In many ways a Testarossa in miniature, the 348 borrowed a number of styling cues from its more muscular predecessor, including its striking side strake air vents and rectangular rear lights—a notable departure from the softer, more organic 328 that it replaced.

Credit for the design belonged to Leonardo Fioravanti; indeed, the 348 would be the final Ferrari to be styled under his supervision, as well as being one of the last Prancing Horse-badged cars to be developed while Enzo Ferrari was still alive.

Two variants were available: the 348 tb (Trasversale Berlinetta) and ts (Trasversale Spider).

The neatly styled coachwork housed a 3.4-litre V-8 engine mounted longitudinally and allied to a transversely mounted gearbox—lessons learned from the Mondial t with which the model shared many components.

The quad-cam 32-valve engine produced a healthy 296 horsepower, with power directed to the rear wheels via a five-speed gated manual transmission.

Performance was more than adequate, wit...