Which V-8 car will become the most desired

I dont like, and will never own the 348 or 355. 308's have their shortcomings, but look beautiful. The 328 is a better "car" than a 308, but i chose to buy another euro QV after my 328 was totaled. There is a pecking order in the 308 series. To me a euro QV is the most beautiful, next to a glass GTB. The rest are just " meh ".


Add to that there were and are a bunch of 328's available, but finding a euro 308 Qv took ME several months. And i am the guy that finds cars.

The 360 is a neat car. I dont like the jellybean looks, but that's form following function. They made way more 360's than all of the 308's. I see the glass GTB's and the Qv's as being the 308s to have. 78-82 series will be cool to have , but a notch below the others.

Bumper laws and the like will keep them from ever making another "308" type car. Now they are all soft jellybean cars now, and i dont like it.

No idea why the 206/246 series is so valuable. Fiat v6 does nothing for me, so if its looks alone then quality 308s will be $$$$$ in the near future. i would never pay a premium for a 206/246, nor do i know any younger car guys who care for them. They are for " old guys " with money, who were around back in those days. I was born in 71 and most of the car were and still are crap. The 80's were worse.

308 QV, Porsche 930 and Countach will be the Icon cars coming up. Testarossa will be in there somewhere as well, if you want to whole box set.
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Beautiful car, that's for sure!

Mike

 

Just my opinion but I think the 360/430 are period pieces. Wrapping up a generation of smooth cars that started with the Ford Taurus in the 80's. Edges have come back, lead maybe by Acura and Cadillac. I'm a bit ho hum on the 458. It too feels like a piece made in it's time, not a piece that will transcend time, doesn't even feel like a leader in it's style. The headlights may date it terribly in a few years when the next best thing comes out. Although, it can be truly hard to judge until a car gets to be 40 or 50 years old. My comparisons may be off but I hope they express where I'm coming from.

Not saying I wouldn't own any of the above. The view and feel from behind the wheel is important too.

 

43 here and I agree with 'reaper on the 308QV (maybe because I grew up watching Magnum), specifically a euro GTB and also spent a lot of time looking for one. Who knows what the market will say, but it's a decent bet that 308s will appreciate at least somewhat over the next 5-10 years. The 355 is a pretty car but definitely homogenized from the 308 and I don't like it as much. Personally when the 360 came out I hated it because it was so different, but these days I think it's a gorgeous car. The 430 was a serious step backwards, very chunky and angular. However I do agree the 458 was knocked out of the park, amazing looking machine and the best design since the 308. It will be interesting to see how it holds up.
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Should be back down there in April. Always interested in coffee or lunch!

 

I'd agree with Ernie, at least in part. I wouldn't call the 360 ugly, but the 308/328 and 355 were among Pininfarina's best modern designs. I've never thought the 360/F430 came close, and with the 458 I think it's going to be hard to rationalize a 360 over the classics or the more modern cars.

The 360 CS doesn't look all that different from a 360 Modena; the proportions are identical. It's not quite the performer that the F430 was; and it's not all that scarce. I think there were 1,300 of them, and another 17,000 360s, so they will always be plentiful in babied condition.

Most sought after, IMHO, would be either the 308 in fibreglass, or the 328 simply because it's reliable, maintainable and beautiful. I would go with the former for investment, that latter to drive frequently.

 

355

 

I say we take a look & compare. Here are three basic shots of generic appliance white late models. For me the 458 loses me from the door back. That quarter window and its sharp point is not for me.
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These make the Porsche 911 design team look daring.

 

haha! I was just at the introduction of the new 991... And I found a white one... The unknown lady was as impressed as I was.
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I'm younger than you, and think they are so beautiful. I saw my first one in person last weekend.

If I had that sort of money to spend on a Ferrari, there is no doubt I'd buy a 246GT over an F430. I've always liked older cars. Hopefully you're right about younger generations not loving them, so when these old guys with money are gone, I can have a reasonable chance of owning one, and their value won't enter the stratosphere.

 

You will be able to buy 10 F430s for the price of a 246.

 

Hey that's fine, if ugly chicks are your deal then have at it.

 

That's what I fear. Today on the used market they are now roughly the same price right?
Well I guess one is worth somewhere in between an F430 and a Scuderia. They are so beautiful, I'd take the Dino over either, performance be damned.
I'm not old, but I've passed the point where I drive too recklessly on the street, so I really don't need a 500hp car.

I was just thinking earlier, when I'm in my 50's or 60's, I can imagine spending the future equivalent to 150k+ on a fun car, if they don't appreciate considerably from where they are now, I'd love to have a Dino 246 GT to compliment a 308 GTB.

But if when that time comes, 2x6 cars are the equivalent of today's Daytona, worth $300,000 and beyond, I will have to be content with that 308/328 that I'm working towards acquiring now. I have a sense of urgency with getting a 308, because I'm afraid they may appreciate considerably over the years. I don't expect them to take off like the Dinos, but I would kick myself if I didn't get one now while they are still so relatively cheap. It amazes me a car of the caliber of your former 328 is within my reach.

And I agree with your assessment. In 25-30 years, an F430 will be the equivalent of today's $50k used car, while Dinos could be worth at least a 1/2 million in today's money, probably several million due to inflation.

I remember when I was a boy, a family friend told me about the Dino he used to own. And he explained it was the model before Magnum PI's car, and how nobody thought highly of it, since it wasn't a "real Ferrari". And he told me they didn't look as good as the new ones (meaning the contemporay wedge shape 308's and boxer 512 bb's). Doh! Bet he wishes he held on to that car.

But that person must be over 70 now. So hopefully that other guy is right and in 20-30 years, they won't be as popular as they are now, because all the people that were alive and remember them from their youths will be gone. But I love 60's corvettes and I wasn't born when they were new. So I don't know why people won't continue to worship the Dino 2x6, even when they become older than the retired millionaires of the future.

 

Don't hold your breath on the 308/328 cars really jumping up in value. I could see 100k equivalent, but unfortunately no more. It all comes down to number made, and there are simply too many of them. Same with the 355. No matter how it ages, it will never really appreciate. There are just too many.

It will be interesting to see how the 355/360/430 game plays out over time. I don't think it's crazy to think that 20 years from now the 355 may actually be worth more. It's sort of the 246 as compared to the 246/308/328 group.

 

For Ferrari, "many" is a relative term. 911s have been consistently pushed out at the rate of 15-20,000 PER year for decades. Maybe 10,000-12,000 308s were made in the ENTIRETY of its 10 year production run.

Moreover, there's no direct correlation between rarity and value. There are plenty of very rare cars that have no value because they are not appreciated.

 

And out of those 10K-12k 308s, how many good to excellent cars are left? I'd guess 1/3 or so, with the rest on a scale from fair and running to parted out. Many have been through multiple owners, had the hell run out of them, and suffer from allround neglect/abuse. Economically speaking, the marginal ones aren't worth a full restoration. Logical future scenario: the good to excellent cars should command a hefty premium.

My first Ferrari, a '64 (4-headlight) 330 2+2, more than doubled in market value during 4.5 years of ownership. I couldn't afford to buy an equivalent 330 now...it would take $100K or more. My point: it was a low-end entry level Ferrari when I bought it in late '02.

 

I remember seeing a 330 f/s back in the late '80's or early '90s for about $7-$10K (cannot remember exactly) and asked my parents for a personal loan, they kick themselves now! I love those cars but there shall be no wine before it is time.

Oh sorry back ontopic.

 

I paid $32.5K for mine in December of '02. After seeing the post-Enzo market runup, I felt lucky to get a good Vintage 12 at that price.

 

+1

Lamborghini Jalpa is a huge rarity. Dino 246 isn't.

I think the 308 GTS/GTB will be desired in the long run because it is a beautiful car, relatively reliable and relatively affordable to maintain. There's actually value to having enough of a car around to have a community, reproduce spares etc.

There's always a temporary premium attached to "new", probably because there is prestige in owning a new car. Once a car's styling has lost its newness, it either becomes a classic, or it becomes dated.

The 246 is undoubtedly the former, and I see the 308/328 making the same transition. I.e., it remains a visually cohesive, and iconic, work of car design. Its proportions and design cues are no longer used, as people have gotten fatter and bigger, and cars more luxurious.

I think the 355 is well proportioned, and conservative in its design, so probably not dated. Unfortunately it has enough design and engineering issues to keep it off my list.

The 360/F430 are a bargain right now, but if this thread is about the long term than their performance stats won't keep them relevant.

 

If you want to talk about cars going to equivalent of 7 figures today, as was suggested of the 308, then you are going to have to have far fewer than 10,000 around. Equivalent of 100k maybe, but there's a big difference. And there is no production 911 worth 7 figures.

I don't think the 348 is ever going to be the price leader. The 308/328 have a more unique and classic shape, with a similar driveline. The 355 keep the same wide proportions but is a more timeless design. The styling of the 348 takes all of its cues from the TR, but the TR will always be the original and the V12. My opinion, anyway. I know many love the 348, but I just don't think the market ever will.

I still think 3000-4000 cars is too many to hit really big money. To be the next 246 and and be a 100k+ car? I can see that. But not millions. That takes a very rare car with some sort of history.

My main point is 100k is a long way from $1,000,000. The other problem: like a 330 2+2, by the time a 308 is worth 100k, it may take that much money to restore one to the point it is worth 100k.

I don't think ANY Ferrari (production) V8 owner can expect their car to replace their 401k. Ever.

 

?? Who said 7 figures? Not me. That's idiotic for a 308 (unless we get substantial inflation in the coming decades).

I was simply contesting your assertion that these cars will never appreciate because they are not rare. That's demonstrably not true.

 

I don't think that any save the top 5% of extant 308s will ever touch $100K, but the good cars that aren't concours or nearly so will still be desireable and command a premium for the reason you cite: restoration costs for 330 2+2s and 308s can equal those for less plentiful and more desirable cars.

Realistically, a nice second-tier car like mine might fetch $50-60K in five or so years.

I'm not looking for it to fund my old age.

 

You know I remember back in the eighties I wanted a 308 in the worst way. Just as I got to the point that I could buy one I watched well used ones go from high thirties to up and around high seventies (Enzo's death era). I never did pull the trigger.

Nevertheless - a paltry $100k was not far away- then.