1990 Ferrari 308 GTB/Huffaker IMSA GTU

Sold for $137,500 at 2008 Sports & Classics of Monterey by RM Auctions.
The Ferrari 308 was not intended for racing, but like so many past road-going Ferraris, it soon found itself at the track. Michelotto of Padova, Ferrari's 'unofficial' race shop, built 11 examples of the Ferrari 308 for use in Group 4 competition. During the 1980s, these 11 cars earned many impressive victories and trophies for their owners. In the United States, an even more extreme version of the 308 was fabricated for the International Motor Sports Association's 'GTU' Class by the Huffaker Engineering Company.

During the late 1950s, Joe Huffaker was just beginning his design and fabrication career in the racing industry. He created a series of winning SCCA production racers for Kjell Qvale, the British Motor Corporations (BMC) west coast importer and distributor. Huffaker also dabbled in the Trans-Am series and Indy Cars throughout the years. The list of legendary drivers who piloted Huffaker-designed cars included Bobby Unser, Augie Pabst, Pedro Rodiguez, and Dan Gurney.

For the I.M.S.A. GTU Series in 1990, Huffaker designed three specially-prepared Ferrari 308 cars. The cars were commissioned by Bill Freeman. When the project was complete, each of the three cars had shared little with the original 308 GTB, except for its exterior appearance and the engine. The chassis is a tubular space frame with F1-style in-board rocker arms, springs and shocks. The engine has been modified and mounted longitudinally in the chassis. It is connected to an Indy-car type Hewland DGB-5 transaxle. The car is kept in the drivers control by four air jacks. The composite body is removable via Dzus fasteners.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2009