308QV GTS/GTB "Hybrid" Log Out | Topics | Search
Moderators | Edit Profile

FerrariChat.com » Showroom » Archive 308's » 308QV GTS/GTB "Hybrid" « Previous Next »

Author Message
Mike Charness (Mcharness)
Member
Username: Mcharness

Post Number: 976
Registered: 8-2002
Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2003 - 4:42 pm:   

Frank, I'd really like to have a "folding top" for the 308... a friend with a 348 had one for his car.
Frank Wiedmann (Frankieferrari)
New member
Username: Frankieferrari

Post Number: 9
Registered: 8-2003
Posted on Sunday, August 17, 2003 - 11:12 pm:   

Gotta agree with you. That looks great! I have Owned 7 Corvettes,4 0f them C-4s,and always had the smoked "glass" targa top,AND the body colored top. I wanted to get a body colored targa top for my 1981-308GTSi,AND try to look into finding someone who could also make a black,acrylic top,exact specs as the Ferrari original,for my 308,too. So,I would have the original top,painted top,and acrylic "glass" top. Also,thought about a black,and/or,tan canvas foldable,"accordian like" top. I believe that they make a black top like that for C-4 vettes,already. For 308/328-any GTS model. That could fold up,like an accordian,and store behind the seats,or even in the rear storage compartment.So,you wouldnt have to lug along the regular sized top.And it would utilize the same connecting ports. If I had the extra $$,wouldnt mind trying to do something like that(a business)Anyone interested in starting this type of business? I even have an appropriate name(secret!)
Stewart Chung (Navygakman)
Junior Member
Username: Navygakman

Post Number: 109
Registered: 2-2002
Posted on Sunday, August 17, 2003 - 1:11 am:   

Great job Mike!! Speaking from someone who is not afraid to put some "personal touch" into an already beautiful design!

Stewart
Mike Charness (Mcharness)
Member
Username: Mcharness

Post Number: 900
Registered: 8-2002
Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 4:02 pm:   

CTK -- *VERY* nice mods!
ctk (Ctk)
Junior Member
Username: Ctk

Post Number: 118
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 5:17 am:   

testUpload
Upload
BobD (Bobd)
Intermediate Member
Username: Bobd

Post Number: 1386
Registered: 3-2001
Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2003 - 10:00 pm:   

Here's another one... Jim E's GTS top is painted the color of his car too and it looks great.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/cgi-bin/discus/board-profile.cgi?action=view_profile&profile=jimpo1-users

Mike Charness (Mcharness)
Member
Username: Mcharness

Post Number: 759
Registered: 8-2002
Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2003 - 5:59 pm:   

Thanks, Ben, for the nice comments.
Ben Cannon (Artherd)
Member
Username: Artherd

Post Number: 495
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Thursday, June 26, 2003 - 12:39 am:   

Awesome awesome awesome! You have managed to improve on one of the most beautiful automotive designs ever! Not an easy task. When I get mine, it will have a body coloured roof!

Best!
Ben.
Mike Charness (Mcharness)
Member
Username: Mcharness

Post Number: 614
Registered: 8-2002
Posted on Monday, June 09, 2003 - 1:18 pm:   

David: Not for 308's or 328's. I believe that was a factory option starting with the 348's.

David Mcguire (Matkat)
New member
Username: Matkat

Post Number: 28
Registered: 3-2003
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2003 - 8:52 am:   

Mike,that is really a wonderfull job and all credit to the people that did it.I have one question was there ever an option to have such a modification done by the factory,seems to me a colour coded roof would have been a great idea.
best regards
Dave McGuire
Mike Charness (Mcharness)
Member
Username: Mcharness

Post Number: 607
Registered: 8-2002
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2003 - 6:37 am:   

Thanks Ron for the nice comments.
Ron Thomas (Ronsupercar)
Member
Username: Ronsupercar

Post Number: 776
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Saturday, May 10, 2003 - 9:48 am:   

What I love most about this is that you have the body colored top..

What a beaut!
Mike Charness (Mcharness)
Member
Username: Mcharness

Post Number: 454
Registered: 8-2002
Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2003 - 11:39 pm:   

Regular GTB louvers would not work. The windows are different, you'd have the hinges left at the front which wouldn't look right either, and the rubber molding around the windows isn't finished the same on the GTS so that doesn't look right either, which is why it had to be customized with an "L" shape along the bottom to cover it.
David S (Djs308)
Junior Member
Username: Djs308

Post Number: 115
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Sunday, March 30, 2003 - 9:37 am:   

It looks fantastic!

I just have a dumb question though. Would it have been possible to use "original" GTB louvers, rather than taking GTS louvers and converting them? Or is there something about the parts that fit differently on the car?
Barney Guzzo (Trinacria)
Junior Member
Username: Trinacria

Post Number: 179
Registered: 8-2002
Posted on Saturday, March 22, 2003 - 12:43 am:   

Nice job!
Mike Charness (Mcharness)
Member
Username: Mcharness

Post Number: 350
Registered: 8-2002
Posted on Friday, March 21, 2003 - 10:29 am:   

You see it, and then you do a double-take. You know it�s a 308, but something�s different. Is it a GTS, or a GTB? It�s both... or neither� it looks like a �hybrid�. The targa top is smooth and painted body color, and the rear quarter window louvers look like they�re off of a GTB rather than covering the whole window.

Upload

Most 308 GTS owners love the option of driving with the top off, enjoying the open air. But they also appreciate the smoother lines of the GTB�s design. I decided to take my 1984 308 GTSi/QV and give it a GTB look, while still retaining the functionality of the GTS open roof. I�d had that idea for awhile, but my car is a repeat concours winner (Ferrari Club of America Southeast Region) and I didn�t want to do anything that was �permanent�. A neighbor of mine unfortunately totaled his 308 Quattrovalve, but fortunately for me I had the opportunity to get the targa and side window louvers off of it before it was sold off for parts and scrap. This way any modifications could be made to the extra parts, and I could still retain my original equipment.

I contacted Marcel Corlett of Corlett Auto Restoration, and told him what I had in mind. Though it appears to be covered in black vinyl, the 308�s targa top has the grain molded into the fiberglass surface. To remove the grain required a lot of sanding and smoothing before priming and painting to match the Rosso Corsa of the car, but it came out looking like glass. Solid body color targa tops were available as factory options on 348�s and 355�s, but the 308/328 family never had that offered. I've only seen 3 or 4 308's or 328's that have had that done.



Using photographs of 308 GTBs Marcel took the spare louvers and modified them to visually match the GTB style. This took more than just cutting out a few of the louvers and smoothing since simply doing that left the rubber molding showing around the quarter windows and didn�t look �finished�. Marcel fabricated extra plastic pieces and molded them into the bottom area of the louvers turning the exposed area into an �L� shape that looks as if it was originally designed that way. The louvers were then finished off in a trim/bumper black paint which can handle flex without cracking and has a semi-matte finish similar to the original louvers. He's since done similar mods to louvers for a couple of other 308 GTS owners.Upload


For those days when the weather just doesn�t favor driving with the top off, I think you�ll agree that the 308 GTS/B hybrid, with the smooth painted roof and GTB-style window louvers, looks like something that might have come off of a Pininfarina sketch pad!

(Please excuse the writing style, I mostly just did a cut-and-paste of this from another article about my car!)

For more photos of the car, go to www.tradetutor.com/308GTSB/

Topics | Last Day | Last Week | Tree View | Search | Help/Instructions | Program Credits Administration