308 GTB SN34389

Oh my. Wishing you (and your wallet) best of luck

 

Looking forward to see its progress.

 

What an amazing find! Best of luck for the restoration, looks like a bit of a project.

According to a message from Ferrari it is indeed the third to last 308 GTB built.

Robert
308 GTB Register
www.308gtb.de

 

Third to last carbureted GTB obviously.

 

The air cleaner cover is completely rusted through?
Hope your buddy sticks with it. Probably buy two very nice driver GTB of the same vintage for what repair costs will run on this one. Gotta cheer for the underdog! Subscribed!

 

As a Dry Sump Euro, very nice choice of projects...I'm in the middle of one very similar...though not in quite as rough shape. These full resurrections aren't cheap...

 

Very cool! Nice find. Good luck with the restoration.

 

The number and identies of South Africa's Ferraris is rather difficult to elucidate, indeed. Information is sparse. Good luck with this one, Jacques. It won't be cheap, but I guess you know this already.

Rgds

 

That is a really nice barn find! and historical above all!

Have you got any history before it arrives in South Africa ?
That is not a Pozzi car, neither a German delivery market car as we can see with the pictures you've posted.

Do you have some more of the interior ? How does it look ?

The car seems complete and the parts that are not period correct are not difficult to find in its case, the owner can easily restore it with factory specs if it is his wish.

 

It is very interesting that you seems to have a car without the AC, which is really, really rare for a GTB, and especially if the car had been ordered for Africa....
I am sure they will be plenty of surprise for our knowledge...
Have you seen the engine number by chance ? It might close to the 2 carbed GTB from this forum which surround your car.

 

An easy way to see the original colour of your carpet is the vinyl part under the seat are same colour and often, it is not changed when the do the carpet installation. It gives you a good idea of the originality.

A little bit like the body colour, we can see on one of your picture that the interior of the door is red which means that the car was Rosso from the beginning.... Usually painter don't go that far (especially if you look "inside" the door). To be sure, wait for the de-assembly, you will see then, the metal under the dashboard which is painted body colour at the factory.

For the upholstery, it is a bit harder but when you look carefully at the door panel, you can see if it is original way of doing it or not. It is true that if you never see how it is made at the factory, you can't really see the difference but modern way of doing it is quite different from origine. (especially the clip). if you have any doubt, post large picture, you will have some feedback from owner here. Most of the time, you can see that upholstery had been done because they don't do the original shape with the vinyl part which is on the seat itself (the 3 black bands), and sometime, you see that those band are in leather which there aren't normally.
If the upholstery had been coloured instead of been re-done, you see the paint/pigment trace under the seat or on the leather beads of the door...

The only way to have access to the information from the built sheet is to ask Ferrari Classiche. You have to pay but at least, you have the factory thruth. I always recommend it whenever I ask for my opinion. No advice, even enlightened, can beat the reality of the factory sheet.
It is not as pricy that the Classiche certificate, but it is not free anymore (it was, few years back). Sometime, dealer have access to those files without paying but at least you have to know well one of them and he has to do the request.

I would also appreciate if you can tell us the assembly number as well to make a complete comparison with the cars surrounding this one, it is really exiting to realise that one of the last carbureted car was in a backyard...in South Africa... I'm probably not the only one here to find this completely crazy.

 

From what I can see on your image, the upholstery is from origin. Carpet look also original, (in the shape), unless it had been done very nicely which I don't think when I look at the general look of the car...

You can find the assembly number very easily on 4 places, on the oil cooler bracket, facing up (the easiest one), on the left inside edge of the engine lid, on the left upper corner of the steel frame of the front lid and on the inside door as you don't have the door panel on the driver door.
All the numbers should be the same, you will see then if the car had its originals opening parts.


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Just a couple of spit shine, and you’ll have yourself a showroom condition 308.

 

Wow. Hat's off to you for taking this on. Someone should resurrect this car, but I don't think I'd have the gumption to tackle it. Glad it is going to be done, though.

Since these are body-on-frame cars, will you be doing a frame-off restoration? Is that how 308s are done? I would think a total tear down and inventory is on the to-do list.