The manual F355 GTS: rarity inside rarity
The Ferrari F355 GTS is already the rarest road-going body style — approximately 2,577 cars built, against ~4,871 Berlinettas and ~3,717 Spiders. Cut that pool down to manuals only and you arrive at one of the smaller known specs in the F355 catalogue. The GTS arrived in 1995, so manual GTSes existed alongside both 2.7 Motronic and 5.2 Motronic engine management before the F1 paddle-shift took over from mid-1997.
On the live market manual GTSes typically command a premium over both equivalent F1 GTSes and a meaningful slice of manual Berlinettas, driven by the combination of body-style rarity and gearbox preference. They appear less often than either Berlinetta or Spider in any given week of listings.
What to look at on a manual GTS
The targa roof panel is the GTS-specific item. Original panels are body-coloured, finished to factory paint standard, with a cloth headliner — check fit, water staining around seals and the rear-deck stowage clips. The structure stays a closed coupé behind the panel so chassis flex is minimal compared with a Spider.
Beyond the roof, all the standard F355 buying notes apply, plus the manual-specific checks: clutch wear measurement, gated lever feel, second-gear synchro behaviour from cold, and a documented service history. Patience is part of the deal — the right manual GTS does not come up often.