Which V-8 car will become the most desired

I think the 246 is universally regarded as a gorgeous car, and it comes from the handmade era of simple cars. Arguably it's the last of the classic era. I think its rise makes absolute sense.

I really don't know anyone who thinks otherwise, whereas just about every other Ferrari from the '70s till now has admirers and detractors.

 

355 of course

 

I was young when the 246 was launched, but it was featured on the television show "The Persuaders", with Tony Curtis and Roger Moore -- both fairly big stars back then, so it was recognized as something special. But the lack of the Ferrari badge kept prices down until very recently.

Something else that may be relevant is that the '60s were an incredible peak for sports car design, so while the 246 was always a looker we have to keep in mind that the Jag E-Type was in its prime in the mid-'60s, Porsche had the then-new 911, Ferrari had just wrapped up 275 GTB production, etc. So the 246 was a prom queen at the Miss Universe Pageant, in a sense. In hindsight, it was the last pre-smog/safety regulated design, so the last hurrah for unfettered design.

FChat'er Bdelp is, as I understand it, very old and may have some perspective from that time.

I probably will get another Ferrari at some point. I like the 246 GTS and the Daytona, and still have a soft spot for the 308 GTS. Pininfarina just didn't miss a beat in those days. Right now I'm busy with a 356A Speedster, which to me has always been the apex of sportscar-dom. The older cars are pure adrenalin, although the 328 was always a great drive. Too little time, too few garage bays...

 

But being affordable to maintain is not an attribute which would lend itself to becoming a highly valuable collectors car. In fact it might even count against it. Its a contradiction to say that a car will become expensive to buy because its reliable and affordable to maintain.

 

Not sure, but IMHO the factor keeping the Boxer relatively cheap is precisely the massive maintenance cost.

 

+1

No it isn't, as evidenced by the boxer. Reliability never hurts a car's value. Affordability is a different dimension.

 

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Yeah, but the 246 was the improved version of the 206. The 355 is the improved version of the 348. There's no scenario I can envision where the 348 is worth more than a 355. It would appear an 8:1 ratio of people agree...

Regarding reliability, by the time these cars could be worth anything, the big bugs will all have been worked out and you'll just be dealing with belt changes which are common with all cars listed.

Regarding boxers being 'affordable,' not compared to any of the v8's listed. They sell for close to if not more than what they cost new, unlike any of the v8's listed.

 

The 360 Modena. End of story.

 

By the time these cars could be worth anything, they will need restoration, and value/desirability will depend to some extent on the quality of the Ferrari spares network.

Hopefully, for example, someone will have nice stock of 355 F1 reversing switches ($3500?), folding roof assemblies ($!!?) and a classic OBD-II computer from the 1990s. They might keep those next to the not-so-durable plastic 360 headlamp covers that sell for a couple of grand.

The best hope I see for post 308/328 cars is that 3D printing technology gets to the point where someone can reproduce all the antiquated electronics and unique trim bits in a way that is commercially viable. Otherwise I imagine the main thought of an owner of something like a 575 Superamerica is "Holy crap I hope I can unload this thing before the roof fails again."

I know of a couple of former 355 owners who sold their cars because they were tired of waiting for The Next Expensive Part to go south. I don't think another 10 years will build confidence in these cars, which is why I think the 246 and 308/328 are in many respects the only long term keepers of the regular production V8s.

 

But thats looking at it the other way around. There are various reasons why the Boxer is relatively cheap and high maintenance might be a factor. IMHO reliability and low cost of maintenance do not figure highly in the priority list of attributes of an appreciating classic. For example I dont think the 355 would suffer in this respect over other cars just because it is more difficult to maintain.

 

+1 You are so right. The electronics in particular send a shudder of fright through me for any post 328 car. These machines are sure to suffer very badly with corroded chip sockets after a few decades unless they are stored in meticulous conditions.

3d printing out of stock plastics will not be a problem but remaking or circumventing those old chips will be a $$$ pita.

In 20 years time I would not want a 355. You will, however, continue to see 308/328s rolling as well as any vintage cars from the 50s do today.

 

I agree...308 will be the timeless beauty who never bites the hand that feeds. She will require maintenence, but not the ultra expensive, you can't get it, one in a million parts the 355 has. Long live the 308 !!

 

What ultra rare and ultra expensive parts are you talking about? There are none that I'm aware of, at least compared to any other Ferrari. If you're talking about the f1 systems, there were more made without f1 than with.

 

INMHO, it's these two beauties. There is no question! By the way, both are available now.

Ciao and best!

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I thought 355s were safe buys assuming the headers were looked after, no?

 

For me, electronics are a ticking time bomb. Chips are everywhere post 1990, not just engines but gearboxes, fuel, airbags, even window lifters have a chip. Over time, they will corrode; any moisture and these things fry. And many are bespoke black boxes that become obsolete very quickly.

I prefer the beautifully simple mechanics of older Ferraris that don't require upkeep of endless chips & sensors and $$$ diagnostic equipment.

 

true - but the 308 GTS IS already an icon.

i am sure my 348 Spider will hold its value pretty well. It was the first spider since the Daytona and a small production of 1090.
Ferrari Spiders will always be sought after.

 

so beautiful .... but the wrong brand for a Ferrari club meeting!

 

I would be interested to see these electronic units on the 355. Most automotive electronics is designed to be resistant to moisture, often being completely encased in resin, or surface-mount thick-film circuitry which does not use sockets. It might be that the early Ferrari electronics is less robust but is there any actual evidence of this?
Also the 328 and most 308 have electronics ie the Digiplex ignition systems. From what I have read, many issues on 355 and later cars are caused by good ole fashioned relays failing, because they are switching high-current inductive DC loads (eg F1 pump) which relays dont like. In fact if they had used solid-state switches for these functions they would likely not fail.

 

You'd hope. There's certainly evidence from other Fiat group cars. Even in 2000 some critical electronics were not suitably encased: http://www7.pic-upload.de/04.03.11/tb8caugjvru.jpg (an Alfa 166)

Even properly enclosed circuits remain scarily fragile eg when subjected to jump starting. Modern cars are "do not interfere, return to dealer". They don't make for comfortable classics.

 

There are no contacts on that board. The elephant in the room there is a large aluminium electroytic capacitor. These have a finite life especially in hot conditions as they have wet electrolyte and they dry out. Only dry tantalum electrolytics should have been used. There are some tantalum capacitors on the board as well. But the aluminium caps would be replaceable.

 

Well said.

 

We're getting off topic but the source problem with that board (gearbox ECU) was water ingress and subsequent damage.

I'm sure things have gradually been ironed out but I generally fear for electronics from inception in the early 90s to date. Early stuff like Digiplex ignitions are doubtless easier to fix / circumvent than highly complex later circuitry.