In the middle of the infinite armada of Pick-up and Off-Road Trucks at the 2019 SEMA Show, we placed an iconic automobile (tuning) hero of the nineties in the outdoor area: the Ferrari 348 ts!
Before you might ask yourself why this Ferrari Targa, with its 300 hp natural aspirated V8, is a legendary vehicle for the aftermarket industry, we’ll quickly explain.
While today “Stance”, “Camber”, and vehicles with only a nice set of rims, a wrap, and a modified suspension seem to dominate the scene in Europe, there was a time at the end of the nineties and in the “Millennium Years” when the design of the Ferrari 348 (type F119) was taken up by many tuners.
There were wide-body kits for Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz VW, and Co. in a typical Ferrari 348 look and many Toyota MR-2 drivers completely rebuilt their mid-engine JDM Targa in a Ferrari looking kit car! To be honest the 348 was one of the few production cars that had a big influence on an entire tuning scene, while normally the “Bodykit Pope’s” like Toni Rieger took motorsport as a model for their design language.
But this Ferrari is something very special: It is a “women’s car” – not what you think again. The model Jessica Hart drives this legendary Ferrari 348 ts; built by Race.Service.
Despite the Challenge lettering on the custom-made acrylic glass at the rear and the race decals, Jessica’s F119 is no Challenge. Her Targa was built in 1991 and the Challenge was launched in 1993.
But on her Ferrari, there are also some motorsport parts installed, like an OMP roll cage, OMP full carbon bucket seats, and a fully functional OMP Mercedes motorsport steering wheel – a deliberate provocation; not only for Ferraristi.
For the suspension, Race.Service got support from our KW dealer E-Motion Engineering from Newport Beach. Since Joey Seely of E-Motion Engineering knew that we do not have a street performance kit with part certificates for the F119 alias Ferrari 438, so he ordered a custom kit with independently adjustable compression and rebound damping based on our KW Competition motorsport suspensions from our special construction department.
Besides, we upgraded the kit with our hydraulic lift system (KW HLS) – so at the push of a button, the Ferrari is raised by 45 mm on all four wheels. If you are interested in a custom-made product, please contact us at a show, get in touch with our dealers, or contact us directly.
If desired or required by the regulations, the suspension can also be converted into a nonadjustable damper variant after the evaluation and approval of the customer. A comprehensive documentation according to our QS processes and the specifications of the “VdTÜV-regulations” (=German Association of Technical Inspection) permits an individual acceptance and entry into the vehicle papers.
The 18-inch rims in the classic five-spoke design comes from Rotiform. The “ROCs” from Rotiform are encased by 235/40ZR18 and 275/35ZR Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. Race.Service obtained the carbon fiber front splitter from Power Stream Industries.
Photo Automotiv (Eddy Paesschezoone), KW / Words C. Schmidt
