Found a perfect Emergency Light

Guys,

The early 308s have a fixed element lighter for your smokes..
So there is a special socket for this light, under the dash (even though you need it over the engine?) Anyway...

The later cars have a normal lighter socket, for a pop out element, so the light base changed to match that.

Tom S. would certainly know what he had, and too many is parting out an early car that was a fire job.

 

In my opinion they used various kind of sockets. Those two are OEM. I don't have the other cars at home so I can not check the others. I don't even remember if the 1980 308 has the inspection light.

Ciao

 

Alberto,

I think you are correct there may be more than one version of the under dash socket, in fact I have never even confirmed there IS a socket in my 76/77s...

I use a LED pen light, from the parts store...bright as the sun, and it magnetizes to the engine lid!

Try THAT with one of these!

 

Your led pen sucks: real men are used to inspect the engine bay just with a torch firmly held by a couple of Ukrainian girls in high heels and nothing else...

Ciao

 

I prefer to have a Ukrainian girl hand-roll me a cigarette while I make sure there's no gas leak. After that, everything else can wait for daylight...

Ciao!

 

Ask for a refund, I would.

I sent Tom an email through eBay telling him that the light he had listed was not for a early 308, but he didn't respond to me or correct his diiscription of the listing......I did see him at Cavallino but I didn't bother him.

 

Maybe I need it for my 89. I don't remember if it has the emergency light. I will check.

Ciao

 

Somehow I ended up with two.

I have no idea where the second one came from, I would have never bought it if I already had one - and I always had one.

 

Did these lights come with every car when new?

 

Mine fits the socket ünder the dash??

 

Yes it will, so will the other one I described but only one of them was delivered with your 308. All I'm saying is I don't think you purchased the correct one.

One other thing in closing, guys like Tom S, Mike S and Wayne C traditionally deal with classic large $$$ Fcars and are now starting to dabble in the 3x8 market and they may not know as much as we know about our model.

 

BTW,
The plug connector for the under dash sockets was also used on BMW motorcycles. IMHO it's a superior design to plugs for the 'pop-up' cigarette lighter sockets.

- Just my $0.02

 

Yes, I realized it's the same plug used in my 2012 BMW F650GS.

I remembered you can get these lights in like new condition for around 100 bucks few years back. If your car missed for some reasons, get it while it's still affordable.

 

My 86 Testarossa came with a light that looks exactly like the one in Post # 20 by Alberto in this thread. I bought the car from the original owner and I would guess that it is OEM.

 

That is for damn sure

 

Rocco - are you saying therefore that the reverse of my post 19 is correct ie the screwless plug predates the screwed ? May I also then ask on what you are basing this ?

 

So we've seen three different kind of plugs:
- 1983 208 Turbo
- 1988 GTB turbo
- 355

Clearly the kind of plug depends on where it is supposed to go in. It seems to me that the 355 plug is for "modern" sigaret lighters, whereas the 1983 and 1988 plugs are for the socket hidden below the dash (the Hella socket).

Alberto, does the plug you've got with the 1988 actually fit? Where does it go: in the sigaret lighter, or in a socket under the dash?

I can confirm that I have the same plug as Oengus and that's the same as the 1988 pictured. My plug fits into the Hella socket under the dash.

As an aside, you can buy converters on Ebay that go into the Hella socket and allow modern plugs to connect (I use this voor my satnav in the 308).
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Thanks but are you suggesting that the 83 / left is also the correct one prior to that ?

In other words very very approximately the three plugs shown are 70s/80s/90s

 

This morning i went to check my 1986 328 GTS inspection light. It has the same socket than the 88 GTB turbo: i would say of course, as the GTB turbo is just a 328 with the two liters turbocharged engine. So there is no doubt anymore: the plug with the screw is for later cars.
The change of the plug probably happened in 1985, with the 328 cars.

I did not take a picture as the light never came out of the bag (that's a pristine 18 k miles car), but i clearly saw that with my eyes.

My Ferrari electrician specialist, probably the world No.1 electrician specialist for vintage Classiche Ferrari, saw me looking at the light and asked my why i was doing that: i explained him all the story...

Now he says we on the forum are all mad and that we show some clear signs of mental desease...

So, who cares of the plug, the light is correct.

ciao

 

Did you ever have any doubt that we are all mentally ill? Of course, we are. We are all barking mad here on the forum. How else would you explain the behaviour of grown men on a forum constantly coming on and talking and arguing about what correct plug,wheel, screw etc our cars should have?? We are all obsessive compulsive nutters- and for those of you who deny this, its just a symptom of our disease so don't worry.......

 

Hi Alberto,

I wanted to say it more friendly and less drastically yesterday, when I wrote, that ' you guys are funny '
But as long as all remains funny, I think it's o.k and the disease is still in controllable state

There are seriously alarming threads here on FChat, which deserve the term 'illness' much more, than a discussion about originality of accessories.


Best Regards

Martin

 

I would guess that the 246 Dino guys could help us out. At least I assume they had the emergency light as well.

As for Alberto's electrician expert: yes, we're a bit strange, but harmless

 

How long is the cord? Does the light reach the engine bay comfortably when it's plugged into the socket?

 

I've never taken off the original zip tie to check.

Obviously more of a collector's piece for a complete car than something to work under. A modern flashlight is the best solution.

Robb

 

Is that a series one thing? My series two has a socket under the dash.