Concours restored 328 GTS

(Please note: I have no affiliation to this car, the company selling this car, or any part of the sale - This post has been made purely in adulation of the condition and quality of the car)

I stumbled across this advert the other day for a 1989 328 GTS and was just mesmerised by the quality of the car (and the asking price!) : https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1952212

I can't help feeling sorry for the car though, as it's highly likely it will now be stored away for 99.9% of it's life, and the the only driving it will do, will be onto a trailer/transporter, off a trailer /transporter, and maybe across a showground now and again, rather than being driven at every possible opportunity, racking up big miles, with no concerns about keeping all the parts immaculate, and putting a big smile on the driver's face

 

Interesting. So nothing extraordinary about the car except the amount spent on its refurbishment apparently….
Over here I’d expect to see that price on a low-mile GTB….or maybe a GTS sporting four-digit mileage - possibly in an unusual color - i.e. something other than a Rosso/Tan GTS with age-appropriate mileage.
I don’t doubt a significant sum has been spent getting it in this condition, but man £150 grand?
I’d think it has too many miles to be given the bubble-wrap treatment…and for those looking for a 328 to actually drive, there are a lot of options for less than £150k.
But who knows; the market’s been exhibiting some pretty bizarre behavior the last few months, so anything’s possible I suppose.
- Dave

 

Nice looking car. Is'nt it sitting a bit to high on its feet ? And price for RHD is going to be less then a LHD.

 

Not in the UK it's not - LHD's are much less popular here

 

I bet it has no full size spare in the frunk (that can raise the front by an inch or so) ,but a lot of the 308/328's look a bit high to our modern eye, I think it was the stock setup.
Alden

 

Really? ... You don't think the condition of the car is extraordinary, only how much the restoration must have cost? - I'd love to see a 328 that you consider to be in extraordinary condition if this car isn't it!

I suspect there are plenty of "four digit mileage" 328's that are not in as good a condition as this car seems to be.

According to the MOT details (the UK's annual safety check), the car had clocked up 38,152 miles by 2015, adding 542 miles in the following year, and then in the next 9 years, it managed another 59 miles!

As the owner of an '89 328 GTS that has just rolled the odometer past 99,999 miles, having done 17,500 miles in my last 3 years of ownership, I find 59miles in 9 years tragically sad! - It's a waste of a great driver's car!

With a concours restored car, the mileage becomes irrelevant, because the car has had a complete condition reset - It's like being concerned about how much money was in your bank account the week before you won 100 Million on the lottery!

Despite the displayed mileage on the odometer, I'd say that this is probably the closest you could come to factory fresh 328 GTS.

An unrestored "four digit mileage" car will have 36 year old hoses and seals, 36 year old grease, it may even have 36 year old oil, coolant and brake fluid in it, so would it really be worth more?

Part of me thinks that this car has been restored to a level where it is now a garage/trailer Queen, and no longer a usable car.

Another part of me thinks: If I won millions on the lottery, I'd buy this car - And then drive the snot out of it, running the mileage up, not giving a crap, and enjoy it as Enzo Ferrari intended his cars to be enjoyed: By being driven - Not as investments and display model only show Queens!

 

You can't make out the tyres, but the original factory press release photo's show the 328's show the cars riding pretty high: https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/auto/328-gts

 

@4rePhill
Looks like I could have done a better job explaining my thoughts; I actually agree with everything you've said. My "nothing extraordinary" comment was in reference to the current market's obsession with low mileage, Berlinettas, perceived (or hyped-up) rarity, and unusual colors (i.e. unpopular when new). In that context this car is about as ordinary as a 308 can get and prompts a double-take when the asking price is first seen. As to its condition; it is obviously extraordinary.
That said, it wouldn't cost any more to bring a - let's say - 4,000 mile car up to the condition of this car and once done, you would - all things being equal - have a much more valuable car....at least according to the current market's priorities. Proof will be in the pudding I suppose when it sells. I could definitely see it being the perfect car for someone, I just think those "someones" are few and far between.
- Dave