Description
Chassis Number: ZFFXRthe details below. Engine Number: 45115. Year of Manufacture: 1997
Delivered new to Venezuela in 1997 for use in the Ferrari Challenge Series, genuine Factory built challenge car.
Officially certified as one of the 108 cars produced by the factory for track use.
Recent full engine and gearbox rebuild and premium BTB race exhaust system.
Only 3 owners.
All owners are friends of WalkerSport and in contact.
The factory fitted modifications included a roll-cage, racing bucket seats, manual radiator fan control and upgraded fans, competition steering wheel, competition clutch, upgraded 14" Brembo brakes (carried over from the F40), solid suspension bushes, competition springs, and brake cooling ducts amongst a number of other detail changes from the base car.
The F355 'Challenge' shares the same engine and physical dimensions as the original car and 108 cars in total were produced by the factory, the others were supplied as crated kits to convert existing road cars, all with the 6-speed manual transmission. According to the accompanying Ferrari Certificate of Origin, the car was first delivered on the 29th January 1997 destined for Venezuela with engine number 45115. The delightfully named National Commission of Speed of Venezuela issued a certificate in 2000 that stated the car was raced in the Ferrari Challenge Cup during the 1997, 1998 and 1999 seasons, piloted by Juan Iliopoulos. The car was set to win the Ferrari challenge series and in the final race in it was leading when the gearlever broke sticking the car into 2nd and forcing retirement. A special gift by Ferrari ws presented to Mr Iliopoulos.
Mr Iliopoulos emigrated to the United States in 2000 taking the car with him and placing it into storage. Nigel Jenkins long term Ferrari owners club (GB) member came upon the car in 2009 and bought it directly from Mr Iliopoulos. Importing it into the UK adding a premium BTB race exhaust system and completing a full engine rebuild at a cost of some £30, 000. Mr Jenkins entered the Ferrari Owners Club series winning six times, enjoyed a number of podium appearances, set numerous Class lap records, and topped it off by winning the series in 2018. This is genuinely the fastest (legal) Ferrari Challenge able to compete in the UK Ferrari series. The car’s most recent owner took possession 2020 and raced in the 2021 and 2022 season.
This factory built 355 Challenge car comes with some rare additions not currently fitted to the car including the original carbon seat, the original challenge steering wheel and the exceptionally rare dummy light pods.
