Sega’s ‘F355 Challenge’ versus … the real thing

For most ’90s kids, the idea of driving a Ferrari F355 seemed a distant dream. Albeit one brought closer to reality by Sega’s incredible F355 Challenge, its fully immersive booth challenging a generation of arcade goers with its authentic force feedback steering, three-pedal controls, proper gated stickshift and fearsomely realistic handling model.

The game’s creator, Yu Suzuki, had already put a generation into the driver’s seats of Ferraris in the legendary Outrun. His success gave him the means to buy one for real, inspiring a near-obsessional desire to share the joy of driving it with gamers the world over. If Outrun was a bit of cheesy, throwaway fun, though, F355 Challenge was the real deal. Suzuki genuinely wanted you to feel you were at the wheel of a Ferrari. And put his heart and soul into making the experience as authentic as possible, the iconic arcade machine requiring a separate Dreamcast processor for each of its three screens.

For most of us this was as close to it as we’d ever get to driving a real Ferrari. Yet 20 years later, I’m finally getting the chance to test the F355 Challenge’s legendary realism with wheel time in the genuine article.  

The car I’m driving is as close to a street-legal F355 Challenge car as you’ll get. Built by Miami-based Ferrari racer (and class winner at Le Mans) Jeff Segal, this “Modificata” is basically Sega’s iconic game in the metal. It’s loud, angry, intimidating and beautifully put together – if anything can do justice to all those hours I spent on F355 Challenge, this is it. I just hope I spend less time in the gravel …

Segal literally grew up around Ferraris, his dad running a dealership in Philadelphia and racing in the actual F355 and 360 Challenge. His first race was in the latter and he’s not stopped since, now a regular podium sitter in a GTE AM 488. Meanwhile his Modificata, like Suzuki’s game, is a labor of love and a demonstration of his affection for the F355. Spec highlights include a Challenge-spec exhaust system, lighter clutch, magnesium Speedline wheels and quick-rack steering set-up. Suspension and brakes have been sympathetically uprated to Segal’s own settings while the interior gains an F40 steering wheel and felt trim. Ferrari never actually built a road-going F355 Challenge in the mould of the 458 Speciale or 488 Pista. But if it had, it would look like this.

I can remember playing F355 Challenge both in the arcade and back home on my Dreamcast, the latter even introducing the idea of online racing for console gamers. Playing at home also gave you opportunity to perfect your skills without spending every last cent in your pockets. Because this was a game taking no prisoners, the hyper-realistic handling model and fearsomely clever AI competitors meant game over, literally, if you made even the smallest mistake. Compared with Gran Turismo, F355 Challenge’s single car, six tracks and fixation with realism seemed hopelessly outdated. But in fact it’s this super-focused approach that still mark it out as something special.

Which is exactly Segal’s mindset with the Modificata. He’s not built it to be as fast as a Pista. He’s just done everything in his power to make it a thrilling, all-consuming experience, from its unmuffled, megaphone-tipped exhausts to its Michelin race wets, chosen specifically for the way they make the car wriggle and squirm. You could go faster in any number of modern supercars. But Segal’s priorities are noise, intensity and grin factor.

The flare of revs that greeted every menu selection in the game is certainly there, albeit amplified to a level that leaves your ears ringing. This thing is noisy beyond belief, the flat-plane V8 fully stripped down and rebuilt with uprated parts to ensure durability. The lightweight clutch means even faster response than the stock motor but also a more vicious nature. “Be assertive,” is Segal’s simple advice.

The shifter slots into the gate with satisfying precision, the revs build and – thankfully – I pull away without stalling. If the game was a level of intensity over every other driving simulator, then this car is a similar elevation above the regular F355, with everything turned up to 11. Jeff’s done this without ruining the fundamental usability and charm of the F355, though. It feels compact and easy to see out of, the steering is light and positive, and the ride surprisingly compliant. The need to keep the engine spinning between shifts focuses your attention but when it goes right the engine rewards you with an excited yelp. And, boy, does it go.

It’s unclear how many more prancing horses there are over the stock 380 horsepower. All you need know is they’re in rude health, the engine zinging to 8,000 rpm and beyond with willingness that makes all modern engines — turbocharged Ferraris included — seem lethargic. Punctuated with the click-clack of shifter against metal gate, and with a wonderfully playful sense of balance, it’s a true joy to drive. And, I’ll admit, easier to come to grips with than the game.

That doesn’t stop me dusting off my old Dreamcast to give it a go. The graphics show their age. But the handling model is just as testing – and accurate – as I remember. And the re-creation of the relationship between steering, throttle and brakes is truly authentic, to the point where my brain is ready with the correction in response to flaring revs when tires touch curb.

What’s clear from the experience of both virtual and real F355 is that this is an experience living up to the hype. Ferrari’s real cars have come a long way in 20 years, as have driving simulators and the gaming culture around them. Both real F355 Challenge and the virtual one Sega created all those years ago have more than stood the test of time, though. There’s space for both in my dream garage.

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