Ditto, the US spec bumper ruins the lines... Also strongly prefer the 328's door handle to that dinky little black lever on the window piller.
The lower portion of the front and rear of the 328 are a little heavy and tend to ground the car. The 308 didn't need the "updates" that the 328 brought, but knowing where they (Ferrari Studios) wanted the car to go (348) the 328 is the step they needed to take to bridge the gap.
Well from this point of view it really doesn't matter cause they all look AWESOME Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
From all I have gleaned over the years, the early 308 is not the dog many of the magazines made it out to be. When I was young I used to wait for the R&T mag to come in the mail, I just about breathed in every word. I held thier testing to be second to none. But the 308 was always a dog. Then they tested the Boxer against the Countach on the 7 mile track in Ohio, and I seen that things were not at all what they seemed. The Countach didnt run right, wouldnt pull hard to redline, yet they ran it anyway? Claiming you couldnt ever get one to run right, they chose the Boxer. I was old enough and knew enough by then to call BS. They just couldnt admit it was a beat car and no body knew how to tune the damned thing. Crap, you can barely find a 308 today that is tuned right. Now I read back about cars they tested, and I laugh. They tested 308's and other cars with kid gloves, afraid to really nail it off the line like Magnum always did. No squealing tire takeoffs. Well, its hard on any car to do that, but if your going to make an acceleration test, thats what you should do. And they drove cars that were never really in tune or that worked properly. From what I understand, if you dropped the hammer like that with a properly tuned early carbed 308, it would surprise a lot of people, including more than a few 328 drivers. I havnt, and I wont do that with my car, but when its running good, its pretty darn fast. Carreaper was just voicing how the early 308 he just sold would walk away from just about any 3X8, so dont go by all those old magazine articles, theyre all BS.
Several nights ago I was at a function at Zagames who are the Victorian distributor for Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo (plus Ducati and Vespa) and all the latest models were on display. You could have put either a 308 or 328 on the floor and they would not look out of place. Their body shapes really are works of art like the Dino and set the standard which has endured. Mind you I prefer the 328 GTS. Tony
Passionate and well-written as always. You're right, the 308 always got the consolation prize of 'drop-dead styling' even when the brakes faded, 2nd gear was elusive and the ergonomics sucked. Now, out of curiosity, how does this relate to the thread?
308 US version all the way...I much prefer the styling (yes I LOVE the US bumpers) outside, and inside.
i'm a newbie so to me the 308 and 328 look nearly the same. they're virtually identical cars with subtle trim changes. that's about it. i think the 328 is a bit longer. but barely. i don't see how the 328 looking barely any different than the 308 is ugly. i prefer the 308's older style interior with the neat sliders and classic treatments. the 328's interior attempted to get "futuristic 80s" so they lost the beautiful classic control designs for very boring run-of-the-mill looking consoles. but with the 328 you apparently get better reliability and less deferred maintenance when buying used, yes? i prefer the GTB over the GTS because it looks better for the car to exist as a solid unit, with greater rigidity for handling. the t-tops are ok but are very typical. i'd rather hold out for a solid roof car. it's a ferrari i'm buying and not a Camry. and i'd prefer a non-red color. red is highly common and played out. yes, its nice looking. i'm not saying it looks bad. most ferraris are red and look very nice in this signature color. it's just very cliche'd, ie, the "red ferrari." i'd prefer black. or anything really but red. i even like the metallic brown color. that's very tasteful. insofar as the QV v the carb cars of the 1970s: those vintage Webers are just awesome to look at and hear. the QV has more power, but not really much more. for a Weber car, during one of those charming "Engine out" routines, you could stoke the engine, port it out, cam it, and be up to more power. but again you have the less-reliable carb setup, yes? i do like the Euro-spec Ferraris over the USDM spec'd cars. the larger lipped fascia spoiler and shorter bumpers flatter the designs much more.
Welcome! Actually... the 328 is 168 inches, the 308 is 174 inches in U.S. trim. 328 has the prancing horse/grille up front and the body-colored bumpers -- the 308/328 distinction gets obvious after a while. You need a black one. Anything else is just primer. Image Unavailable, Please Login
wow that body style looks stunning in black. i typically don't like black on most cars but on the 3x8 style it's just fantastic. and the 328 is 6 inches longer. most of it must be in the nose, then. that's the biggest difference i can see between the 308 and 328, the noses.
the other pic before you edited was great. post it again. dayum black is boss. and it really pops with that tan interior.
Yes, the noses are the quick way to tell one from the other. 328 is a tad shorter. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Yes, she's mine. 328 = 168 inches 308 = 174 inches due to the rubber bumpers that stick out further So the 328 is shorter. (European 308s are closer to the 328 length, IIRC.)
oh sorry, i had a dumb-noob moment. confusion. why does the 328 look longer then? is it fatter? pardon my stupidity on the matter.
I think it has more to do with the viewing angle and photography. The cars are basically identical in width and height, being built on the same chassis.
Really? As you know, I have limited experience, but the 308 sure did seem smaller when I drove each one. The 328 may have a different driver's position because the hood felt and appeared longer from my memory too. The 328 does appear to be longer and fatter, not by much, but it did. However, I've never seen them side by side in person to do a direct comparison. Interesting.... James in Denver
Looked them up: 308 width = 67.7 in 328 width = 68.1 in 308 length = 172.4 in (U.S.) 328 length = 168.7 in (U.S.) 308 height = 44.1 in 328 height = 44.4 in You won't be able to discern those with your naked eye. I've once or twice confused Euro 308s in dark colors with the 328. With the U.S. cars, the pointy nose on the 308 is very distinctive and I've never confused the two models. I would guess the extra fender louvres on the 308 make the fender curve look shorter. 328 has a long expanse of curved steel there. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
