Concept Cars Home
1982 308i GTS Image Right
 

1981 Ferrari 308 news, pictures, and information

For 1981, the Ferrari 308 received a Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system, replacing the carburetion system. With this big change, the 308 received the letter 'i' to its nomenclature. The dual-overhead-cam eight-cylinder engine produced 205 horsepower and 180 foot-lbs of torque. It had a five-speed manual gearbox fitted in the rear transaxle. At all four-corners were disc brakes. Two versions of the 308i existed, a GTB Coupe and a GTS Targa Coupe. Both versions had two doors and seating for two. Pricing for the GTB was at $47,450 and $52,640 for the GTS version.
By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2011
For the initial 18 months of the 308 GTB's production, fiberglass was predominately used for the bodies, but later switched to all-metal. The fiberglass bodies were around 125 kg lighter.

The 308 was capable of producing 255 bhp from its 3 liter, V8, carburetor engine. In 1980, a Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system was installed due to new emission regulations. This caused the horsepower to drop to around 215 hp, thus making the 308 GTBi the slowest of the 308 series.

In 1981, Ferrari introduced 4 valve heads for the 3 liter V8's. This 308's now became known as 308 GTB/GTS Quattrovalvole. The engine now produced 240 BHP, and with the extra weight that was imposed due to using all-metal rather than fiberglass, the performance and handling was back to where it was when it began production.

In 1985, Ferrari introduced the 328 GTB/GTS. A vehicle that came equipped with a 3185 cc engine that produced 270 BHP.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2010
The 308 was Ferrari's first two-seat V8 road car. Made available to the public in 1975, it was the long awaited successor to the incomparable Dino 246 GT. The 308 series was a new beginning for the company as the premier builder of exotic sports cars for road use. As such, the 308 was designed to epitomize the sports car in its era. It did so admirably, and remains perhaps the most influential enthusiast car in history. The 308 is the car against which every subsequent sports car has been measured, upon which every Ferrari V8 sports and racing car has been based, and the car that brought Ferrari from the pinnacle of elite car-culture recognition into the minds of the general public. 25 years later, the shape and sound of the 308 is still 'Ferrari' in the minds of many people.

Design The Ferrari 308 GTS provided Pininfarina wîth an opportunity to flex its design and styling muscle. The company responded by redefining the public's collective impression of what a Ferrari, and indeed what a sportscar, should look like. The task given Pininfarina was the creation of a two-seat mid-engined V8, and few can have expected the Turin designer to respond wîth such a tour de force.

The 308's shape bears a passing resemblance to Pininfarina's Dino 246 GT. Where the older car was the ultimate expression of curvaceous 1960's styling, the 308 hinted far more at the future. From its sharp nose incorporating a slim bumper and a deep air dam, to its retractable headlights and row of black louvres that vent air from the radiator, the line flows up the windshield and out around the flanks to reunite

with itself at the buttress C-pillars, ending in a very subtle rear lip spoiler. The design is so beautiful and effective that it has been a basis for exterior styling of every subsequent V8 Ferrari and an object of study for design students the world over.

GTS models had louvered panels over the whole of their rear quarter windows. Increased venting front and rear served to improve cooling wîth each evolution of the engine. By and large, however, the design of the 308 was so iconic and effective that it was virtually unchanged throughout its decade of production.

Drivetrain

The heart of the 308 series was its three litre V8 engine. The 2926cc Ferrari V8 was something of a departure for the company, which had mostly relied on V12s. With the V8, Ferrari could offer much of the power of their legendary V12s while improving fuel economy and saving space. By placing the engine and transmission transversely Ferrari was able to reduce the length of their new sports cars and concentrate the mass within the wheelbase, a lesson of racing.

The transmission in the 308 was a five speed wîth reverse all synchromesh unit. Mounted transversely like the engine, the transmission received power through an unassisted single plate clutch. The gears sent power to the rear wheels through a limited slip differential and solid driveshafts wîth constant velocity joints.

Source - Ferrari
For more information and related vehicles, click here

The Mercedes Benz S Class: automobile comfort of the highest standard
• S Class: the epitome of automobile comfort • Every generation of vehicles provides ground-breaking solutions to the expectations of customers with regard to comfort The history of the Mercedes Benz S Class shows that automobile comfort is far more than just a luxurious ambiance, size and performance. In fact it is far more the intelligent support of the driver and passengers through innovative technical solutions providing answers to current questions and requirements which contribute to t...[Read more...]
Magnificent Series of Coachbuilt Classics To Grace RM's Amelia Island Concours D'Elegance Sale
• RM Auctions returns as the official auction house of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, March 9, 2013 • Single-day sale features breathtaking roster of more than 80 investment-quality collector cars • Notable highlights include an outstanding series of coachbuilt classics headlined by a multi-million-dollar 1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Walker-LaGrande Convertible Coupe and a trio of Cords from the personal collection of Jim Fasnacht • Frequently updated list of entries available online at r...[Read more...]
Mercedes-Benz Classic at the 2012 Grossglockner Grand Prix
• Revival of the mountain race from the 1930s • Mercedes-Benz SSK and W 125 at the start • 92 bends, 14 hairpins, 15 kilometres and a 1300-metre altitude difference The Grossglockner mountain race was one of the most prestigious motor sports events of the 1930s. This year it will be revived with the 2012 Grossglockner Grand Prix to be held from 20 to 22 September 2012 and Mercedes-Benz will be there with some famous cars. In 1938, the brand took part for the first time. As a classic c...[Read more...]
The Champion in Touring Car Racing : The BMW M3
In August 1985, a rumour surfaced in motor magazine Auto-Deutschland which emanated from a new sports car. An A Group Car from BMW that was a thoroughbred racing car according to the rules but was also to be produced in a version licensed to drive on open roads for everyday use. Speculation about this dream car that could take to normal roads and was intended for the 'Most dynamic among BMW 3 Series drivers' was right on target. But the pundits missed the mark about the motor-sport car by a mile...[Read more...]
Auctions America By RM's 2012 Auburn Spring Auction
'Variety' is the buzzword for this year's Auctions America by RM June 1-3 Auburn Spring auction, which will offer a huge range of collector vehicles and an enormous private collection of automotive memorabilia. More than 600 American muscle cars, Classics, foreign sports cars and hot rods will cross the block at the historic Auburn Auction Park, the company's national headquarters in Auburn, Indiana. 'Last year was our first spring event at the park,' said Auctions America by RM's President ...[Read more...]
156
166
166 F2
195
196
212
246
250 GT
250 Monza
250 Testarossa
275
288
308
312
328
330
333 SP
335
342 America
348
360
365
375
400
410
410 S
456
458
500 F2
500 Superfast
500 TR
512
512 BB/LM
550
553
575
599
612 Scaglietti
625
California
Dino
Enzo
F12berlinetta
F355
F40
F430
F430 GTC
F50
FF
LaFerrari
Mondial
Mondial 500
Testarossa
Type 340

1982 308i GTS Image Right
© 1998-2012. All rights reserved. The material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.