Ferrari 308 GTB - the car Niki Lauda developed

I rarely have seen this mentioned and frankly not sure how many people knew, even those that call themselves Ferrari experts, but it's out there now for all to see. When you combine Pininfarinas beautiful design with the passion and skill of F1 Champion Niki Lauda you end up with the Ferrari 308 GTB. A great race car designed for the road.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Nice find! Thanks for posting!


PDG

sent from Io, innermost moon of Jupiter

 

Thanks to "Thomas Magnum" (appropriately enough) for providing the article.

 

Six months ago I think most people under 40 would've either said "so" or "who," but after the exposure from the Ron Howard movie "Rush" I think he will get the credit he deserves from a whole new generation, plus future generations.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Great movie.

"A wise man learns more from his enemies than a fool from his friends."

I wonder if Niki really said that??

 

Thanks for posting, that is one valuable piece of new clipping that just may bring the 308 value up.

 

Niki and Schu are my favorite Ferrari drivers. Such personalities!

 

RJR89 asked in a PM about the Auto Zeitung article that also confirms Niki as playing an essential part in the development of the 308. The article is in German, but I thought it would be nice to post the pictures here.

And yes, Enzo was still alive (see insert) and so 308s are Enzo era cars, despite what Sheehan says
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Wow! Thank you. My new favorite photos of Niki.

 

Good brakes, easy to shift gear box, steering light enough for a woman?

 

1975, when men were men and women...also?

 

I just watched RUSH again while on a flight to UK. Even better the second time around.

 

Wow! Thank you very much. Fantastic.

 

Fantastic, any chance of the date that published, worth trying to track down a copy!

 

Such a great picture thought it worth taking out the centerfold lines.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Pic is of a wet sump engine.

 

I found it myself on another forum. I definitely believe it's worthy of it's own thread, so thanks for starting it!

This is one of the reasons I love this forum. We all seem to be learning that Lauda was very instrumental in the development of our beloved 308. I've been reading about these cars for years, and only purchased one last March. I never knew of his direct involvement but it certainly makes sense given the timeline.

Mark

 

Great to see the prototype in action and being pushed to the limit by the best driver in the world at that time. Great stuff! Thanks for posting the great pics.

 

Have you got the text? Some of us can understand German.

 

Thought bubble above Lauda's head:

"We gotta dial out this body roll!"

 

German magazine Auto Zeitung, issue 25, date November 26th, 1975.

Yes, it's still a wet sump. The very first 308 GTB prototypes were actually called Dinos, with Dino wheels and logos. Why they went from wet sump (Dino) to dry sump (Euro GTB) and then back (with the GTS) I don't know.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

All 76-77 US Version GTBs were wet sumps, as far as I know. Would love to see more color photos, but pretty cool to see photos without a nose badge and Dino wheels. Guess thats why the early euro cars came with a Dino spare.

 

Here's a colour picture of the prototype.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Wow. Bigodino hitting home runs left and right. These are gems youre producing. Keep 'em coming, if you can. I just purchased the magazine you referenced, so thanks for that.

 

Great photo.
Any more of the prototypes?