Hello, I thought I would take a minute here to introduce myself and give some honor to the man who brought me here. My name is Todd and I am now the caretaker of my late father’s red 1982 308 GTSi. My dad passed away almost a year ago in August. He meant a lot to me. So much I could go on about how much he influenced me and shaped me. The biggest things was our shared love of Formula 1 and automobile news. He was a lifelong subscriber to Autoweek when it was an actual paper magazine that showed up weekly! It was sometime around 2010 (can’t remember exactly) when he found the 308 from someone nearby. One of his proudest things he owned. Did a good job of getting all the vehicle maintenance caught up and regularly took it to Watkins Glen and the finger lakes. But in 2023 didn’t get much seat time. Poor weather and dad not feeling great. In 2024 I don’t think he ever got to drive it. Ended up in the hospital in June and we lost him August 7th. When I visited I would start the car and take it out for a quick spin and park it again. Parked it in June 2024. Added stabil and filled the tank. It was June 2025 this year when I was finally able to get the car. Put in a new battery and it fired right up! The car is now with me in southeastern Ohio. Going through the sevice records and trying to remember all the nuances my dad told me to watch out for! Thank you to the forum community and administrators who host the site. I’m already using the forums to look for a Ferrari mechanic nearby. We have a leaky shift shaft seal to deal with. I’m sure many more things to research! Thank you, Todd M Cambridge OH Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sorry to hear about your Father. Sounds like a really cool dude. Awesome that you are taking care of his pride and joy.
@todzilla220 we have a very similar story! every time you get in that seat, you feel where he sat and touched the same steering wheel. You can understand what he felt when driving it. Use it to help keep him alive inside you...
Welcome Todd and really sorry for your lost been there done that myself. Anyway this forum is excellent as I’ve learned a lot from some of the gurus members in this forum. We are here to help in anyway we can when it comes to to your 308.
Sorry to hear about your farther . Welcome. I write bcz just today my window cleaner came round and had to use his ladders to get over the gate as I had my head in the engine of the GT4 phaffing with the AC clutch 12 v supply revving the engine* . I didn’t hear him . Anyhow his mate has had a 308 “ the Magnum “ car for 10 yrs inherited from his farther tucked away in the garage . This summer he’s finally got it road worthy ( sent it to an Indy for the belts ) doing other bits himself. It’s a familiar story . Son keeps dads F car and when he’s ready ( time / money ) gets it on the road . Up to now at various home BBQ s and social functions he told me many folks over the past 10 yr s have offered to buy it , take it off his hands and he refused,Additionally he and wife went through a covid related financial low moment and the wife said “ let’s sell your dads Ferrari “ but he resisted. They both now enjoy the car . * was a sticky relay . Issue resolved.
Exactly. The car and my dad are just 'together' for me. Another interesting story/tid bit I'm working on. After he passed, I reconnected with one of his longtime friends. I knew my dads friend had purchased my dads 88 Mazda RX7 Convertible. Black with black interior. A car I spent a lot of time in with dad on road trips. I just happened to ask him what he did with the car? Still around? And sure enough, he had it parked in the garage under cover. The muffler rusted off, and he parked it. Hadnt ran since probably 2009. So long story short, I inquired about if he'd sell. He thought about it and said to make him an offer and he would be happy to sell back to me. Got the car and spent the winter of 2023/2024 working on it. The fuel in the tank had gone bad. Cleaned/re-sealed the tank. New fuel pump, filter, injectors, belts, hoses, plugs, wires, fluids. And the car wont run! lol It has a vacuum leak somewhere and I cannot track it down. Meanwhile, the Ferrari entered my life and guess which car is getting more attention now! But I'm hoping to get back to the Mazda here. It will be great to have 2 of my dads favorite cars. Meanwhile I'm sure he's shaking his head wondering why I'm even messing with the mazda. lol
Have you gone through this thread? Its got the info you are looking for. https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/shifter-shaft-seal-revisited.129690/
I am both sad and happy to read this thread but I wish you luck getting it back running. It will be an adventure but it will be worth it on several levels. Good luck and note that the community here is always ready to assist if you have questions, not matter how small.
