Ferrari F355 Restored After 12 Forgotten Years in Storage
Tucked away for over a decade in Macau, new owner of forgotten F355 sends it to England for tons of mechanical work.
There are few places in the world where seeing a Ferrari on the street is a daily occurrence. One of them is Macau, a former colony of Portugal under the administration of China since 1999. There, one will find a gambler’s paradise unlike any other; its industry is seven times larger than Las Vegas and is the largest in the world. Thus, it stands to reason you’ll find more than a few Ferraris on the street, likely parked at one of the many casinos in the region.
One Ferrari that hasn’t been seen on the streets is a rare 1995 F355. In 2007, its previous owner parked it in storage, only to forget about it. Over twelve years later, the car is back on the road, thanks to H.R. Owen of England.
The Ferrari was brought to the company’s Ferrari Service Centre in West London by its current owner, who found it in storage while looking for a 512 TR. The car, registered in July 1995, covered some 6,200 miles before it was locked away. It also has a few features not many F355s received.
For starters, you can’t miss the Ferrari’s Verde Silverstone paint, even if it is covered in dust and grime. It also has a gated six-speed manual transmission instead of the six-speed automated manual most F355s had. Finally, the previous owner chose to sit in carbon fiber racing buckets, instead of the standard leather seats. You’re definitely not going to see that combo too often.
Like many forgotten gems, the Ferrari needed a lot of work to get back on the road. Rodents had chewed through the wiring, the lubrication was gone, and the elements did the rest. H.R. Owen removed the engine for a full cleaning, disassembly, and repair. The wiring was replaced, the gearbox was refreshed, and new wheels and tires were applied.
“We’re delighted to be able to showcase the extraordinary level of training that our H.R. Owen Ferrari aftersales technicians go through with a project like this,” said CEO Ken Choo. “The F355 was one of the most advanced sports cars of its era, and it’s no easy task to restore one to perfect working order after having spent 12 years parked.”
After the Ferrari is fully restored, the owner will submit it for verification by Ferrari Classiche.
Photos: H.R. Owen
