It’s over 10 years since you’ve been able to buy a new Ferrari with a manual transmission, and this stick-shift 348 that’s just come up for auction might be the closest we’ll ever come again.
Though it recently celebrated its 30th birthday, the 1993 348 TB you see in these pictures has covered only 354 miles (569 km) since it left the Maranello factory, and it really does look like a brand new, unused Ferrari. And it probably drives like a brand new Ferrari too, provided your benchmark is three-decade-old Ferraris and not actual new ones like the 296 GTB.
Because new ones like the 296 GTB have almost three times the power and an armory of brilliantly clever electronics that work together to make sure you can use that power safely. The 296’s turbocharged and hybrid-assisted 2.9-liter V6 generates 819 hp (830 PS), while the 348’s naturally-aspirated 3.4-liter V8 could only muster 296 hp (300 PS).
Torque? Try 546 lb-ft (740 Nm) in the 296 and a teeny-weeny 239 lb-ft (324 Nm) in the old timer. When it comes to performance there’s no contest: the 296 hits 62 mph (100 km/h) in less than 2.9 seconds, almost half the time the 348 needs. Double that finishing line to 200 km/h (124 mph), a speed the 296 reaches in 7.3 seconds, and the 1990s car needs around three times as long to break the tape.
Related: Koenig Ferrari 348 With A 520HP Twin-Turbo V8 Screams ’90s German Tuning Scene
The 296 would certainly be an easier car to drive, both on the limit and around town, and no doubt it’s ‘better’ to drive according to any measurable test. But really, be honest with yourself: when and how would you drive a Ferrari if you had one? Probably for a bit of fun at weekends to get the blood pumping and maybe the odd trip away. And mostly on real roads with real traffic and speed limits, rather than on a track.
With that in mind, and having experienced firsthand how insanely rapid the 296 is, and knowing how difficult it is to find the space to use all that performance on the road, I’d go for the the slower, more tuneful and more interactive 348, a car that also seems to get even prettier with each passing year. Seems like a pretty solid investment, too. But what would you pick, and how much do you think this virtually brand new 348 will sell for? You can check out the Bring-a-Trailer auction listing here.
