The 360 Modena was a clean-sheet design which anticipated trends for the future of Ferrari road cars. The design called for lower weight combined with great chassis rigidity. These concepts are seemingly inversely related but the engineers in Maranello were able to achieve such feats by employing innovative construction technology.

The 360 Modena was the first production Ferrari to be constructed entirely in aluminium. Chassis, bodyshell, and suspension wishbones were all made from the lightweight material. Aluminium allowed engineers to provide the best overall performance and handling ever achieved in a mid-engined Ferrari at the time. The Chassis was designed by Ferrari and built in collaboration with Alcoa. The partnership was able to yield a structure that was 40% stronger in structural rigidity while also achieving a 28% weight reduction compared to the previous 355. The suspension mounting points are one piece casting and the chassis was assembled on a CNC work station, the same technique used for the F50.

The styling was the 163rd Ferrari to be designed by Pininfarina and combines elements of classic Ferraris, such as the 268SP, 250LM and Dino. The 360 Modena was also the first modern Ferrari to show the ventrally mounted V8 engine under a glass cover, a feature which is still carried over today on the 488.

The example offered here today is one of the rarest and most desirable 360 Modena’s produced. In additional to being fitted with a manual six-speed transmission it was also optioned with a factory sunroof. Figures vary depending on sources but it is believed that only 25 cars worldwide were fitted with this option and of those only 12 were destined for the US market. The manual removable section, works more like a GTS body style and added almost no weight as not to affect the center of gravity. The removable section of the roof stores neatly behind the seats. With less than 23,200 miles at the time of cataloging, this exceedingly rare Ferrari is certainly a future pinnacle of any collection.