1990 Ferrari 348tb Makes You Work for It

From the December 1989 issue of Car and Driver.They must have heard us downshifting. As we rounded the corner, eleven pairs of young-male eyes focused on our Ferrari 348tb as intently as if Madonna herself had just pranced around the bend. Instantly, the schoolboys burst into cheering, bubbling enthusiasm. The charismatic sights and sounds of the newest marvel from Maranello had made their day—and ours.Much of the joy of driving a Ferrari comes from the car’s ability to mesmerize passers-by and liberate their joyous emo­tions. Though an increasing number of competitors can now match a Ferrari’s performance and technology, none of them can yet celebrate speed with the same exuberant delight. The new 348 was created both to re­store Ferrari’s performance advantage and to maintain the marque’s flamboyant tradition. The huge louvered side intakes and the traditional trapezoidal grille framing the prancing horse immediately identify the car as a Ferrari. The newest in a series of Pininfarina designs, the 348 displays its 308/328 family heritage, yet the overall shape is slightly less rakish, with a somewhat stubbier profile that lacks the older car’s voluptuous fender line. The 348 is slightly shorter overall than its predecessor, though it is two inches taller, six and a half inches wider, and mounted on a wheelbase more than four inches longer. Despite its blunter shape, the 348 cleaves the air smoothly. Its drag coeffi­cient is 0.32—down from its predeces­sor’s 0.36, thanks to smoother details, side-mounted radiators, and flush win­dows all around. The package also com­prises a longer and wider passenger compartment and a more spacious luggage compartment in front, made larger by the absence of a spare tire. Though perhaps not the most original or inspired design from the house of Pininfarina, the 348 looks potent and im­posing on the road—particularly from the rear, where its low and widely spaced fenders exude an aura of power, strength, and speed. That suggestion of speed is under­scored by the 348’s all-new mechanical layout, conceived to make this one of the fastest road cars in the world. The most important changes are to the powertrain. The engine remains in the middle, be­tween the passenger compartment and the rear wheels, but it is now set longitu­dinally rather than transversely. This lay­out makes space for new intake and ex­haust systems, which are free-flowing and symmetrical—both critical to in­creasing power output. These changes are joined by an all­-new powerplant. An all-aluminum, 32-valve, four-cam V-8, like its predecessor, the new engine incorporates several power-enhancing improvements. Displacement is increased from 3186 to 3405 cc; a Bosch Motronic engine-con­trol system with two low-restriction hot­wire airflow meters replaces the 328’s K-­Jetronic fuel injection; a dry-sump lubrication system has been adopted; and a new intake manifold with two selec­tively connected plenum chambers helps broaden the spread of power. These measures combine to produce a hefty 296 hp at 7200 rpm and 238 pound-feet of torque at 4200 rpm (for the non-cata­lyst-equipped version of the engine). Adding catalysts should cause a loss of only 5 hp, leaving 30 ponies more. A clutch assembly sits at the extreme rear of the gearbox, and an array of shafts and bevel gears transfer and turn the power flow as needed. This arrangement not only results in a space-efficient package with a lower en­gine height, but also locates the entire mass of the transmission below the dif­ferential. Consequently, the powertrain’s center of gravity is lowered by almost five inches, lowering the center of gravity of the entire car by about two inches. That’s approximately a ten-percent improvement; during cornering, body roll de­creases and less weight transfers from the inside to the outside tires. Ferrari engineers have amplified this advantage by increasing the track at both ends of the 348 and fitting larger, higher­-performance tire. Instead of the 328’s 205/55ZR-16 fronts and 255/50ZR-16 rears, the 348 has 215/50ZR-17s and 255/45ZR-17s. The engineers also re­duced the polar moment of inertia (the resistance of a body to rotation about its center of gravity) by replacing the single radiator in the nose of the 328 with two smaller radiators—one on either side of the engine—cooled by air flowing into the prominent side intakes.
The suspension still uses unequal-­length control arms front and rear, but the front layout now incorporates more anti-squat geometry. All four wheels are restrained by more powerful brakes, which employ four-piston aluminum cal­ipers and larger rotors. Naturally, an anti-lock braking system is standard. With more power and torque, less aerodynamic drag, increased grip, an im­proved chassis layout, and stronger brakes than its quick-moving predeces­sor, the 348 is a rocket. Insiders report that it laps Fiorano, Ferrari’s private test track, a quickly as the Testarossa. We were not permitted to use our test instru­ments on the prototype we drove, but the factory claims a top speed of more than 171 mph and a 0-to-60-mph sprint of 5.4 seconds. Judging from the way the 348 flattened us against the seatback, those figures seem perfectly credible.
Going through the gears, the 348 pulls quite strongly well into fourth, its V-8 emitting a distinctive, high-pitched ex­haust song as it reaches eagerly for the 7500-rpm redline. The engine’s 180-degree crankshaft provides equal firing intervals for each cylinder bank—making optimum ex­haust tuning easier—and produces a more frenetic exhaust note than other V-8s. In keeping with Ferrari’s flamboyant spirit, the powerplant’s mechanical symphony isn’t burdened with extensive muffling; it carries its message to those within and without the car, bringing joy to all concerned.
For all its mechanical and sonic out­put, the V-8 isn’t the least bit tempera­mental. It works as happily at 1000 rpm as it does at 7000 rpm. The 348 is per­fectly content if, for some reason, you choose to putter about in high gear at low speeds. That, however, is no way to drive a Ferrari. The proper way is to wind the engine out in every gear as you accelerate and, as you decelerate, to blip the throt­tle energetically and wrestle with the gearbox while you search for perfectly coordinated downshifts. And wrestle you will, because—transverse or not—the gearbox has retained its stiff Ferrari character. Even when fully warm, this gear­box demands more muscle than any oth­er we know. But that’s part of the Maranello mystique. It just wouldn’t do for a Ferrari to be too easy to drive.
Related StoriesThe 348’s handling also reflects this character. There’s plenty of grip with the new chassis; when it is driven carefully, mild understeer will signal the limit of adhesion. But you can cause the tail to step out smartly in a hard corner by ei­ther applying or lifting the throttle. Once the tail’s out, keeping it there becomes a simple matter of planting your right foot. As impressive a show as driving the 348 sideways is, you should be aware that the car is a challenge to keep under control. Overdo things and you’ll need quick re­flexes and plenty of muscle to twirl the high-effort, arms-out steering wheel rap­idly enough. It’s safer to confine your at­tention-gathering activities to the gener­ation of glorious engine noises. For the mundane task of transporta­tion, the 348 seems considerably im­proved. The 348’s four-inch-longer wheelbase translates into greater leg­room. Headroom is also more generous than before. The classic arms-fully­-stretched Italian driving position is not quite as extreme, and the steering wheel is centered better in relation to the seat. There’s even considerably more room around the pedals. Other improvements include a fully automatic climate-control system—which can be operated without having to pore over footnotes in the own­er’s manual—and much better visibility to the rear quarters.
The instrument cluster is familiar: the speedometer, the tachometer, and the water-temperature and oil-pressure gauges are directly in front of you—al­though the tops of the dials are still ob­scured by the beautiful leather-covered Momo steering wheel. The recalcitrant shifter remains a long, chromed lever guided by an external gate. As we’ve come to expect, virtually every interior panel is covered in handsome leather. When the 348 is driven slowly, the im­provements make it more than reason­ably comfortable. The suspension is stiff, but there’s little harshness over small pavement imperfections. The body structure, at least on the coupe we drove, was stiffness exemplified, with only an occasional creak of the leather upholstery announcing a reaction to a particu­larly severe bump. Even wind and engine noise are nicely subdued, though the 348 still isn’t the ideal machine in which to enjoy the sounds of a fine stereo. Ferrari has not yet announced prices, but expect the 348 to cost in the $100,000 range in both tb (transversale berlinetta) and ts (transversale spyder) forms—coupe or targa to us. That’s a dis­quieting price tag, but consider that the remainder of the 328 production run is spoken for and going at prices substan­tially above the list of roughly $80,000. There’s unquestionably a ready market for Ferrari’s distinctive blend of speed and style, and the new 348 has that market squarely in its sights.SpecificationsSpecifications
1990 Ferrari 348tb
Vehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE

Base: $100,00 (est)
ENGINE
DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port/direct/port and direct fuel injection
Displacement: 208 in3, 3405 cm3
Power: 296 hp @ 7200 rpm
Torque: 238 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm 
TRANSMISSION
5-speed manual
DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 96.5 in
Length: 166.5 in
Width: 74.6 in
Height: 46.1 in
Curb Weight (C/D est): 3420 lb
MANUFACTUER’S PERFORMANCE RATINGS

62 mph: 5.6 sec
Top Speed: 171 mph
FUEL ECONOMY
European City Cycle: 13 mpg Csaba Csere joined Car and Driver in 1980 and never really left. After serving as Technical Editor and Director, he was Editor-in-Chief from 1993 until his retirement from active duty in 2008. He continues to dabble in automotive journalism and WRL racing, as well as ministering to his 1965 Jaguar E-type, 2017 Porsche 911, 2009 Mercedes SL550, 2013 Porsche Cayenne S, and four motorcycles—when not skiing or hiking near his home in Colorado. 
Source: caranddriver.com