most desireable 308 / for collectibility, fun , etc

Wait twenty years and an origional well sorted 308GT4 ). Seriously they WILL be r e a l cool. The good ones are already starting to head into long term ownership and whilst they are not to everyone's tastes, as time goes by the lines seem to be less abrasive. Many many have also been wrecked, parted and raced etc so the stocks of unmolested GT4's in number will put them in a better light. Also they are old school, roughty and rough so if you want the tactical Ferrari experience with a chance of one day owning a car Enzo had a bit more to do with than most recognize - look at the GT4. Maby I am a tad biased!! .

 

Part of the answer is how often do you drive your Dino without the roof ?

Fiber 308 may be the most collectible but no use if you like no roof

Then there's a looks question : 308 or 328 ?

If the former the best bet is probably a carb

 

Euro dry-sump (thus GTB); glass more collectable than steel, pre '78 m/y has most standard HP.

They all drive well, but GTB is a little stiffer than GTS, as is to be expected.

Difference between carb and FI not as big as some would like to make you believe, difference between US and Euro much bigger.

As with all Ferrari's: Buy the best you can find, it's the cheapest in the long run.

Happy hunting!

 

The glassfibre cars are now starting to become very hot property in Europe, so if you want collectability then those are the ones to go for. Beware that a good one will have an asking price of around €70k these days (yes, close to $100k for a standard 308).

If you want the car more for driving then I agree with Jack in the post above.


Onno

 

+1 for collectability.

For fun, well , it depends what you define as fun! If the noise of the carbs + the slightly more on-off nature of those engines (and maybe the requirement for a bit more tinkering) is your thing then, again the carb version.

If you just want a car to jump in & drive then a QV or even a 328 (caveat you still need to maintain it properly though!)

The 328 is as far as they went with the evolution & is undeniably better sorted in some areas (electrics/cooling etc) - but its not for everyone.

If you want to go to the track (regularly) then definitly a GTB, otherwise a GTS is hard to beat on a sunny day

 

My opinion is that its really up to what you want and how much you want to tinker with it. Each version has its on positives and negatives. For me I ended up with a GTS QV and I love it. I like the lines of the 308 better than the 328. The QV does not have me worrying about carbs and if they are all done up correctly and such.

For your purposes and to answer your question I would suggest a red/tan GTS. Those seem to be the most iconic and recognizable car Ferrari ever made - so you cant go wrong with that. Now, which version of that is completely up to you....




PDG

 

GrayTA makes a good point.

I may add all of them are fun.... but unless you're talking about a glass car or a Michelotti one off, none of them are collectible... yet.... That's been a point of great debate. I like a well sorted QV. The 328 while a better car just doesn't move me as much.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with the above two posts. Can't beat that old time interior, leather and switches. I vote Red/tan also. Of course I am biased as well.

 

This is somewhat like asking what is better, blonde or brunette.

 

...and the answer is the same. One of each please.

 

What... No redhead? What kind of Ferrari owner are you?

 

There isn't just one 308 style. There are many different 308's: Wet Sump, Dry Sump, Carb, Fuel Injected, QV, GTB, GTS, Fiberglass, Steel, Euro, U.S. and color combos. Check them all out. They all have unique features- long bumpers, short bumpers, covered side windows, clear side windows, rounded mirrors with logo, square mirrors with no logo, louvers in the front hood (black vs. body color), etc.

The 328's are the next generation. The rawness is gone. The little black buttons on the chrome stems are gone. The black bumpers are gone.

Only YOU can decide what you want. (I want your 246)

 

Series 3 GT4's can be found with a sunroof.

 

Funny

I can't believe I didn't catch myself when I posted that

 

The Eurp carb cars are an absolute hoot to drive ;-) The throttle response is far better than that of the FI cars, and the induction roar of the carbs in nuts!

 

The 308GTS came out as a 1978 model year, and IF it's a North American CAT equipped car that is the start of the horsepower losses. However a Euro would be NON CAT, if you can find one.

QVs are certainly recognized as the finest (build quality) of the 308s.

The 328s end up with the highest creature comforts (and big bumpers, and weight) so it is often opined that the 328 is a GT car and the early 308s are "sports cars".
I avoid that debate if there are women in the room....

I have an early steel NON CAT 308 I am about to sell, (red/black) but keeping two additional identical examples.
North American wet sump GTBs. As Wazie weighs in above a NON CAT carbed car will be the closest to your Dino experience...balanced handling, light weight, carb noises.

 

There is one difference that is absolutely without debate;

A euro spec 308 carbed car makes the most beautiful sound. No other 308 can compete. None.

But you have to find a real european model, you won't get that sound with a US carbed car or ANY injected one.

 

Rap Your a§§ in fibergla§§.


Sorry, Could NOT resist.





Just keep talking down the rest of the 2Vs so I can get another ...... PLEASE

 

*shaking head sadly*

With the early cars it's nearly impossible to find a 'nice' one...there's been a running request from Christopher for one here for the past FOUR years.

They just are worn out, or dry rotted even if unused.

And they had 'rough edges' on them to begin with!

A later car does away with all that and you get the illusion of 'perfect"

Or you can spend gazillions getting 'perfect' via restoration.
Big bucks, and time.

How much do you have??


You have soldiers responding here from every camp!

 

There's a thread here where a Euro chatter found an 80km car, 'glass...needs everything to be 'good again'...that said it's an honest deal.

Give something like that to Gary Bobilief (or many others) and the end result would be proudly shown at any National Show.

There's maybe one or two GOOD well maintained early 'glass cars that post here, and as far as I know they are NOT for sale. At any price.....

 

For a series production car, the first and the last of the series are usually the most collectible. I would personally go with either an early 308 dry-sump fiberglass or a 328. Interestingly enough, the former is the most raw and the latter is the most refined. I've owned two 328s and one Euro 308 QV. If I didn't get my raw drives from my race car, I would consider going from a 328 to a Euro 308 fglass...or better yet a period-correct track 308. But then I'd loose my top down driving car.

Since you have topless, raw experiences with your Dino and Alfa, perhaps a 328 (GTB?) may be good to balance out your driving experiences.