Random Car Wednesday: Ferrari 360 Modena

There is a definite connection between people who are rich and people who own Ferraris. If you want one of those iconic Italian performance machines, you're going to need some deep pockets. That said, some are more attainable than others. A decent Mondial can be had for twenty or thirty thousand bucks, but that's because it's essentially the ugly duckling of the Ferrari family. So what if you want a good Ferrari, but you don't want to totally break the bank? Cue today's RCW, the Ferrari 360 Modena. Introduced in 1999 as a replacement for the F355, the Modena had all the ingredients needed for a proper performance car. It had a 3.6 liter V8 located behind the seats which sent 400 horsepower directly to the rear wheels by way of a six-speed manual gearbox. Weighing in at a respectable 2,844 pounds, the Modena could do 0-60 in 4.2 seconds, and had a top speed of 189 mph. Visually, the Modena is an attractive car if you look at it objectively. A handsome car, but it's not quite as sensationally beautiful as the F355 it replaced, or even as chiseled and aggressive looking as the F430 that succeeded it. Thus, you can get your hands on one for less than some of the more popular Ferraris. Pricing seems to fall in the seventy to eighty thousand dollar range, which is a lot of money for a car, but not that much compared to most Ferraris. This particular car is in very good shape, and stands out with bright yellow paint. I usually think a Ferrari should be red, but in this case the yellow works well. The Modena is not the ultimate Ferrari by any stretch of the imagination. It's an under-appreciated performance machine with an outstanding pedigree. The perfect mix of practical and impractical. What more do you want, really?

Ferrari 360 Modena