Guide: Ferrari 348 Challenge - a Historical & Technical Appraisal
BACKGROUND
By the late 1980s, the number of one-make racing series being organised around Europe had grown exponentially. Hatchbacks, saloons and GT-style supercars were all catered for as competitors sought out cost-effective ‘spec.’ series where the best rather than wealthiest driver typically emerged as champion.
Arguably the most successful one-make series to have emerged during this period was the Porsche Cup which routinely attracted a fleet of top teams plus a mix of amateur and professional drivers who duked it out with identical 944 Turbos and, later on, 964-type 911s.
In addition to having proven a useful marketing exercise, the Porsche Cup helped satisfy those wealthy and often very loyal customers that wanted to compete with their cars.
Having witnessed the Porsche Cup grow in stature since 1986, Ferrari decided to get in on the action for the 1993 season.
The resultant 348 Challenge was presented at Mugello in September 1992.
Unlike later iterations of the Ferrari’s one-make racing line which were offered as complete cars, each 348 Challenge started life as a standard road version (initially a tb or ts and later a GTB or GTS). The Challenge upgrade pack was supplied as a separate kit to be installed by the customer’s Ferrari dealer of choice.
To keep costs down, the Challenge kit mostly comprised safety-related enhancements plus a few other essential parts required for track use. Items like the body panels, engine, gearbox, springs, dampers, brake discs and calipers all had to remain in standard trim.
Ferrari initially organised Italian and European championships for their customers to contest in 1993. At the end of the season, competitors from both series were brought together for a finale at Mugello.
Towards the end of ‘93, a two demonstration events were held in the United States ahead of a full season in 1994 when a Japanese championship was introduced as well.
348 CHALLENGE KIT
The 348 Challenge kit initially comprised a bolt-in roll cage, a pair of Kevlar racing seats trimmed in fireproof red fabric, seat mounting brackets, four-point racing harnesses and a fire extinguisher (all supplied by OMP).
Also included was a three-spoke Momo steering wheel, a set of drilled aluminium pedals, an electric kill switch, an underbody NACA brake cooling duct (dubbed the dynamic cooling kit), a Challenge-spec. exhaust box, Plexiglas front light covers, front and rear tow hooks, a 348 Challenge badge and a decal pack.
Customers additionally had to purchase a spare set of regular 348 wheels. One set was allocated for wet tyres (215/50 and 255/45) and the other for slicks (245/620 and 264/640). Pirelli P Zero tyres were used with each competitor allocated two sets of wets and slicks per race weekend.
At the circuit, Ferrari fitted each car with a special valve and coupling for the purpose of fuel sampling.
OTHER MODIFICATIONS
Customers could further enhance their car with an array of other Ferrari-supplied parts to include lightweight bumpers, rigid instead of standard bushes for the suspension wishbones and anti-roll bars, Aeroquip brake hoses and a sintered instead of standard clutch centre plate.
The ABS and air-conditioning was allowed to be disengaged so long as no parts were removed from the car.
To reduce weight, Ferrari permitted owners to remove the passenger seat, floor mats, carpeted trim panels and the sound deadening on the floor and rear bulkhead.
Adjustments to both the ride height and suspension geometry were allowed along with altered cam timing (using any 348 / Mondial t bevel gear). The differential could be modified with factory shims.
Other parts that could be exchanged for preferred items included the steering wheel, gear knob, battery, lubricants and brake pads (provided the latter were interchangeable with the originals and so long as the friction contact face was not increased in size). If desired, safety warning lamps could be added for water and oil.
CHASSIS
Whereas Ferrari’s earlier V6 and V8-engined junior models had all used a conventional tubular steel chassis, the 348 was based on a pressed steel monocoque bodyshell.
Like the Mondial t, the 348 had its engine mounted longitudinally and mated to a transverse gearbox which enabled Ferrari to position the combined assembly lower in the chassis. Both engine and gearbox were mounted on a steel subframe which could be dropped out of the car for easy maintenance.
Suspension was independent all round via double wishbones, coil springs and gas-filled Bilstein dampers. Anti-roll bars were installed at either end.
Brakes were ventilated discs and the ABS was controlled by a Teves Mk2 system.
17-inch five bolt alloy wheels measured 7.5-inches wide at the front and 9-inches wide at the rear.
A 95-litre fuel tank was located between the engine and passenger compartment.
ENGINE / GEARBOX
In the 348’s engine bay was the same Tipo F119D 3.4-litre V8 that had made its debut in the Mondial t at the Geneva Motor Show during March 1989.
A development of the 90° V8 used by the 308 and 328, the F119D motor featured a block and four valve DOHC heads fabricated from light alloy. New equipment included Nikasil-coated cylinder liners and dry-sump lubrication.
Bore and stroke were 85mm and 75mm respectively for an overall displacement of 3405cc (a 220cc gain over the outgoing Ferrari 328).
Compression was 10.4:1 and Bosch Motronic M2.5 initially replaced the old K-Jetronic system. However, from chassis 84606 (produced in late 1990), Ferrari dropped the Motronic M2.5 in favour of the updated M2.7 system at which point catalytic converters were ushered in for all cars (something already found on North American, Swiss, Austrian and Swedish market variants).
Peak output was 300bhp at 7200rpm and 238lb-ft at 4200rpm.
The gearbox was a new five speed unit mounted transversely hence the lower case ‘t’ in ‘tb’ and ‘ts’. A twin-plate clutch and limited-slip differential were fitted as standard.
BODYWORK
Cosmetically, the Pininfarina-designed 348 resembled a baby Testarossa albeit with softer edges and better proportions. Like its predecessors, the 348 was arguably the best looking junior supercar of its era.
Steel panels were used throughout except for the bonnet and engine cover (aluminium) and the bumpers and sills (fibreglass).
The 348 ts had a removable moulded plastic roof panel which was given a vinyl finish and, once detached, it could be stowed behind the seats.
Although the radiators were fed by massive slatted air intakes carved out from each flank, Pininfarina added a dummy grille at the front of the car to bring the 348 in line with the rest of the range.
Retractable headlights with new rectangular lenses were fitted.
By leaving the side skirts and aprons matt black, Pininfarina gave the 348 a lovely slender profile. These subsequently became body coloured from early 1993 when the GTB and GTS variants were introduced.
The slatted theme continued on the engine cover and tail fascia. At the back, rectangular light assemblies were concealed behind a matt black grille in a similar fashion to the Testarossa.
Body coloured wing mirrors were mounted on extended stalks.
To improve airflow, the door release catches were mounted flush with the rest of the panels.
INTERIOR
Compared to its predecessor, the 348’s interior had been completely revamped.
Leather upholstery was standard with Connolly hide used to cover the original seats, the door panels, instrument binnacle, lower dash, centre console, transmission tunnel and upper rear bulkhead panel.
The upper dash was black vinyl, the headliner was cloth and the rest of the cockpit was carpeted.
The main instrument binnacle housed a 300kmh or 200mph speedo and a 10,000rpm rev counter. In between were smaller gauges for oil pressure and water temperature stacked one above the other. Additional read outs for oil temperature and fuel were located on the centre console.
All instrumentation was orange on black.
A three-spoke steering wheel came with a black leather rim. The handbrake was located to the outside of driver’s seat.
Standard equipment included air-conditioning, electric windows and electric mirrors. The wing mirrors also had a heated element that was activated when the heated rear window was turned on.
WEIGHT / PERFORMANCE
The minimum weight permitted for a 348 Challenge was 1360kg which represented a 33kg and 38kg saving over the standard 348 tb and ts respectively.
Top speed was an unchanged 171mph and 0-62mph took 5.4 seconds (down from 5.5).
TIPO F119H ENGINE
During early 1993, Ferrari introduced an updated road-going 348 with an array of enhancements, the most notable of which was a more powerful Tipo F119H engine that replaced the original F119D unit.
To ensure a level playing field, owners of existing 348 Challenge cars were permitted to bring their engine up to the latest specification so long as the components used to do so were supplied exclusively by Ferrari.
The Tipo F119H motor featured a higher compression ratio (increased from 10.4:1 to 10.8:1), a bigger air intake plenum, new valve springs and new timing belts. 348 road cars (now dubbed GTB and GTS) also came with a more efficient exhaust system.
Peak output went from 300bhp to 320bhp at an unchanged 7200rpm while the same 238lb-ft of torque was produced, albeit a little further up the rev range (now at 5000rpm instead of 4200rpm).
1993 SEASON
Despite depressed economic conditions, the 1993 Challenge season proved a great success with over 30 cars typically in attendance at each race.
Roberto Ragazzi was crowned Italian champion, Bernd Hahne won the European series and Karl Baron took victory in the Mugello finale.
1994 SEASON
For the 1994 season, a proper North American series was organised along with a Japanese championship.
In Europe, the two existing championships were split into three: Central Europe, Western Europe and Southern Europe.
1995 SEASON ONWARDS
1995 saw Ferrari introduce the new 355 Challenge which was a factory built and much faster car than the 348. However, to keep their existing clients happy, a 348 class was organised for each championship.
The original four-point OMP harnesses were upgraded to six-point items.
To simplify logistics for tyre supplier Pirelli, 348s that raced in the ‘95 series ran on the same 18-inch diameter Speedline wheels as the 355 Challenge.
Beyond 1995, classes for the 348 in the North American and Japanese series were organised into 1996, after which the 355 took over.
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