1981 308GTB (carbs) review

Hi all, I recently reviewed a friend's '81 308GTB (carbs) on YouTube and would love some feedback given the wealth of expertise and knowledge in this forum. Please let me know what you think, enjoy!

 

The first thing you are going to hear is that isn't an 81 model.

 

In europe, they made carb 308 thru 1980 (maybe 1981) and their paper work process often sets the "year" as when the car is first registered (so a delay in selling makes it a later "year").

 

To nitpick: wrong rear view mirrors (comming from a QV or a 328...) wrong exhaust (Euro carbed cars really should have the single pipe exhaust) wrong wheels, wrong gear knob...But fortunately, all easily reversible; which is the reason why it should be done ASAP!

No carbed 308 ever had 255hp, even "Euros"; the true DIN power is 230. 255 is a SAE figure. Did I here you say that it is a dry-sump engine (contrary to all GTSs) or not?
As said by Steve above, the concept of "model year" does not "work well" with Ferraris from that era, in many European countries, even if they were given one indeed.
The last carbed 308s were assembled at the end of 1980. Depending on the serial number of that one, it would be easy to pinpoint its build date.

Rgds

 

Which is ridiculous

Think about parts and repair information. I believe they do that (or at least used to) in England. I have a late 74 MGB with twin SU's. and everyone here knows if I need to fix something or buy and intake manifold, I don't need to be referencing the year it was registered when looking for parts.

What if it wasn't registered until Summer 1976? lol. Good luck with that 76 repair manual!

 

Different countries have different ways to assign year of car. None are wrong.

That is why, Ferrari included, use chassis number or assembly number to look up parts. That is why in the world of vintage Ferrari most simply refer to the car by chassis number. The concept of a car built in "X" month year being called that year model is for the most part an American construct. Saying that we are right and everyone else is wrong is like saying the metric system is invalid.

 

I get that. That is actually a pretty good analogy

 

We (at least "We", the French) have a "Model Year"; the change is on July 1st every year; until June 30th, car is "Model Year N"; starting July 1st, car is "M.Y N + 1".
Our Ferraris have also a plate in the engine compartment with their Model Year, except that it doesn't mean the same thing that it does for "standard manufacturers" (or manufacturers of "standard" cars...).
Manufacturers of "standard" cars tend to group, and delay, modifications and ameliorations along the production year to introduce them in one whole batch for the new model year, so for the Customer, the new "Model Year" means: an "updated" car.

For Ferraris, the change in Model Year usually means nothing: the factory introduce modifications as they see these fit. For instance, if you take the single material change in the production of the 328, the change of suspension, it happened with car #76626 in end February 1988, and it did not occur on the whole production line at once, as some cars produced later on (notably RHD, and Australian RHD) still had the "former" suspension.
If Ferrari had been playing the "Model Year" principle, they would have waited until July 1st, and then sold only cars fitted with the new suspension.

So French Ferraris indeed have a "Model Year" written on their plate ("Année Modèle", in French); but it doesn't mean the whole changes and modifications usually associated with that concept.

RGds

 

I have always thought that to be odd mainly from a parts and repair point of view.

So the take home message here is if you need replace a part on something, look at the manufacture date on the door jamb.

 

In 1989 Ferrari started using assembly numbers. An internal method of recording the cars. Typically when I order a part the supplier asks for the assembly number.

 

That is not as widespread as you may think. In the old days with hand built cars They changed when they felt like it. In the modern era with automated, computerized assembly lines it is very easy to introduce a change at will and they do. My Ford truck I often need a vin to order parts and same with our Mercedes. Some of the Mercedes parts manuals I have seen show a part and on the next page is serial number ranges next to the associated part numbers.

 

I was just speaking in general terms for older vintage and classics, not specifically Ferrari.

Now I know.

 

Maybe... my manufacture date is January 77. Which means it was built in 76 and carries things from the 76 versions build process. So with all of us trying to define this we have exceptions!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

My late carb car (french delivey) has three different dates to offer. Manufactured in October 1980 as per information from the factory, model year 1981 on the plate, and first registered in May 1982.

Best crom Germany
Martin

 

You can really witness and appreciate the politeness and respect that everyone has for one another in Asia throughout this video. I certainly miss that aspect of the Asian culture. Very respectful of the owner and his car.

 

Thanks for all the feedback and clarifications - exactly what I was looking for when I posted here.

The manufacture/registration year discussion here is interesting too and explains why this is a '81 carb'ed car!

 

Thanks, it's a good friend's car so I wouldn't want to trash it!

 

And that makes perfect sense, Martin;
- yours is one of the last batch (last five cars) of carbed GTBs produced, so it proves that, from a production point of view, the last carbed cars were "built" in 1980 (unless someone find one later car built in 1981 , but until now, there is none known...)
- ordered from, or arriving in France after July 1st, 1980, it is indeed considered administratively as an "Année Modèle 1981" (Model Year 1981)
- it was only registered in May 1982 as it might have been a demonstration car of some sort, exposed in a garage, etc...not unusual with Pozzi, especially with late production cars, I know of two very late production Yellow/Black 328 GTS that were put on the shelves immediately after delivery (I even drove one when it was recommisonned in 2012)

Rgds

 

See our friend Martin's post above: Martin has one of the very, very latest carbed car produced; our friend Alberto has another of this very late "batch" of five cars, and another F-Chatter in South-Africa too. These were built in October 1980; there are no later carbed car known than these...
From an administrative point of view, "Model Year" (= Année Model) starts on July 1st in France, after which cars are M.Y "N + 1"; ordered from, or arriving in, France after July 1st, 1980, Martin's car is indeed a "MY 1981", even if built in October 1980.
With your friend's car chassis number, it would be easy to bracket its production date.

Rgds

 

Well, I have to say that I don't know much about how it goes these days...
But in the eighties, usually, when the "average Franchman" (Le Français moyen) was planning to buy a new car (I mean, an usual car: say Peugeot, Renault, Citroën...) and decided to do so in the spring, he had two choices: order the next M.Y, coming after July 1st, to have the "latest", "updated" variant, or buy an existing car, available immediately, but from the current M.Y; usually, if you were close to the date of M.Y change, say three months or less, buying the current M.Y might get you a slight discount.
As far as Ferraris went at the time, there was most of the time no difference whatsoever in a car delivered in June (M.Y "N") and another one delivered in July (M.Y "N+1"); for this reason, when Ferrari did bring an material change on 328s - new suspension design - in February 1988, in America you called these cars "88.5", or "88 1/2" because the change was out of sequence with the annual M.Y.

Rgds

 

Didn't Ferrari make all VIN#'s 17 digits and the 10th digit the year starting in 1980 so if it says 'A' it's 1980, B= 1981?

 

Chassis number would be a deconflicting fact... Either way, gorgeous car! Adding to what Nerofer pointed out, the steering wheel looks to be a recovered GT4 style. Also, it looks to be logically an original single outlet exhaust, although some Euro versions had the optional quad (along with optional deep front valance and 16" wheels in late carb productions) Just my .02

 

No, it didn't work out that way.
a) For a start, Ferrari started using 17 digit VINs with the "400", but the carbed 308 GTBs never received a 17 digit VIN, with the sole exception of the last batch of 12 cars or so of Right Hand Drive cars for the U.K, which are the only known 308 GTBs with a 17 position VIN (and the car tested by the O.P, being R.H.D, might have been manufactured for the U.K and might be one of these).
[Similarly, by the way, the last batch of RHD 308 GT4s manufactured for the UK are the only known cars in history to have received the VIN intended for "Dinos", starting with "ZDF" instead of "ZFF"...]
Apart from the exception of the last U.K cars, 17 digit VINs on 308s started with the "2 valve injected" cars.
b) "euros cars" at Ferrari at the time didn't use the year designator's 10th digit in the VIN, it was left "blank" (= "0"); the use of the 10th digit as a marker for the Model Year was a North American practice.

Rgds

 

Many positions in the VIN are a country specific requirement. If that info is not required that space has 0.

 

Love this place, always thought all went to 17 digits in 1980 for all countries until this thread.

Appreciate it and also thank you nerofer