Apart from the displacement increase from 3.4 L (3,405 cc) to 3.5 L (3,495 cc), the major difference between the V8 engine in the 348 and F355 is the introduction of a 5-valve cylinder head.
This new head design allowed for better intake permeability and resulted in an engine that was considerably more powerful, generating a maximum power output 380 PS (279 kW; 375 hp) at 8,250 rpm and 363 N⋅m (268 lb⋅ft) of at 6,000 rpm.
The longitudinally mounted 90° V8 engine was stroked by 2 mm over the 348's engine (77 mm rather than 75 mm), resulting in the small increase in displacement.
Engine internals are produced using lightweight materials; the connecting rods are forged in Ti6-Al-4V titanium alloy.
The engine's compression ratio is 11:1 and employs the Bosch Motronic 2.7 engine control unit in the 1995 model year, later changed to the M5.2 in 1996 through end of production.
The Motronic system controls the electronic fuel injection and ignition systems, with a single spark plug per cylinder.
Engine lubrication is via a dry sump oiling system.
The engine was designed by Paolo Martinelli.

The F355 addressed transmission issues which plagued the earlier models.
A coolant heat-exchanger was installed which upon startup, warmed the gearbox oil quicker.
A rod-driven actuation system, which replaces the 348's cable operated system, was also added for precise gear shifts.

The frame is a steel monocoque with tubular steel rear sub-frame with front and rear suspensions using independent, unequal-length wishbones, coil springs over gas-filled telescopic shock absorbers with electronic control servos and anti-roll bars.
The car allows selection between two damper settings, "Comfort" and "Sport".
The road-going models came with Pirelli tyres, size 225/40ZR 18 at the front and 265/40 ZR 18 at the rear.
Although the F355 was equipped with power-assisted steering (intended to improve low-speed drivability relative to the outgoing 348), this could optionally be replaced with a manual steering rack setup by special order.

Aerodynamics for the car included over 1,300 hours of wind tunnel analysis.
The car incorporates a nolder profile on the upper portion of the tail, and a fairing on the underbody that generates downforce when the car is at speed.

The car's standard seats are upholstered with hides from Connolly leather, and are fitted asymmetrically in the car; this results in the driver being slightly closer to the car's centerline than the passenger.

At launch, the only model available was the Berlinetta.
The Spider (convertible version), and the GTS (targa top model) were introduced in 1995.
In 1997, the Formula One-style electrohydraulic-operated automated manual paddle-shift transmission was introduced and the cars equipped with this transmission were called 355 F1.
The F355 was the last in the series of mid-engine Ferrari models with the Flying Buttress rear window, a lineage going back to the 1965 Dino 206 GT, unveiled at the Paris Auto Show.

The nomenclature does not follow the formula from the previous decades, i.e., engine capacity (in litres) followed by the number of cylinders (e.g. 246 = 2.4 litres, 6 cylinders, 308 = 3.0 litres, 8 cylinders, etc.).
In naming the F355, Ferrari used engine capacity followed by the number of valves per cylinder (355 = 3.5 litre engine capacity and 5 valves per cylinder) to bring the performance advances introduced by a 5-valve per cylinder configuration into the forefront.
Apart from the displacement increase from 3.4 L (3,405 cc) to 3.5 L (3,495 cc), the major difference between the V8 engine in the 348 and F355 is the introduction of a 5-valve cylinder head. This new head design allowed for better intake permeability and resulted in an engine that was considerably more powerful, generating a maximum power output 380 PS (279 kW; 375 hp) at 8,250 rpm and 363 N⋅m (268 lb⋅ft) of at 6,000 rpm. The longitudinally mounted 90° V8 engine was stroked by 2 mm over the 348's engine (77 mm rather than 75 mm), resulting in the small increase in displacement. Engine internals are produced using lightweight materials; the connecting rods are forged in Ti6-Al-4V titanium alloy. The engine's compression ratio is 11:1 and employs the Bosch Motronic 2.7 engine control unit in the 1995 model year, later changed to the M5.2 in 1996 through end of production. The Motronic system controls the electronic fuel injection and ignition systems, with a single spark plug per cylinder. Engine lubrication is via a dry sump oiling system. The engine was designed by Paolo Martinelli.
The F355 addressed transmission issues which plagued the earlier models. A coolant heat-exchanger was installed which upon startup, warmed the gearbox oil quicker. A rod-driven actuation system, which replaces the 348's cable operated system, was also added for precise gear shifts. 
The frame is a steel monocoque with tubular steel rear sub-frame with front and rear suspensions using independent, unequal-length wishbones, coil springs over gas-filled telescopic shock absorbers with electronic control servos and anti-roll bars. The car allows selection between two damper settings, "Comfort" and "Sport". The road-going models came with Pirelli tyres, size 225/40ZR 18 at the front and 265/40 ZR 18 at the rear. Although the F355 was equipped with power-assisted steering (intended to improve low-speed drivability relative to the outgoing 348), this could optionally be replaced with a manual steering rack setup by special order.
Aerodynamics for the car included over 1,300 hours of wind tunnel analysis. The car incorporates a nolder profile on the upper portion of the tail, and a fairing on the underbody that generates downforce when the car is at speed.
The car's standard seats are upholstered with hides from Connolly leather, and are fitted asymmetrically in the car; this results in the driver being slightly closer to the car's centerline than the passenger.
At launch, the only model available was the Berlinetta. The Spider (convertible version), and the GTS (targa top model) were introduced in 1995. In 1997, the Formula One-style electrohydraulic-operated automated manual paddle-shift transmission was introduced and the cars equipped with this transmission were called 355 F1. The F355 was the last in the series of mid-engine Ferrari models with the Flying Buttress rear window, a lineage going back to the 1965 Dino 206 GT, unveiled at the Paris Auto Show.
The nomenclature does not follow the formula from the previous decades, i.e., engine capacity (in litres) followed by the number of cylinders (e.g. 246 = 2.4 litres, 6 cylinders, 308 = 3.0 litres, 8 cylinders, etc.). In naming the F355, Ferrari used engine capacity followed by the number of valves per cylinder (355 = 3.5 litre engine capacity and 5 valves per cylinder) to bring the performance advances introduced by a 5-valve per cylinder configuration into the forefront.
Ferrari F355