1980-82 Two Valve Injected - The "Rodney Dangerfield" of the 308 series?

It is my understanding that the 16's were only available as an option beginning with the 83 QV (first year only) - which surprised me when I heard it. I had always been under the impression that the metrics were the ONLY wheel until the 84 models when Ferrari finally went to the 16" Goodyear NCTs

 

That is what I thought as well, but when I purchased my car it had 16's on it and in the euro manual it lists it as an option. They are also listed in the euro parts book, but not in the US parts book.

Terry

 

I refer you to the following book: Original Ferrari V8 - "The Restorer's Guide To All Models 1974-1994; 308GT4, 308/328 GTB/GTS Series, Mondial, 348 Series, 288 GTO and F40" I have seen for myself pre-QV USA cars w/ original 16" wheels but they are very scarce for some reason... You would have thought that more would have come that way...

 

The first attachment is from the Euro manual for 1980-1982 Ferrari 308 2v cars.



The second attachment is from the US manual for 1980-1982 308 2v cars.

Both downloaded from the Ferrari owners site. Blummel's book is a great source and it is possible, as we all know, that Ferrari made a mistake in the manuals, but this does support the common knowledge that US cars did not have the option until QV.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Hmnnn, interesting. I know one thing for sure and that is there are always exceptions to the rule with Ferrari... I guess this shows that they "for the most part" intended to have 16" wheels available in Europe only...

 

credits for these shots to whoever took them, not me!
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I wonder if that is an 81 or 82?

 

All 1980 Euro cars were carbed?

 

No, 1980 euro cars were injected, of course there could have been some exceptions. I think he asked the question of 1981 or 1982 because it has the horizontal oil temp and clock rather than the vertical that was used in the 1980 cars.

 

Oh yeah. 10-4 you're right you can see the console... Here's an Australian model that was manufactured in 1980 but is still carbed... Looks like your car Terry.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ferrari-308-GTS_W0QQitemZ270148533242QQihZ017QQcategoryZ135362QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Yeah the australian market cars are sure different. Note where the oil temp gauge is. But come on my car is better looking than that

 

It really is....

 

yep

 

Received the November (no. 81) issue of Forza in the mail yesterday, and darned if they did not print my criticism letter concerning the issues we had raised together in this old thread!

I intentionally wrote the letter to be a bit lengthy, thinking that they'd then have the freedom to edit it for the space available, but they surprisingly published it 95% as written. They must have needed to fill up a lot of empty page space this month, eh?

This same new issue contains a Market Review article covering the Mondial series, among other cars. Their criticism of the early Mondial 8 series (a slower car than the 308 "i" cars, you all will note) is much more muted than their similar condemnation of the 308 "i" series. They kindly refer to the Mondial 8's performance as "leisurely" ... so why their harsh criticism of the faster 308 "i" cars as being "less than adequate"?

For the benefit of those of you who have yet to see their magazine arrive, I'll cut and paste the original (long winded!) letter that I wrote to them below.

Cheers - DM

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

To the editor
Forza Magazine

Dear Sir:

I just received my latest copy of Forza magazine, which contains a "Market Report" on the 308 series. Imagine my utter lack of surprise to see the author, Michael Sheehan, damning the 1980-82 2V "i" models in print once again, perpetuating a common stereotype by calling their engine performance "less than adequate".

Sigh.

For reference, I pulled out my Road and Track test of the then-new 308 GTSi, as first published in their March 1981 issue. This would seem to be a good resource for a critique comparison of the then-new injected engine vs. the carb version which immediately preceded it. This R&T article is full of positive comments about the progress made in driveability due to the new injection system (direct quote: "The "i" stands for "improved"), but here's their punchline: "(... these injection related engine changes) allow the 308 i to maintain the same performance level that existed before. Horsepower and torque (205 bhp, 191 lb-ft) remain unchanged".

Indeed.

Let me get this straight: The USA spec 2V "i" versions have the SAME horsepower and torque ratings, as delivered from the factory, as their earlier carb brethren which they replaced. Yet it is the "i" version which is consistently criticized by the so-called "experts" as having "less than adequate" power, with no such derogatory comments ever directed towards those earlier carb cars which had identical horsepower ratings?

To be honest, I note that some of the earlier USA spec carb cars did have higher horsepower than the later carb versions due to smog requirements. I am comparing here the 1980 "i" version to the 1979 carb version which immediately preceded it, which to me seems more than fair.

Further, this same Forza article also reviews the 206 / 246 Dinos. Not one critical mention is made of the earlier 206's performance being considered "less than adequate" as compared to the newer 246 series, which came from the factory with 15 hp more than the 206 Dino!

Anyone else observe the double standard at work here?

Finally, to place this issue into some historical context, let's compare the 308 "i" engine power output as a function of engine displacement to some of its major 1980 competitors of that day:

Ferrari 308 GTSi -- 205 Hp from 3.0 liter = 68 Hp / liter
Porsche 911 SC -- 172 Hp from 3.0 liter = 57 Hp / liter
Porsche 928 -- 219 Hp from 4.5 liter = 49 Hp / liter
Chevy Corvette -- 220 Hp from 5.7 liter = 39 Hp / liter

So, it can clearly be seen that the engine performance per liter of the 308 "i" series was significantly higher in all cases than other similar sports cars of this era.

Yet, in spite of all of this, it's always the "i" versions that bear the unfair brunt of the 308 criticism.

This does a great disservice to these fine cars, and I am disappointed that your magazine failed an opportunity to review this situation with more detail.

Dave Meredith

 

Nice write up Dave.


Chris
Proud 14 year owner of a "1982 308 GTS"I"

 

I think the only knock on the 2v i cars, is that dam 85 mph speedo that some of them had. Other than that, if it's a good car, it's a good car.

 

Nice work!

Love my i car .

 

I owned an '82 GTSi from June 2000 until I sold it (to buy a Testarossa ) in February '03. Put almost 10k miles on it, and enjoyed every one of em' .

Here it is, serial #39513 !!
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

This really annoys me. The 2V inj 308's are my all time favorite car - not just favorite Ferrari but favorite CAR, period. If I had my wish to own any car in the world it would be a red/tan 1982 308 GTSi brand new right from the showroom floor. I know this sounds funny coming from a guy that owns a black 84 QV but the truth is this was what Ferrari was building in 81 when I first discovered them. All the ones I ever saw for the first couple of years were the 2V inj cars. It was a BIG DEAL too when one was spotted, maybe twice a year. I can remember like it was a hour ago standing next to an 82 308 in a parking lot of a local stereo shop and seeing all those controls, 180 on the speedo and those two little "slow down" lights. Man, I remember wondering what those were for, like the car would do 200 mph or something and they were needed. I remember looking at that whitish colored weave cloth headliner and smelling all that leather. I remember the way the little "i" had that curved bottom. I used to draw it in my text books in school. I was 13 years old. That car didn't even seem real to me it was so amazing. When Ferrari started the QV I personally never loved the extra hood vents or the black paint on them or the little spoiler on the back. That wasn't the way they were originally to me so I never really took to the cosmetic changes, even now, 24 years later. It was imprinting or something like a baby duck, I dunno. I do appreciate the extra 20 or so horses under the hood, though. That's why I bought an 84 but have painstakingly changed it to an 82 all the way down to the two "slow down" lights on each side of my Nardi steering wheel. I had those installed when the headliner was replaced with that white 80-82 material. Just like I remember. I have a hood without the vents and when it goes on, off comes the rear spoiler. It already has the "GTSi" under the "308" on the back. I'll finally have my car.

Please don't try to tell me about the 2V engines, oil burning, 180 hp, etc. etc.. I know it all. Everything. Probably more than 95% of the people, not just on this site but anywhere. The 308 2V inj is my little dream car. It's my little study. I have three books of chassis numbers and stacks of pictures I took since 1981. It's the only Ferrari that will make me stop my car, back up, get out and take a picture. I have been heavily involved with the FCA for 15 years and still to this date when everyone is crowded around the new model whatever or an F1 car at a National Meet, I am the guy over next to the 80 GTBi looking inside it. I don't care if it's value crashes to 10K or that ANYONE can beat my butt stoplight to stoplight or that I have to add a qt of oil every 600 miles or that you can't squeeze any extra power because of the K-Jetronic or that it has 2 cats instead of one or that the headlights pop up when you blow the horn or that you have to start rolling up the windows 2 miles from your house. None of that bothers me. In fact all that stuff just makes it that much more endearing to me. If I want a fast car I would buy a Corvette. I don't want a fast car, I want THAT old 80-82 Ferrari 308. That is what dreams are all about. Dreams are not about how fast my car will go or what it is worth, that's for sure. Besides, it's my dream so leave me be.

So people, LEAVE THAT LITTLE 80-82 FERRARI 308 ALONE! If you don't like it, you don't have to buy one. How about that?

 

Great post Tommy!

Greg

 

I second that!!

 

i own 2 1980 gtbi by choice))))))) one black on red......love them

 

I love my 82 GTSI and when i got her 2 years ago i did even not know about the ''i'' stereotype,i just wanted a 308 and bought what i could afford and maintain.I have never driven a carbed car or a qv to feel the performance difference, i just love driving MY Ferrari.Sometimes i catch myself just opening the door to the garage take a quick look at MY Ferrari sitting in My garage, and smile.
B.

 

We have a 82 and IMO there is only one thing that I could not tolerate and that is the flag mirror. They were a total miss! The other fact is that the 2V and the 4v are dogs in todays world as far as performance goes so why even debate the subject. I feel fairly positive in saying most of us bought a 308 because of the style which is classic.
Lost

 

I'm with the DR, on this,yes I could have bought a 355/360/328 but I did'nt I bought what I wanted, not something some guy wrote in a blog to down play this vehicle.Over the 4 years I've owned my2V it's allways been a great drive. Who cares if your car can do 190MPH, where but on the track will you drive it,If you try that speed on the interstate we'll be watching you on the 6 Oclock news!