2002 Ferrari 360 Modena review from UK and Ireland

Misfire when cold. Came and went - never properly sorted.

For what it did, I enjoyed the car immensely. Lots of power, a noise that can't fail to make you smile, and surprisingly involving and adjustable handling. Quite happy to be thrown about too, although it's not exactly appropriate to play the hooligan in a car which everyone seems to be looking at even when you're driving sensibly. Miss a gear in this, and it's hideously embarassing!

In 14 months and 6,000 miles I was pulled over six times. Two of those times the officers seemed more keen to sit in it and look at/listen to the engine than give me a ticket. Not that I'm complaining of course, but the phrase "abuse of power" does for some reason spring to mind.

Other than that, it's what you'd expect. Beautiful, musical, shatteringly fast, obscenely expensive to run (10-12 mpg hurts regardless of your income), obsecenely expensive to service (£2,000+ a time), obscenely expensive to insure (£don't ask!) and perhaps worst of all, you simply can't leave it anywhere. I returned to it on a busy town centre street in October to find a brick resting on what was left of the windscreen, having bounced it's way up the bonnet. It was also keyed twice before, again both in so called "nice" areas, in broad daylight and with plenty of people about.

Much as I loved the car, British society had rendered it pointless. When a car can't be parked without being vandalised, and speed obsessed cops are attracted to it like flies to excreta, even the most ardent petrolhead and Ferrari nut would eventually start to ask the simple question. Why. This I did one crisp autumn morning back in October 03, and among the tears (literally) when her new owner drove her away, there came a certain sense of relief too. She went to a good home, and I wouldn't have to worry about her any more. But neither would I enjoy the wail of her flat plane crank V8 as it nudged 9,000 RPM!

Buy one, but be prepared for British society to display its disapproval. People will damage it, council estate kids will spit at you and throw cans as you pass, and the police will harrass you. If I said all of this didn't take the shine off owning it, I would be lying.