1979 Ferrari 308 GT4

When Ferrari decided to switch from front- to mid-engine placement, it selected Bertone to design the coachwork. Pininfarina, who had created many of Ferrari's previous designs and been partly responsible for the company's success, was not happy with the decision. The design penned by Marcello Gandini of Bertone had modern and wedge-shaped styling that was initially controversion. Gandini had also designed Lamborghini's Miura, Urraco, Jaram, and Marzal, along with the Lancia Stratos, of which influenced the many aesthetically comparable features of the Ferrari.

The Dino 308 GT4 was introduced in November of 1973 at the Paris Motor Show and supplemented by the 208 GT4 in 1975. They wore Dino badging until May of 1976 when they received Ferrari logos. The Dino 308 GT4 was the only Ferrari legally imported to the US in 1975, and it was also the year Niki Lauda won the Formula One drivers championship and Ferrari won the constructors title.

The 308 GT4 used a tubular spaceframe chassis based on the Dino 246 with a stretched wheelbase size of 100.4-inches. Its larger size allowed for the second row of seating. The transversally mounted engine, known as the Dino V-8, was used well into the new century, with its last application coming in the Ferrari 360 Modena. The quad-cam 2,927cc, dual overhead camshaft, 16-valve, 90-degree, aluminum-alloy V8 with four Weber 40 DCNF carburetors was backed by a five-speed manual transaxle. The 255 horsepower propelled the 308 GT4 to a top speed in excess of 150 mph, with zero-to-sixty mph accomplished in under seven seconds. With the addition of front and rear independent double-wishbone suspension with hydraulic shock absorbers, coil springs, anti-roll bars, and four-wheel disc brakes, the handling and road holding were equally impressive. 205/70VR14 Michelin XWX tires were located at all four corners.

The interior was luxuriously appointed with Italian string and a wrap-around instrument panel with gauges and controls in close sight and reach to the driver. The center console is reminiscent of the Daytona Coupe.

Ferrari engineers worked with Nikki Lauda during the development, including several months of testing and research. Lauda eventually commented that the car was 'mechanically really good; the best Ferrari ever made for the US market'.

The Ferrari 208 GT4 with its two-liter engine was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1975 and intended for the Italian market to avoid the VAT (Value Added Tax) imposed on engines with a displacement larger than two liters. Its 1990cc V8 engine was the smallest production V8 in history for a road car. Produced until 1980, a total of 840 examples were built.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe by Bertone

At the 1973 Paris Motor Show, after 20 year of exclusive collaboration with Pininfarina, Ferrari unveiled the Dino 308 GT4. This is a V8 engine model designed by Bertone with a 2+2 seating configuration. The car was positioned in the Ferrari lineup as a compliment to the two-seater 246 GT/GTS. The name 'Dino' was retained until the end of 1976 when it was changed to Ferrari due to popular demand. The car remained in production until late 1980, when it was superseded by the Mondial 8.

This example is a 1979 European spec vehicle that was imported to the United States in 1982 from Belgium by an individual in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The vehicle was driven on a very limited basis for a few years and was then placed in storage from 1988 to 2011. It was sold in December 2011 to Restoration Performance Motorcars in Vergennes, Vermont. A complete restoration was started, but only got as far as the engine and transmission being rebuilt.

The current owner purchased the car partially disassembled in June 2014 and had it transported back to Oakland Township, Michigan. It would then undergo a full restoration in September 2014 and was completed in October 2015. All the work was done by the owner except the plating and paintwork. The car was repainted in the original color, Marrone metallic. The interior is original and unrestored, including the carpet. The vehicle was kept in the original, stock condition, with no modifications other than an aftermarket radio and the addition of an MSD ignition.

The Pininfarina designed Ferrari 308 was debut in 1975 and was immediately a success. The vehicle's performance, handling, and styling were phenomenal.

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 were 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 Dan Vaughan

One of the most recognizable cars in the world, the Ferrari 308 is probably best known for its role as a co-star in the hit TV series 'Magnum P.I.'. The 308 was produced for quite some years, spanning ten years from its introduction in 1975 until the final year of production, 1985. The 308 was replaced by the very similar looking 328 in 1986

Ferrari introduced a less inexpensive line of cars called 'Dino' named after Enzo Ferrari's son Dino who died at a young age from muscular dystrophy. Often dubbed the 'baby' Ferrari; this less-expensive model was aimed at less affluent buyers. The Dino was still made by Ferrari with the construction of the Ferrari-designed engine being farmed out to Fiat. To reduce production costs, Fiat shared the use of the engine in their Fiat Dino, a front-engined vehicle that didn't look anything like the Ferrari Dino.

In 1974 Dino introduced the Dino 308 GT4, or Gran Tourismo 4-cam, with a 3 liter V8 mid-engine. Unfortunately the small V6 of the earlier Dino wasn't powerful enough for this heaver, 4-passenger car.

So this prompted Ferrari to develop an all-new engine for the GT4. This engine no longer said Dino on it, and this time, the whole engine and car were entirely made by Ferrari and said, Ferrari. A truly groundbreaking model, the 308 GT4 2+2 was an exciting achievement for Ferrari. It was the first production Ferrari that featured the mid-engined V8 layout that would lead the way for the history of the company for succeeding decades. This was also the first production Ferrari that featured Bertone bodywork instead of Pininfarina. This caused some dissatisfaction by Pininfarina who lost out by cross-town rival for the design.

Introduced in 1973, the Ferrari 308 GT4 was a mid-engined V8-powered 2+2 car built by Ferrari. The 308 GT4 was produced until 1980 when it was replaced by the Mondial 8. A total of 2,826 vehicles were produced during its production run. The 308 GT4 was sold with 'Dino' badging until May of 1976 when all badging was replaced with 'Ferrari' badging.

In November of 1973, the Dino 308 GT4 was debuted at the Paris Motor Show. This car featured angular lines that were totally different from its curvy sibling, the Dino 246. The styling was incredibly unique and controversial for its time, and some journalists even compared it to the Bertone-designed Lamborghini Urraco and the Lancia Stratos. In May of 1976, the 308 GT4 received the 'Prancing Horse' badge, replacing the Dino badges on the steering wheel, hood, and wheels.

This was the first V8 that Ferrari had ever been put into a road car, and it was a peppy little engine. The Ferrari 308 GT4 handled 'like a dream car', and was less expensive than 'true' Ferraris, and was popular as a car for racers who wanted to race a 'budget' Ferrari. It was still not a cheap car, but the biggest problem with this car was the 'wedgy' design by Bertone. Bertone is known best as the company that designed many of Lamborghini's cars, but this wedge shape didn't sell well for Ferrari fans.

The chassis of the 308 GT4 was based on the Dino 246 but it was lengthened for a 100.4 inches wheelbase to make more room for a second row of seats. The Ferrari 308 GT4 measured a total length of 170.1 inches and featured a wheelbase of 100.4 inches. Its overall weight was 2,535 lbs, had a height of 46.5 inches, and a width of 70.9 inches. The V8 was mounted transversely and the suspension was fully independent. Producing 230 hp in the American version, and 250 hp in the European version, the 2.0 L V8 engine was integrally joined with the gearbox and had an alloy block and heads with a dual overhead camshaft. The induction system utilized 4 Weber 40 DCNF carbs.

Unfortunately, the Ferrari 308 GT4 was a dramatic sales failure for the company. Many fans didn't like that 'Ferrari' wasn't written on the back of the car, and it was a little too strange looking. Slowly becoming true collector items, the Ferrari 308 GT4 featured a very edgy design that over the years has aged well. Halfway through 1975, dealers were told by Ferrari to add Ferrari badges to the GT4 inventory to boost sales.

by Jessican Donaldson

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 with 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 with 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 with 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 with 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 with constant velocity joints.

by Ferrari