The new Ferrari 360 Modena... Rice World's #1 car.
RICE'S TOP 10 CARS OF 2000
Date: 9/20/2000
By: Rice
#1: Ferrari 360 Modena
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The new Ferrari 360 Modena... Rice World's #1 car. |
Engine: 3.6 L, 400 horsepower V8
Price Range: ~$145,000
Desired Color: Midnight Blue
If you thought the
911 Turbo was expensive, take a gander at the price tag of this baby. As a friend once
told me, it gives a new meaning to living out of your car. Ferrari's new incarnation for
Y2K is a culmination of years of mechanical research / design blending the firey power of
Ferrari's prancing horse tradition with the slickest, most aerodynamic automobile you have
ever seen. The 360 Modena has a lot to live up to, as it replaces the now retired, and
most successful selling Ferrari ever, F355. Judging by the way it's impressed countless
souls around the world, I'd say it has very little to fear as it carves its own legacy in
the Italian company's storied history.
Funny enough, the 360 Modena isn't Ferrari's speediest offering. That title belongs to the V12 485 horsepower 550 Maranello, which also takes $220,000 out of your wallet. Why the Modena was chosen is simply because it's a far more artistic and stylish offering, not to mention easier on your bank account. And since it's also the new model rolling out of Ferrari's factories, it's a more sophisticated vehicle than the brute force of the Maranello. With all that said and done, a 400 horsepower V8 at a very efficient 3.6 Liters displacement is nothing to scoff at. Although it gets pipped by the 911 Turbo in 0-60 speed (4.5 seconds compared to the turbo's 4.0), it makes up for it with its Godlike handling abilities. One editor at Road & Track wondered if Newton's fundamental laws have somehow been nullified by the 360 Modena. The car has spent so much time in the wind-tunnel testing facilities that a spoiler's not even necessary! This is a 190-mph capable car we're talking about here!!
 |
The
not-yet released Ferrari 360 Spider will succeed |
Engineering marvel aside, one cannot deny also the incredibly sexy exterior. Recently, while on the on-ramp to the 10 from the 405, I had a brand new Modena whizz by me and every other car in my lane. My jaws slammed out of its sockets and my eyeballs bulged as I vainly attempted to somehow catch up to this mysterious unicorn. Alas, how can a 140 hp G20 compare to the Italian supercar?? A few moments later, I saw the streaking beauty in the distance, exiting the 10 and boarding the 110, leaving every car in its wake, as I silently wondered to myself, "How can such mechanical perfection be attained by mere mortals?
... and how the hell am I ever going to afford one for myself?!?"
