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 Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2021