328 to 512BBi

Get off the site...or get banned if you disagree...lol...road and track test to follow...like I said before bbi is a sick ..superfast car..but will not outhandle a 328

 

And I'd like to thank Scott for letting me drive his sweet 308!
Now I know why everyone likes these cars so much, as it was just an absolute blast to drive!
It does feel a little lighter than my Boxer, no doubt because it is. I'd guess the addition weight is the four extra engine cylinders for the boxer, the no doubt larger gear box and a bit longer wheel base. I'd say the additional 100 horsepower more than makes up for the extra weight.

What I noticed first is that the 308 is a little tighter inside and fits like a glove.
And then when driving through the twisties, you gotta shift gears a lot more often!
All in all, I had a blast in the 30 minutes or so that I drove his car! The engine was an absolute joy; Fast reving, super responsive with the carbs, and made a sweet sweet sound!

John
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You also have improved brakes and more hp with the 328 over the 308gtsi.

 

rite on,,,i had an 85 13 B...GSL SE RX7,,,for 13 years....my suspension was all stock,,but i replaced everything...springs,,bushings shocks,,,etc...i had a completly illegal racing beat dual pre silencer exhaust system ,no cat conv,,rx had 2 in the system, i also had aftermarket coils my car was pretty quick,,and would most definetly outhandle my 328,,,it was close to 50 50 front rear weight balence,,,so you could brake much later and deeper into the corners,,,and its a smaller lighter car.. so corner speeds on tight roads were faster..i had a lot of fun in that thing,,,i wish i never had sold it,,,but when i bought my 328,,,i didnt think i would want to ever drive it again,,,the 328 felt so good,,,

 

Well, we got side"tracked" with all this debate on how a light modern car is faster than a heavier vintage car. Glad that is cleared up, whew!

If the only concern in racing was performance, we would be listening to the electric whine of servos at the track instead of paying to watch races and hear the heart pounding concussion of a high performance internal combustion engines.

At least for me, and I suspect for many of us, there is an exhillaration that comes with looking at a beautiful car that is a form of art, that will get your heart pounding and many senses engaged, demand and reward skill, and that will put an irrational smile on your face that lasts long after the drive is over.

That is my explanation for why f1nxlife thought he would regret selling his RX7 and doesn't thanks to his 328 experience.

If you want to feel max perfomance, get a modern track car like Rob suggests... better yet go for an even further detached experience than a modern car offers and ride a roller coaster.

The point some here have made is that for the combination of raw "race" feel, drop dead good looks, a Boxer offers a pretty complete and desireable package.

Back to the OP and the reasoning for going from a 328 to a Boxer, many here would agree that a Boxer offers a more intense (not better, that is too subjective) overall ownership/driving experience than a 308/328.

 

It has been a great read!

 

A proper comparison would have been an early carbureted 308 with tons more power and tons less weight (Euro car). Can't imagine there would be a large difference then.

 

As for getting a Boxer to the OP, do it. If I didn't love the V8s so much I would go for it too or at least add one to the garage if I could. My heart still lies with flat plane V8s with carburetors though....

 

Rob, what about the 308 qv? is it still slower than the 328 or about equal?

 

And the Euro 308 GTB is about 350 pounds lighter than a U.S. 328.

 

is the euro 328 lighter than the US spec 328 ?,im sure i could research it,,,anyways...i do like the idea of a 3x8 GTB...im inclined to believe that any 3x8 GTB in stock form would outhandle a 3x8 GTS..of course 308 / 328 respectivly...as far as a 3x8 euro GTB in stock trim vs a US spec 328 GTS,,,lap times,,,6 seconds is like an eternity of a difference in lap times,but you never know,,,i got to tell you,,,with all this talk about the euro 308 GTB,,,and seeing photos,,,hell i like the car,,the GTB in either model,,,is obviously better looking than the GTS...and some say the more pure Ferrari,,,im actually going to get my targa roof painted white,,the color of my car...it will most certainly look better...the targa top in black breaks up the lines a bit,,,car still looks good ,,,but the GTB looks better...im not sure why the gentleman wants to sell his euro 308,,its a *****in car....i dont know...it certainly wouldnt be a bad move to me or for me // having both a 308 GTB carb and a 328,,,GTS...heck i do want another sports car some day,,,im not ready right now,,,im also dreaming about a Testarossa,,,,355,,,06 twin turbo.Porsche...or a 430 maybe,, Ferrari is in my blood,,,but that turbo is really a daily driver,,,and i wouldnt be afraid to beat the piss out of it everychance i got...german cars are rock solid,,,anyways,im thinking about dinner in La Jolla sometime over the holiday weekend,,and checking out symbolic...its been a long time since ive been back to my stomping grounds,,,i had the detailer clay..buff and wax the 328 yesterday,,,and its looking quite handsome,,so clean and shiny,,i dont even want to drive it,,,,lol,,,

 

is the euro 328 lighter than the US spec 328 ?,


Significantly lighter; as I said, some 350 pounds lighter, which, again, is why it's faster ;-)

 

Not the only reason - the cats on the US version also restrict power. Not to mention engine noise!


Onno

 

See both quotes above. Can't see both 328 versions being 350lbs apart. I would only expect that spread on a glass 308 vs and US spec steel 308.

 

Dry Weights, Stock

EUROPE
308 GTB: 2932 lb
308 GTS: 2998 lb

US
308 GTB: 3159 lb
308 GTS: 3225 lb

EUROPE
328 GTB: 2784 lb
328 GTS: 2806 lb

US
328 GTB: 3134 lb
328 GTS: 3163 lb

 

Interesting but cant see how a euro 328 is lighter than a fiberglass euro 308, cant see it, common sense should prevail here. Ferrari also claimed the 365 boxer was almost 1000 lbs lighter than a BB512 LMAO! It can be a case of curb weight vs dry weight so its not apples to apples or just plain old pulling numbers from the bum hole region like ferrari is known for.

 

+1. I am sort of a *nut* when it comes to weight of these things and have all sorts of data. US spec 328 with 1/3 tank of fuel and a Tubi was just a shade over 3150lbs. Euro spec is no more than 40lbs lighter as the structures at the front and rear of the Euro 328s are no different than US cars but the exhaust and emissions system is different (less except some Swiss cars) and there are no bars in the doors (which are incredibly light anyway).

Euro spec glass 308GTB with just about zero fuel bill of landing weight when shipped to the US came in at 2844lbs. This was just a couple years ago and the car had all other fluids installed. Ferrari listed the bone dry weight of the glass car to be 2788lbs making the wet weight with no fuel just about correct. That is the most solid figure I have for one and I am sticking to it.


Early Euro steel cars weigh about 40-50bs more and I have figures everywhere from 2860lbs-2950lbs with very little fuel and unknown if spares etc are intalled. US cars add another 150lbs for US bumpers, emissions, and crash structures, and for the very early cars with thermo-reactor mufflers still installed add another 100lbs (almost no one has them any longer!). The difference is not as huge as people believe they are. Real-world 308 difference is 150-200lbs max between any of the cars. So a Euro car is basically like subtracting a passenger. 328s had almost no difference and the difference in acceleration was mainly due to the extra 10bhp and better ignition mapping at the lower end they were given due to no emission limitations. A solid Euro 308QV or early Euro carb 308 is about right there with a 328 in accel but the 328s suspension and brake upgrades will make a positive difference on a track.



That all being said, get a Boxer. They are fabulous

 

I read your whole post, had numbers swirling in my head, rethinking the comparisons... then I read your last line and laughed. Good one, perfect timing.

 

I agree, that pretty well says it all!

I wonder what happened to the guy that started this thread, Gerry328?

John

 

The financial devastation in the blink of an eye scared him away lol

 

Still around and still looking. The 365, 512, & BBi debate has been interesting.

 

Tis a spirited group here, much like the 308/328 guys I'd guess.
John