This Street-Legal 1996 Ferrari F355 Challenge Is Heading for Auction

The Ferrari F355 was one of a few cars the Italian automaker made in the 1990s that didn’t quite reach the heights of the F40 but were small wonders nonetheless, capable of being both eye candy and serious race cars. A Ferrari F355 Challenge, going up for auction on Friday, is that racier version: a track-focused supercar that could also be a minor classic.

This F355 Challenge was one of 300 made for Ferrari’s racing series, the Ferrari Challenge, intended to give customers a turnkey racer that they could take to the track for some high-dollar thrills. It’s powered by a 3.5-liter V-8 engine making 375 horsepower, mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

The F355 Challenge started life as a standard F355, until the seats were removed in favor of racing seats, a roll cage and fire extinguisher were added, and a lighter-weight exhaust was installed as well. The brakes, made by Brembo, were actually borrowed from the F40. Magnesium wheels were also swapped in. The extra equipment set owners back another €25,000 or so, on top of the F355’s original price of around €120,000.

You had to want this car, in other words, and be willing to sacrifice some comfort to drive it. What you got was a race car, and a street-legal one at that. This example was purchased new by the Ferrari Challenge racer and former Formula 3 driver Harald Brutschin, according to Broad Arrow, which is holding the auction to sell it. Broad Arrow says there is “extensive” documentation attached to the car, including three binders worth of service history (the F355 was known for being quite expensive to keep on the road.)

This example, delivered new in 1996, was raced that year in the Ferrari Challenge, in the famous McDonald’s livery. Some 43,478 kilometers are on the odometer, and the car has also been serviced a lot in recent years, including an engine-out service and replacement of the timing belts.

The mileage and service history also indicate that this F355 was used, much to the credit of its owner, Brutschin, who never sold it. Broad Arrow thinks the F355 will go for at least €275,000, or around $322,000 when it goes to auction on October 10, and as much as €350,000, or around $410,000.

Click here for more photos of the Ferrari F355 Challenge.