You Could Drive Chris Rea’s Ferrari F355 Home For Christmas

If there’s ever a time of year to cash in on the Chris Rea merchandise you’re sitting on, surely December is it. Rather than eBaying signed pictures or slightly crusty worn clothes of the Driving Home for Christmas singer, though, one seller is offering a rather remarkable Ferrari.

Rea evidently has some taste when it comes to Italian sports cars. As the original owner of this 1995 F355, he had it finished in Blu Scuro Micalizzato paint with a cream leather interior. Forget Rosso Corsa, this might be the peak of Ferrari specs.

Better still, being an early F355, it came at a time before Ferrari started slapping its ‘F1’ automatic on everything. Instead, its 3.5-litre V8 hooked up to a six-speed manual with a gated shifter. Worth noting it has a stunning-looking factory, and air-bagless Momo wheel.

When new, it’d push 375bhp through the rear wheels for a 0-62mph spring in 4.7 seconds before going on to a top speed of 184mph. Time has surely seen a few prancing horses escape, though sports car specialists Bell Sport & Classic (and the firm selling the car) say its in-house Ferrari experts have recently given the car a ‘comprehensive’ mechanical refresh.

No word on how much Bell Sport & Classic want for the F355. Early, manual examples of the Berlinetta seem to fetch up to £120,000 on the market at the moment, but with its pretty special spec and a thousand Rea memories, we’d imagine something well north of that.

Tim Kearns, Bell Sport & Classic managing director, said: “This 355 represents the holy grail for Ferrari collectors– a useable example of Maranello’s mid-engined masterpiece, in its purest, most intoxicating form.

“In terms of design, technical innovation, performance, and handling, the F355 easily eclipsed the competition when it was launched and still offers a beguiling and wholly immersive driving experience today. As the F355 reaches its 30th anniversary, it also represents an astute investment.”