Euro Spec - how much more desirable?

Tough question but if you had identical 308s and one was a Euro spec, what %age increase in price would the Euro command?

 

If completely identical - year, condition, maintenance, miles, colors - I'll conservatively say $5-7k more for the Euro.

 

30 years ago when is was looking for a QV. I decided I wanted a Euro version. They usually sold at a discount then, but I was interested in the huge weight difference, style and added power vs price. The main thing to consider is whether you can register it in your state. Condition and other factors listed by Thorn are more determinant of value.

 

I AZ you can be by pass emisions if registered as historic vechicle

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From a desirability perspective, it really is in the eyes of the beholder. For some the other side of the pond commands desirability because it’s different, fewer of them. Performance wise, the Euro version is the clear winner with hotter cams and dry sump lubrication. This is especially true after 1977 when all of the US emission regulations came into play. The side marker lights are a nicer feature on the Euro, only exist on the front fenders and are smaller and round in shape compared to the US equivalent. The bumpers are also better proportioned on the Euro model, again because of US regulations. Expect to pay a premium for one because of the above and because someone paid to ship it over. Not cheap.

 

For carb cars, Haggarty says +$30K for a dry sump motor...which for an otherwise very nice car seems about right. For glass cars it seems to be a bit wider gap. I have both and they are both types fantastic cars. The euro carb car looks are way better though.

 

All things otherwise being equal, a $30k premium for a dry sump 77 over a US spec 77 is about right. One cannot find a decent dry sump under low $100s. Weight wise, I just went through this exercise again with friend's car. He dumped the US bumpers for lighter-than-euro fiberglass bumpers and it just looks the business, and I guarantee the weight difference now between a steel Euro and this car is pretty much non-existent. Dry sump engines might actually have a touch less power than an equivalent wet sump due to the larger oil pump a dry sump motor has to drive. Additionally, dry sump mechanical components actually add a bit of weight too, the dry sump tank which adds oil capacity, and the heavier internal pump itself and plumbing. Negligible but still.....

 

Indeed, at least according to the figures found by the german TÜV when testing the cars and engines, when they appeared on the market: figures for carbed cars are:
235 cv for the wet-sump engine of a standard "euro" 308 GT4
229 for the dry sump engine of a standard "euro" 308 GTB.
226 for the wet-sump engine of a standard "euro" GTS.
(None had any emission control device)

That being exposed, I won't enter again into the debate about actual horsepower...and furthermore it has to be said that the factory tolerance for the power delivery of any engine was, to the best of my knowledge, 3% of the stated power for the specific engine variant: if an engine delivered less than 97% of the power it was supposed to deliver, it went back to the machine shop to be openened; at 98%, it was fitted to its intended chassis; at more than 100%, no action taken...
So these factory-accepted power variations are to be taken into account also.

Rgds

 

Dealers used to say Euro cars were worth 25% less! Not kidding. I can name them still.

Now they seem to have come round to reality that the Euro cars are lighter/stronger/and style is as intended by Enzo / Pininfarina etc.

I like the engine cover on the US cars better and on the fence bout the side mirrors. The bumpers must be the biggest issue for me really.

 

I have the original sales receipt for my Euro 85QV. It sold for $55,000 USD new. That was about $10,000 USD less than the US version. I think one of the main reasons Euro cars were imported into the US was not for style or performance. It was the availability. Lower cost was just a bonus.

 

Interesting topic. How about US spec engines that have been changed out to Euro? In my case upgraded from 308 to 328 QV.

 

Thats Great for power and reliability. Bad for resale unfortunately. But if a non purist buyer looks at it your golden.

 

Very true. I sold a Euro 83 QV for the original owner a few years ago. He purchased the car solely because there were none available in the US at the time, and the waiting list was around a year. He managed to track down a marrone/tan GTS at a dealership in France and had it shipped to New Jersey (tragically he had the car repainted red in 1984).

 

Dry sump usually makes more power due to reduced crankcase pressure and windage. Agreed it adds some weight.

 

The dry sump cars have different cams and different carb setups as well as different gearbox ratios. They don’t drive like a US car.