Marginally technical: Got Flist eMAIL with this link to a dealer selling a 308 CONVERTIBLE: http://www.4ferrari.com/1980_308Convertible_redsaddle.htm Nice clean lines as you would expect. Since it's based on a GTSi, Unlike the TR convertible conversions, the 308 conversion shouldn't have added any add'l structural issues.
Egads, that is BUTT ugly! (Sorry Verell!) There is a reason why Enzo didn't make a convertible 308. The GTS is pretty....the convertible has the lines of a doorstop. YUCK! Now that QV right above it, that's a sweet price on a nice car! http://www.4ferrari.com/1983_308GTS_Quattrovalvole.htm Birdman
I have a spare qv engine sitting in my garage that would be fun to put in the car than add some well needed turbos. That car has grown on me i guess. Looks better since i saw it for the first time. Just a thought.
You know, I was just going to comment that I thought the car was decently represented in the "car description" area. After seeing tens of "mint" eBay cars that I was personally able to tear apart just from photos alone, I thought that the description here was refreshingly reasonable... At least it had an honest tone.
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Not for sale. Nope, not gonna happen. Or to paraphrase... You can take the Euro 1985 308GTS from my cold dead hands.
You guys crack me up! i think i'll have the fluids drained (to appease the environmentalists) and be buried in it Then again, considering the funds that have been poured into her for upgrades, i already am 'buried' into her ... WAIT, make that
Here's some pix of another 308 convertible conversion that was on E-Bay last year. This one did not have an integral hard top. It had a more crudely made removable top that was either ON or OFF. It could not be stored inside the car. Owner was unable to tell me who did the conversion. Sold some time after the auction. Original asking price was $18,000 I believe, but the engine had an internal knock. I thought that it looked nice. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Personally, I like the the factory GTS better than the convertible. Now if someone gave me one of these I would gladly accept and enjoy it. Any pics with the roof on?
I'm not 100% sure, but I do believe the car you show in your pix and the one Martin has are the same car. You are correct the car had engine problems, it was located in Kansas city then, if my memory is right. Thus the engine rebuild Martin tells of in his description. I like the looks of the 308 with the top down,(or off) now the top up is another story.
The convertible needs the roll hoop/headrest/fairings similar to what is found on a 360 Spider. That would take away the blockiness of the reardeck, bringing back some of the curves..
I agree. That would help a lot. But there is no getting around it...the beautiful shape of the car is gone in that convertible, and the soft top makes no attempt to emulate it, like the top on a Mondial does. I say it's butt ugly, but to each his own!
The first Ferrari I owned was a chopped 308GTS, also red/tan. When I saw Martins car at Cavalino it looked like it, however this one was done by Lorenz ,mine was a one off. Martins car actually looked pretty nice. They obviously are not for everyone but for the $ are hard to beat. If Ferrari or Michelotto did this everyone would be gushing over its looks and paying Much more for the car.
Horsefly: yes this is my car. The engine was completely redone. Besides the car was sold yesterday. Yes it starts to grow on you in person. I actually liked it when I started looking at it.