Before the formal introduction of the Ferrari 355’s successor, there was no doubt that its replacement had big shoes to fill. The 355 was Ferrari’s best-selling car of all time, and it showed that Luca di Montezemolo was bringing the company back towards profitability and success after Enzo’s death. The 360 Modena, introduced as a 1999 model, launched a number of key updates that made the car more user-friendly, whilst also keeping the requisite Ferrari drama.

Everything mechanical about the 360 was new and improved. The aluminium space-frame chassis was 40 percent stiffer than the 355’s, and it was much lighter, despite an increase in overall size. Fitted with a 400-horsepower variant of Ferrari’s 90-degree F131 V-8 engine, its power peaked at a sky-high 8,500 rpm. The brand-new 3.6-litre engine also increased overall power by 25 horsepower over the 355.

Perhaps the most important change was the introduction of a removable panel in between the passenger bay and the engine compartment. This, combined with the placement of the 360’s timing belt at the front of the engine, which allowed for belt changes to be completed with the engine still in place, dramatically reduced service costs over previous mid-engine Ferraris.

The F131B engine offered here is a brand-new spare that was only just recently un-crated and mounted on a custom, hand-crafted pedestal. The original blue and green factory-quality approval stickers remain on the engine, as does the original sticker noting its production date: 24/11/2004. As the 360 was superseded by the F430 that year, this would be one of the last engines of its type built, and it is believed to have been the last example the factory had in stock.

Any Ferrari is generally considered beautiful as a whole, but it is what’s at the heart of the car that makes them true works of art. Whilst suitable as a replacement powerplant, this engine certainly deserves its own display as an engineering masterpiece.