1985 Ferrari 308 Quattrovalvole

The Ferrari 308 Quattrovavole model was launched in 1982 and featured four valves per cylinder, as its name suggests. It was the final iteration of the 308 Series before the arrival of the 328 models. Along with an increased horsepower rating of 240 bhp in European specification, the 308 QV had improved airflow via a reworked front fascia, power-adjustable exterior rearview mirrors, and a new steering wheel design.

Introduced in 1982 at the Paris Motor Show and built through 1985, Ferrari built 3,024 examples of the GTS (Targa Top) and 784 of the GTB (Berlinetta).

The Pininfarina-designed, Scaglietti-built 308 was introduced in Paris in 1975, serving as a replacement for the outgoing Dino 246 and (soon thereafter) the more angular Bertone-bodied 308 GT4. The first 700 examples wore fiberglass bodies, with 100 of them allocated for the United States market. The remainder of the 308 models (approximately 11,400 examples through 1985) were bodied in steel panels. Power was supplied by a transverse mid-mounted, all-alloy four-cam V-8 engine with a quartet of twin-choke Weber carburetors and initially delivering 240 horsepower in U.S. specification.

The F106 AB V8 engine had a 90-degree configuration, transversely mounted in unit with the transaxle transmission assembly, and positioned below and to the rear of the engine's sump. It used two belt-driven overhead camshafts per cylinder bank and European specification examples received dry-sump lubrication. The cars built for the United States, Australian, and Japanese market received a conventional wet sump engine from the GT4. All 308 GTS models (introduced in 1977 at the Frankfurt Motor Show) received the wet-sump engine and steel-bodied coachwork. European GTB models employed the dry-sump lubrication system until 1981.

Bosch Digiplex fuel injection arrived in 1980, and the name was changed accordingly, becoming the 308 GTSi. The fuel injection system replaced the initially-fitted Weber carburetors, and although horsepower dropped from 240 to 205 bhp, emissions improved significantly. The Quattrovalvole or 'QV' introduced four-valve cylinder heads for the Dino 3.0-liter V-8 engine, improved horsepower to around 230 bhp, and increased compliance with strict U.S. emissions legislation. The Quattrovalvole could hit 60 MPH in a little over six seconds and topped out at 155 mph.

The 308 was very well balanced and provided exceptional handling and performance, thanks in part to its fully independent suspension and four-wheel hydraulic and ventilated disc brakes. It was comprised of double wishbones, hydraulic dampers and coaxial coil springs, and anti-roll bars in the front and rear. The fully synchromesh five-speed transmission used a 'dog-leg' configuration and a clutch-type limited-slip differential. The steering system was an unassisted rack and pinion unit. The standard wheels were five-spoke 14-inch alloys. 16-inch wheels became optional later in the vehicle's development, along with high compression pistons, a high lift camshaft, and a sports exhaust system.

The wheelbase measured 2,340 mm (92.13 inches) and it shared the same tube platform as the 308 GT4, but the GT4 had 2+2 seating and a longer wheelbase. The styling was courtesy of Pininfarina's Leonardo Fioravanti whose resume included the Daytona, the Dino, and the Berlinetta Boxer. Body construction was handled by Carrozzeria Scaglietti. The Targa Top GTS body styles had a removable roof panel with grained satin black finish and designed to be stowed in a vinyl cover behind the seats when not in use.

The glass-reinforced plastic (or GRP) bodies weighed approximately 1,050 kg, while the steel bodies (from June of 1977 forward) weighed an additional (approximate) 150 kg. Production of these 'vetroresina' (Italian for fiberglass) examples reached 808 units before they were replaced by steel construction.

Between 1975 and 1980, Ferrari produced 3,219 examples of the 308 GTS and 2,897 of the 308 GTB. An additional 494 examples of the 308 GTBi and 1,743 GTSi models were produced before they were succeeded by the 308 Quattrovalvole in 1982. Production of the Quattrovalvole continued through 1985 when it was replaced by the 328. Along with the combined 3,790 QV examples, the total 308 production was 12,143 units.

by Dan Vaughan

GTS Spider Targa Coupe by Scaglietti

Production of the 1985 308 GTSI QV included a mere 733 cars with approximately 92% being left hand drive and about 50% being exported to the United States.

This Ferrari, with Pininfarina coachwork, was purchased new by Mr. Gary Bahre, on May 15, 1985 from Polo Motors in Overland Park, KS and was driven to his home in Paris, Maine, where it lived a sheltered life. This automobile is entirely original including its tire and battery.

GTS Spider Targa Coupe by Scaglietti
Chassis number: ZFFUA13A3F

This red over tan 308 GTS has won multiple concours awards, including first places at Huntington Beach, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, and platinum awards at Concorso Italiano, Avila Beach, Los Angeles, and the 2004 Ferrari National concours. Just over 700 examples of the 308 QV or Quattrovalvole were produced, and about half of those were exported to the United States. Ferrari introduced its four-valve heads to the 3-liter V8 in this model in 1981, and this helped increase horsepower up to 240 horsepower plus.

Coupe by Scaglietti
Chassis number: ZFFLA12B000058711

The all-new 308 GTB was Ferrari's first two-seat, mid-engine V8 production model. Introduced at the Paris Salon in October 1975, the 308 wore a design penned by Pininfarina's Leonardo Fioravanti and coachwork by Scaglietti. The examples built in 1976 and 1977 were bodied in fiberglass, known as vetroresina in Italian. The Targa-top 308 GTS body style was added in 1977, and the remainder of 308 GTB/GTS production through 1985 utilized steel bodywork.

The transverse, mid-mounted, all-alloy, four-cam, 3.0-liter V-8 engine initially used a quartet of Weber carburetors, but by 1980, they had been replaced with Bosch electronic fuel injection. Models equipped with the fuel injection system were known as the 308 GTBi/GTSi. The fuel-injected 308 GTBi/GTSi was succeeded for 1982 by the 308 GTB/GTS Quattrovalvole, named after its new four-valve-per-cylinder heads. The newly updated 308 was factory-rated at 240 bhp at 7,000 RPM in top European trim, and with its fully independent underpinnings and fur-wheel disc brakes, it offered outstanding handling characteristics and plenty of performance.

Ferrari built a total of 3,042 GTS and 748 GTB Quattrovalvole models were built from 1982 through 1985.

This 1985 Ferrari 308 GTB Quattrovalvole is a European-specification example that was sold new on August 28, 1985, to Leasico, a corporation based in Strasbourg, France. Its first private owner purchased the Ferrari on March 20, 1986, also a resident of Strasbourg, and he retained it until 2014, when it was sold to a German collector, who kept it until recently. It has since been exported to the United States. Currently, this Ferrari has 4,102 km (2,548 miles) on its odometer.

The 2,927cc DOHC 32-valve V-8 engine has Bosche electronic fuel injection and produces 240 horsepower at 7,000 RPM. There is a five-speed manual transaxle, four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes, and an independent suspension system.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe by Scaglietti

A true time capsule car with just over 12,000 miles, this exceptionally preserved 1985 European 308 GTS QV in Rossa Corsa was custom-ordered with a stunning Crema leather interior trimmed in red and red carpets. In contrast to their U.S. counterparts, the 1985 European 308s were higher in horsepower, nearly 300 lbs. lighter, and sported a dramatic deep front spoiler with elegant thin bumpers. This Ferrari was brought to the United States in December 1985 and held in private collections in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Arizona for nearly 40 years. The vehicle retains all original accessories as delivered, including books and tools.

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