Which V-8 car will become the most desired

I agree with you, the 308 is the more pure classic. The 328 may be a better car, but both the interior and exterior modifications cheapened what is a beautiful design and therefore lose some of the appeal to me. Some day I might add a 308 (carb or qv) to the my F355, but I am not interested in either the 328 or the 360. The F355 is a lifetime keeper for me, last of the beautiful Ferraris and enough power that I do not have to worry about an Accord pulling me. The sound of the F355 with an aftermarket exhaust is amazing and after 4 years and 12,000 miles, it still puts a huge smile on my face every time I get to drive it.

 

+1 I agree with you completely, 8,000 rpms, Tubi Headers, Hyperflow Cats and Tubi exhaust, it is just plain Epic!

 

It won't be low maintenance in 20-30 years.

 

The 308 remains the most iconic of any of those mentioned. You would have to give it the edge.

But, you have to wonder what time will do to it. Will the kids of today care at all that it was the big deal of the 1980's? Maybe.

We still love E type jags of the early 60's and it certainly was an icon. But, the peak for E types was some years ago. Could it be that the "kids" of that period are too old to care anymore about cars of their past? Maybe.

As we of today fade away from the market, will the next generation want something of their childhood and not something iconic that was before they were born?

I tend to think so. Many of us today drool over a Countach and for sure it was THE car of the 70's and 80's, despite it's many flaws. But Countach prices have pretty much flattened over the years. There are many, many more sales of Gallardo's over Countach's each year at prices much higher than a good Countach. Most pople want speed and reliability (aka lower maintenance costs) over "classic". It's difficult to see that changing significantly over time.

To me, the next generation will want speed and technology over something "iconic" or "quaint" that they never related to in their lifetime. Magnum PI will be as well known to them as the Jack Benny show is to most of us. If that's the case, its the F430 or the 458 Italia they will want.

As to "they build too many for them to have value", well, then tell me why Mondials are not screamingly expensive. They only built a total of some 3500 over all those years. Many more 308/328's were made and they have a much higher price.

It's not the total number that was made that matters so much. It's how many people WANT them that matters.

 

I think that the generation who drooled over 308s don't yet have the buying power to drive up 308 prices. Most 308/Countach/Esprit/Testarossa fans I know are in their 30s and 40s right now. They are raising families and trying to save and invest in a market that has done little or nothing in their adult lives. If "Generation X" is going to demand the cars they dreamed of in their youth like the Baby Boomers have, it's not going to start to happen for another 10-15 years, and won't peak for another 10 years after that.

In addition to having been burned in the market twice (tech bubble and 2008/09, making many of us Gen Xers a cautious lot), we have been warned since these cars were new that they are so expensive and temperamental that they can wipe you out financially. That doesn't do much to instill confidence in buying a classic to enjoy for anyone other than a true gearhead. The 308 may indeed become the most desired, but many people may just continue to desire them at arm's length, not willing to take the plunge, quietly a little envious of the guy who does have one, just as they have always been. Ahh, safety.

And once you get to the younger Gen Xers and their immediate successors, you have many who came of age in the 1990s in a culture where exotic cars were 'totally uncool' -- when driving a sports car meant you were insecure, compensating for something, egotistical, etc. And at the same time, newer cars had become significantly more reliable and user-friendly, raising a generation who don't know how to open the hoods of their cars and check the oil, and where many college-educated people associate working on cars with being unsophisticated/hilbilly/"white trash". Really, many people who graduated from college in the 1990s (who stand to eventually drive up the prices of classic cars) don't care about cars at all. They were part of the "grunge" era in pop music/culture, walking around in thrift store clothes, rebelling against everything that the popular/cultural era of the 308 stood for.

I still think the 308 will be highly desired by many people, but being appreciated and desired is something different from being purchased. Fine with me. I don't need them to enjoy my Ferrari.

 

F40.......

328
355

 

Actually, Series 1 Jag E-Types have been doing quite well, and Porsche 356s weathered the Great Recession extremely well. And the guys who grew up with those cars in the showroom are starting to hang up their keys at this point.

In the short run, it's all about speed (is it the latest and fastest?) and depreciation (how 'used up' is the car?). After a certain point, maybe 25-30 years, cars either rust away in obscurity, or they become collectible. The E-Type has always been regarded as one of the most beautiful cars ever made (I can't argue with that, especially the early open cars...), and those centerfold looks -- not its practicality, speed and reliability -- have kept it in demand. Likewise the Miura, which is perhaps the most problematic Lambo you can buy. And the Dino 246. But, like the E-Type, these are icons. I don't see these cars getting cheaper because the next generation of guys in their car-buying prime can't remember them from their childhood. In any event, the Dino and E-Type were relatively cheap cars for a long time. My theory is that the Dino 246 took off because classic Ferrari fans looked around and saw Daytonas at $300K and more and realized the window of opportunity to own a real Enzo-era car for five figures was going away.

Early Porsche 911s, and 356s, have also firmed up a bit. A really top notch 911S 2.4 is a six figure car now, possibly because we all like to journey back to the era prior to emissions controls, automated seat belts, etc.

I think the 308/328 stands a great chance of being the most desired Ferrari V8 over time, especially as the performance credentials of the 348 and 355 continue to wane and they come due for restoration or refurbishment at a cost that makes no sense.

Also, the "Magnum effect" is, IMHO, absolutely done and over. I don't know anyone who wants a 308 because of that series, and I'm "of that age". At this point, the 308 pretty much stands on its own.

The performance and speed market will always be satisfied by whatever is new. People who can't afford a new Ferrari might go to the F430 or 360. But if you want refined and fast, you go with the latest. The classics market, in the meantime, isn't about the stopwatch (or the Dino 246 wouldn't sell for more than the Boxer...), cupholders, carbon fibre dash trim, etc. -- it's about design and the significance of the car. The fame of the 308/328 bodes well for it.

 

This is not new. In the 60's, car nuts were derisively called greasers. Before that, they were grease monkeys. Growing up in the hippie era, you'd think no baby boomer would care about cars, yet we fueled the giant boom in muscle cars. Exotic cars have always carried negative connotations in the minds of most people. But some people want them anyway. Predicting future demand is a fool's errand. Better to just buy what you like and enjoy it.

Dave

 

Absolutely!

 

No different from those a generation older. My longest-standing friend (from mid '60s and jr. high) is a successful lawyer who could easily afford a post-2005 Ferrari or on the vintage end, a 330 GTC, yet prefers Porsches and Vettes when he gets the itch for a sports car...he changes cars and wives pretty regularly.

I wish I could get him interested enough to make the jump to lightspeed, but in his own words, he "likes Mr. Goodwrench too much".

They sound like the college-student type hippies of my era...everything paid for by mom and dad, and they could just sit back and complain. A lot of these types acted hard at being against everthing, but "straightened out" and assimilated once the money tap was cut off.

I knew "real hippies'' who became pretty decent wrenchers out of economic necessity. Old cars were easy to work on back then.

 

The F430 looks like Kermit the frog from behind...

 

I've got a manual, and it will be "low maintenance" later. The electronics aren't going to blow up any time soon, and without the F1 and a lot of the options, the cars will still be quick, and relatively inexpensive to keep running.

Art

 

I don't know about that?....But I took these photos at our last car show in Clearwater FL

PS- I voted 328 in the poll :^)
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Early 308 GTB carb cars & QV are my favorite, remember these cars set the foundation for the 288 GTO & F40.

 

+1. There has been silicon in cars for at least 25 years now and I think worries are overblown. This from a self described dinosaur. I also think better, cheaper parts will be developed if Ferrari parts run out.

Dave

 

Look at the prices for 60s vintage micro busses! Who says hippies don't like cars?

Dave

 

So when will the 1990s "Grungies" make the jump to liking cars?

 

Tell me about it...he said #3 cost him $1 mil.

Those are the hippies I'm talking about...got assimilated, made $$$, and have now driven the prices up.

Don't know how old you are, but I remember when an up-and-running, street-legal pre-1968 microbus could be bought for $250, a like bug for $100.

 

I'll be 59 next month. Thanks for reminding me.

Dave

 

No problemo.

 

The only non-12 cylinder Ferrari that have held or increased their value so far are the 206, 246, 288 and F40. I don't see any of the post 308GT4 V8s doing anything but depreciating like most used cars.

 

I've got to agree, it'll be the 348. The rarity in comparison to the 355 helps too.

I just hope they don't start to appreciate before I'm looking to buy one or I'll be saving up for a moving target.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

I say the very first and the very last production of the 308 era.

 

I, uh, think you're pretty safe, incredible rarity notwithstanding.

 

lol Well, I was just comparing the 348 and the 355:

8,745 units (348) vs. 11,373 units (355)

^ someone correct me if those figures are wrong​

I know the 355 is the successor and has some more modern features and additional performance, but I think a smaller production run for the 348 will, in time, mean for higher resale values for cars that haven't been updated with 355 tail lights, deleted side strakes (blasphemy!), 355 front bumpers, etc.

Originally, before I actually learned a bit more about the cars, I'd initially wanted to put 348 body parts on a 355, as I'd read a lot about dangerous handling characteristics in the 348. What a lot of the journalist reviews I'd read didn't take into account was that they were driving used cars on worn suspension bushes and comparing them to the newer suspension bushes on a 355. On a well-sorted 348, as many enthusiasts here have, you don't encounter any handling problems.

When these cars become old enough that items such as suspension bushes are an issue on all of them, then I think you'll see the prices start to favour the 348. The only problem with this discussion is that it might take a decade or two to see if I'm right or not.

All the best,
Andrew.