Top Speed?

The GT4 is still on XWX's so maby if I ran new tech tyres on a smooth road I would want to keep pushing.

 

With my first 328GTS, I went 125 mph and it was very smooth.

 

Many years ago when my 328 was much newer I pushed it to the limit and had it at 256 km/h flat out. For those of you interested in mph multiply it by 5 and then divide by 8.

Then there was the time the wife and I spent about 4 hours crossing Nevada at about 225 km/h. We kept passing this old Volvo wagon full of kids with several canoes on the roof, finally late in the evening I pulled into a service station to fill up and they were at the pumps! The guy filling it couldn’t figure out I had passed him over and over when I was going so fast. I asked him how many stops they had made and he said none, this was their first. I proceeded to explain that we made several, to have some ice cream, take in the view at a scenic look out and even take some pictures for wedding party that showed up while we were there.

 

240 km/h on the tomtom on the Autobahn.
but at that speed the car became really very light on the front so i stopped my attempt to check the cars topspeed. 240 was not topspeed..

 

I was stopped at a sobriety checkpoint a week or two ago in the 308. Officer was real cool. He said: "Statute of limitations is OVER. Now tell me how fast you've had this thing."

I smiled and pointed to my 1980 GTBi's stock speedometer and said "80 miles per hour!" He noted the orange swoosh and laughed.

 

Agreed on the 'sweet spot' being right around 90 or so.

I have taken mine to just over 140 on the speedo - but given the nature of Vague-lia instrumentation, who knows how fast that really was. No rattles or shakes, however it did feel a little light. Now that I have got that out of my system, I can get back to enjoying the car at more civilized speeds. Just because the car can go that fast, doesn't mean it's a good idea to do it too often.....

 

I,m surprised by the number of comments about front end lightness at higher speeds in the 308. My 85 gts has the factory optional deep front spoiler, maybe this actually does something besides trying to rip itself off on every driveway approach?

 

I believe suspension settings have a lot to do with it, too (i.e. spring stiffness and damper compression and return rates).

 

Your euro spoiler makes a very big difference at higher speeds. Trouble is, you have to put up with it over bumps the rest of the year for that once-a-year high speed blast.

 

Not trusting a 308's speedo, a GPS working as backup for a run to Laughlin last month proved it very accurate.
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I agree the deep spoiler has a noticeable effect at high speeds.

I had my first 77 GTB with deep spoiler up to 160 a few times, Many years ago (7850 RPM in fifth), and it was rock steady. I never checked the speedo accuracy at 160 (aside from the RPM comparison, which works out correctly), but at speeds up to 120, that speedo was dead nuts. By the way, it took about 3 miles to get there.

I've had my second 77 GTB up to 145 indicated once (that speedo is 1 to 2 percent optimistic at the speeds I've checked it). That car has the standard US spoiler. While not bad, it was definitely not as firmly planted at 145 as the first car was at 160. Of course, it was older at the time, and maybe the suspension wasn't as crisp.

In the old days, I always felt that 110-120 was my personal sweet spot for cruising in the 308 GTB. Above that the wind noise increased. But again, that was many years ago. Nowadays I only see about 120, and that's only on race tracks.

 

I would really like to take my car up to it's top speed, but the freeways in California are 1) so poorly mantained and tore up and 2) so HEAVILY patroled by the California Highway Patrol that I just won't risk going fast anymore. I would however like to take it to a track to really feel what 150+ feels like. I might look into it when I get a new set of tires.

When I was a kid all I wanted to do was go fast. Every car I've ever had I pushed to it's limit, even though they we crappy cars that didn't really go that fast. Now I'm older and I can afford a really fast car and yet now I'm too affraid of getting busted speeding! I never wanted to be the old, bald guy in the fast red sports car going the speed limit, but I am!

 

"old, bald guy in the fast red sports car going the speed limit"........Take a number(LOL!!!)

 

140 MPH on my one and only Vegas Paupers Run. Probably means a real 130 MPH

 

Unless you're at LeMans, very few tracks have a long enough of a straight to let a 308 get near to top speed. You might be able to hit 120-125mph if you're lucky (unfortunately). A 430scud or Ford GT might get to 150. There are few circuits around with very long high speed banking where you might be able to do better but your average run of the mill local track is going to be somewhat limiting. Nevertheless, have fun and be safe!

ps. if you want to go fast one thing you can do is find a little-travelled road out in the desert between so cal and say LV and find a good 5 mile section without side roads. Have a helper go to the end of the 5 miles and watch for cars/police. Try to find a very flat a straight section. Use the center line as a guide. Fold your mirrors back, take off your windscreen wipers and you might just hit 150 if you're lucky.....

 

The cool thing about the 328 is it gave me the feeling of going fast without actually doing it: Here I was cruising low the highway, top off, wind blowing, engine singing, I thought I was doing 100mph until that Honda Civic passed me on the right, I checked the speedo to find out that I was doing just 70mph!

 

140 or so. Not to difficult to get it there pretty quickly and has some left but seems it would take a while to push to 150. Big problem with trying vs. say a 355 at that speed is the brakes and being able to slow down rapidly!

 

245 kph (152) mph in my 1978 Euro 285 bhp GTS with deep spoiler, in England on the motorway in Suffolk. Solid as rock at that speed with top on, windows up. Took a while ot get there.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

I have hit 7000rpm in 5th gear which was an indicated 158mph. According to '76 gtb gearing the actual speed was 145.6mph. This was done at 2400ft elevation with approx air temp of 85degrees.

It did not take as long as I expected for it to get to that speed either. I am sure it had more in it but I had no further desire to find out. Very solid at speed though. No lift at all.

 

With 3 others in the car...

(Photo courtesy of Frank4cars)
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The Fed mandated 85 and orange swoosh is a safety hazard.
I had thought I was only doing 87 when I pulled in after passing the first few months, turned out to be quite a bit more after I did the Tach math !?!
Have seen around 6500 rpm in 5th on the Mondial 8 which I think gives 125-130 indicated IF I had a real speedometer (do the later Mondial speedos work in the 82? I want a real speedo) It was still pulling hard but was at end of that straight clear stretch.

 

you can send it out and have it re-screened and calibrated to 180. Did that to one of mine.

 

German autobahn. 330GTS. Damn noisy softtop. LOOOOOONG run near Koln coming back from Munich. Indicated 240KPH (160MPH) but presume veglia factor makes it 145MPH. Hausfraus in passing lane blocked me for many miles. (Sorry Martin, they never did that when I was running my BMW coupe). But the Belgian autoroutes are the best in the world and then no speed limits. Breakfast in Paris and lunch in Lyon, Which is, of course, the point of any Ferrari GT. God I miss it!