ferrari specialists had a lot of work to do. The car had not fired up since 2007, with the 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles) shown on the odometer being covered between 1995 and 2007.

Having spent so many years immobilized, the F355 had plenty of problems: rodents had chewed through key wiring components, lubricants had long since dried up, while corrosion and wear-and-tear affected all the major mechanical functions.

As a result, the engine was removed, disassembled, deep-cleaned and had a number of its key parts replaced, including faulty pumps. The clutch was replaced as wheel, while the flywheel was completely overhauled. Then the fuel tank and fuel line were drained, a new catalyst system was installed in the exhaust, and two catalytic control units were replaced.

Fresh fuel, a new battery, new fuses and other mechanical tweaks enabled the F355 to be fired up for the first time in well over a decade. The mechanics also replaced the air conditioning system, brakes, shock absorbers and gave the neglected Ferrari a fresh set of wheels and tires.

The owner now wants to give his green F355 a bodywork restoration and a full paint respray in the same Verde Silverstone rare finish. After that, the car will be submitted for Ferrari Classiche certification at H.R. Owen Ferrari.