Rolling start: 208 turbo vs 328 vs. Testarossa!

I was ill in the last five days, so I had to stay at home and I had a lot of time to look at my old car Magazines of the eighties. I found some road tests done by the same magazine, Quattroruote, during 1985 and 1986, of Testarossa, 208 GTS turbo (intercooled) and 328 GTS.

They measured the 0-100 km/h time, 0-400 m time, top speed and so on.

There was also a rolling start test, in top gear, from 70 to 180 km/h (from 43,7 to 112,5 mph):

Who won, in your opinion?

Please try to guess!

I remember that it was a rolling start in 5th gear from 70 km/h (43,7 mph) that ended at 180 km/h (112,5 mph).

- 2 liters V8 turbocharged with 254 HP for the 208 GTS turbo intercooler
- 3.2 liters V8 NA with 270 HP for the 328 GTS
- 5 liters flat 12 with 390 HP for the Testarossa

ciao

 

Did you think what does it mean to start on 5th gear from 70 km/h (2000 RPM) for a 30 years old 2 liters turbocharged car against a 5 liters NA Ferrari?

The correct question should be "can a 2 liters 30 years old turbocharged car start from 70 kmh in top gear or does it need half a day just to reach the 75 kmh?"

 

To help you a bit, here you are the result of the "race" at 80 kmh, after gaining just 10 kmh (still 100 kmh to gain remaining):

-208 turbo: 3,5 s
-328: 2,0 s
-Testarossa: 2,4 s

The big bulk 328 has at 2000 RPM puts it on the lead over the Testarossa that at 70 kmh is just above idle. The 208 turbo still doesn't spool enough to compete with the others and its 70-80 time is almost twice the 328 one: No game here.

 

Well, we are now at 100 kmh, here you are the standings:

-208 turbo: 8,7 s

-328: 6,3 s

-Testarossa: 6,6 s

The big power of the Testarossa starts coming out: The 328 is still on the lead but the Testarossa starts closing the gape. The 208 turbo is out of the game with an huge 2.4 s delay. It looks we will have an head to head race between the 328 and the Testarossa.

Still 80 kmh on the race

 

Please consider that the carbed cars, the I and the QV would have been paved out in this "race" by the Testarossa: No game for them against that big 390 hp engine

 

Well we are at 100 kmh. Means 3000 RPM for the 208 turbo and 328 (same gear ratio for both). At 3000 RPM the 208 turbo pressure gauge indicator jumps into the right side, finally: The boost (and the beast...) is coming out. Up to this moment the 208 turbo looked like a child that wanted to play a football game versus two adults. Will this change something at 120 kmh?

 

Brian, I already wrote that 208 turbo and 328 have the same gears ratio. Exactly.

The Testarossa is geared higher, of course.

Ciao

 

The amazing thing is that just because I wrote the poll the 208 turbo has to win!

And why nobody think that the 328 can win? It's light and powerful (16 hp more than the 208) and still on the lead at 100 kmh. It has the same weight and size (it's the same car...) as the 208 but with a bigger engine full of torque and a better power/weight ratio.

Here you are the top speed the magazine measured for the three cars:

-208 turbo: 251.6 kmh

-328: 256.0 kmh

-Testarossa: 291.0 kmh

 

120 kmh. We are close to the halfrace point. 50 kmh gone, 60 kmh still to gain.


Times:

-208 turbo: 12,3 s
-328: 10,8 s
-Testarossa: 10,9 s

Testarossa almost got the 328, that now has just a vary small advantage. The 208 is still much far behind, 1.5 s from the 328, out of the race, but scored the best intermediate time from 100 to 120 kmh: Just 3,6 s versus the 4,5 s of 328 and 4,3 s of the Testarossa. The intercooler has top efficiency due to high air flows through the two Naca air intakes so the car develops its top boost.

 

And if there was in the race an F40 too? The 70-120 kmh time for the F40 (in fifth gear) is 12.6 s: It would be the last of the group!

Times comes from Quattroruote magazine like others (1989)

 

140 kmh. We passed the halfrace point. 70 kmh gained, 40 kmh still to gain.


Times:

-208 turbo: 15,9 s
-328: 15,4 s
-Testarossa: 15,4 s

Testarossa got the 328, they now are tied in first place. The 208 is still behind, but its delay now is just 0.5 s from the other two and it scored another impressive 3.6 s intermediate record time from 120 to 140 kmh. The 208 turbo is still kicking and the power figure is now (4300 RPM) 200 HP.

Curiosity: The 70-140 kmh time of the F40 is 16.1 s. It would be the last of the group another time.

 

160 kmh. We are close to the end of the race: Just 20 kmh remaining.


Times:

-208 turbo: 19,9 s
-328: 20,1 s
-Testarossa: 20,0 s

The small turbo is still on full boost and takes the lead, but the three cars are very close each other and it looks we will have an exciting head to head arrival.

Curiosity: The 70-160 kmh time of the F40 is 18.4 s. With a stunning 2.3 s (!!) intermediate time from 120 to 140 kmh, the F40 shows why it is so famous and so dangerous for its brute power kick

 

180 kmh!


Times:

-208 turbo: 24,7 s
-328: 25,2 s
-Testarossa: 24,7 s

328 lost the contact. Testarossa got the 208 turbo and tied the game at the last second. The three cars are not much different as global time, but their power response is quite different. The 208 is weak under 100 kmh and a monster above that speed. The 328 has an excellent engine with a lot of power everywhere that makes the driving very pleasant. The Testarossa has an excellent engine.

So we have a tie!

From 100 to 180 kmh (a more realistic rolling start than the one from 70 kmh) times would have been:

-208 turbo: 16,0 s
-328: 18,9 s
-Testarossa: 18,1 s
-F40: 12,7 s

So: It's impossible to beat a turbocharged car in a rolling start, even if you have a five liters engine.

Those 5th gear times are very useful indicators to learn which is car gas response during common driving, as during a common drive (also a sporty drive) you don't do drag races nor handling track lap times.

 

I reported here this comment because is sincere and based on the personal experience of a glass car owner (a glass euro drysump carbed car, that is usually considered quite fast): he drove two times a Testarossa and he was impressed by the 100-200 kmh progression of the car. Obviously this means he felt the Testarossa much faster from 100 to 200 kmh than his euro glass 308 GTB.

Well, from 100 to 180 kmh (real speed, not the indicated speed), believe it or not, "the old skool two litre turbo car" paved the Testarossa by 2.1 seconds (16.0 s versus 18.1 s): please be honest, how many of you could believe it was possible just until yesterday?

I know it's not easy to believe, but it's just the thruth.

ciao