The GTS: the rarest road-going F355
The Ferrari F355 GTS arrived in 1995, a year after the Berlinetta, and answered a long-standing Ferrari question: can you have an open-air mid-engined V8 without giving up the structural rigidity of a coupé? The answer was a removable targa roof panel — solid, finished in body colour, and stowed behind the seats when the weather agrees.
Total production was approximately 2,577 cars, making the GTS the rarest of the three road-going F355 body styles by a meaningful margin. For context, Ferrari built nearly twice as many Berlinettas and roughly 1,000 more Spiders than they did GTSes. The GTS is the connoisseur's body style — known to those who study the model, often overlooked by buyers chasing the Berlinetta or the Spider.
Why the GTS often leads the body-style price charts
On the live market the GTS frequently posts the highest average ask of the three road-going body styles — and current insights data sometimes shows it edging the Berlinetta with the Spider trailing both. The reason is straightforward: rarity. With production roughly half that of the Berlinetta and lower than the Spider, the available-now pool of GTSes is thin, and thin supply meeting steady demand pushes asking prices up.
The GTS also benefits from being structurally closer to the Berlinetta than the Spider. The targa roof clamps into a closed structure and the rear deck stays solid, so the chassis flex penalty is minimal. Buyers get most of the Berlinetta's driving feel with the option of open-air motoring on demand — and increasingly the market is paying for that combination.
What to check on an F355 GTS
The targa roof panel is the obvious GTS-specific item to inspect. Original panels are body-coloured, finished to factory paint standard, and have a cloth headliner inside. Check for fit when refitted (the fit should be tight, with no rattle or whistle at speed), look for water staining around the seals, and confirm the rear-deck stowage clips are intact.
All other F355 buying notes apply — cambelt status, clutch wear, exhaust manifolds, full service history, evidence of recent major work. Because the GTS is rarer, you may have to be patient or travel further for the right car. The trade-off is owning the body style most F355 specialists will tell you they would buy themselves.