What "Pre-Airbag" actually means
When the F355 launched in 1994 it carried over the steering wheel philosophy of the 348 it replaced — a slim, three-spoke Momo wheel with the prancing horse on the centre boss and no driver airbag. It is the original wheel Maranello signed off when the car was new and it sets the cabin of the very earliest F355s apart from everything that came later.
Within the first few model years Ferrari moved to a four-spoke airbag steering wheel as airbag legislation tightened across the F355's main markets. The change is mechanical and cosmetic at the same time: the new wheel is bulkier, the centre boss is a moulded airbag cover instead of a simple horse badge, and the steering column wiring is different. Once the airbag wheel arrived, the three-spoke setup was gone for good — there is no later-build F355 with a factory three-spoke wheel.
Why the Pre-Airbag is the rarest factory F355 cabin
Every Pre-Airbag F355 is by definition an early 2.7 Motronic car — and only a slice of those. The 2.7 Motronic window itself is narrow (1994 through to roughly mid-1996), and within it Ferrari only fitted the three-spoke wheel for the very first stretch before airbag compliance forced the change. The result is a tiny pool of cars: the earliest of the early.
On the live market that combination compounds — early 2.7 Motronic, gated manual (every 2.7 is a manual), and the original three-spoke wheel — into the most-chased factory cabin spec in the F355 catalogue. Specialists treat an unmolested Pre-Airbag car as a meaningful step above an otherwise-comparable airbag-wheel 2.7. The wheel itself, in clean original condition, is now a sought-after part in its own right.
Buying a Pre-Airbag F355 without surprises
Confirm the wheel is factory original and not a later swap. The original Momo three-spoke has specific stitching, a flat horse-badge centre boss, and matching column wiring without an airbag clockspring. Any reputable F355 specialist can verify in minutes against the build sheet and chassis number — three-spoke status should match the documented build date, not just what is currently fitted.
Beyond the wheel, every 2.7 Motronic buying note still applies: cambelt service status, clutch wear, exhaust manifolds, and full service history. These are by definition the oldest F355s on the road, and a Pre-Airbag car with a clean documented history is worth a meaningful premium over one without — pay for the paperwork as much as the spec.