1980 Ferrari 308

The 308 GTB and GTS were the first road cars with Ferrari badges to not house a twelve-cylinder engine. Power was supplied by an all-alloy double overhead cam transverse-mounted V8 engine that was 2927 cc in size and produced just over 200 horsepower. It initially produced over 250 horsepower. Power was sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. Braking was rather good due to the four-wheel power-assisted ventilated disc brakes. Sitting on a 92.1-inch wheelbase, the vehicle was suspended in place with four-wheel independent suspension via unequal-length control arms, coil springs, and telescopic dampers. Handling was exceptional and smooth.

The Ferrari 308 GTB was designed by Pininfarina and followed the Bertone-designed 308 GT4. For many, the Pininfarina design was astonishing while the Bertone version was criticized as being boring. Many of the styling cues for the 308 were borrowed from the 246 Dino.

The carbureted engine was unable to comply with the ever-growing list of safety and government regulations so a Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system was fitted, creating the 308 GTSi. Though there was a decrease in power there was an increase in reliability. The engine ran smoother and started without hesitation. In what seemed like a response to this new luxury the interior was restyled. The console became more ergonomically with revised instrumentation. The seats became better fitting and more comfortable. What the car lost in performance was more than made up for in style and comfort.

1980 was the final year for the carbureted-engine version of the 308 (a Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical fuel injection system was added - Ferrari highlighted the change by adding the letter 'i' to its nomenclature). It was available as a coupe or Targa with the coupe selling for $40,580. The Targa was listed at $44,910. From 1975 through 1980 Ferrari sold approximately 3,665 Type 308 (GTB, GTS and 208 GTB). Powering the 308 was a dual-overhead-cam eight-cylinder engine displacing 178.6 cubic-inches and offering 205 horsepower. It was tied to a five-speed manual gearbox and fitted with disc brakes at all four corners. The GTB version had a top speed of 147 mph and raced from zero-to-sixty in 8.2 seconds.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2013