The Ferrari 348 GT Competizione is likely the rarest modern day Ferrari and the rarest since the twenty 365 GTS’s were constructed between 1968 and 1969. Only 50 cars were officially made and only 8 in RHD form (though our research suggests there were 11 – 8 to the UK, 1 to Singapore, and 2 to Brunei in the Sultan’s collection).
Based upon the 348 GTB, the “Competizione” featured highly polished “Speedline” split rim wheels of 18” diameter – as opposed to the usual 17” with an extra 1” on the width of the rear wheels and an extra ½” on the front wheels. An enamel “Scuderia Ferrari” shield – an emblem traditionally reserved for racing Ferraris on each front wing and “348GT COMPETIZIONE” on the tail.
More subtly the door panels, sill covers, the front and rear bumpers were made of light weight Kevlar and carbon-fibre composite material. The seats were of carbon and Kevlar fibre as per the F40 covered in red cloth. A unique steering wheel with the limited edition serial number inscribed on it. The 348 GT Competizione has exhaust manifolds and exhaust system unique to the GTC, which may or may not contribute an additional 10 bhp. With the benefit of 320BHP, this is a very special factory-lightened car.
In a time when the manual gearbox would seem to be from a bygone era with the new 458 Italia not being provided with a manual option, the 348 GTC represents the last production road going Ferrari that was provided with the traditional metal gated dog leg gearbox and no power assistance for the steering. It could be argued that this car therefore represents the last of the traditional, analogue Ferrari’s.
Upgrades
Upgrades to the GTC from the standard 348 include:
- Extensive use of carbon/kevlar to reduce weight including to front and rear bumpers, seats (from the F40) doors and door sills & ECU covers
- Unique 18” Speedline split rims & wider Pirelli tyres
- Steering wheel with engraved limited edition number
- Lightweight carpets
- Special exhaust manifolds
- Revised camber & castor settings
- GT Competizione badging and enamel “Scuderia” Ferrari shields on each front wing – an emblem traditionally reserved at the time for racing Ferraris
- Aluminium gearknob and pedals
Click here for more details on the differences between the stock Ferrari 348 and the GTC.
Media
The GTC has been largely ignored since its launch and has remained relatively unknown perhaps until the last few years. The media has begun to take some interest with several articles being published both online and in print around the world. Click here for a listing of 348 GTC media appearances.