In 1986 the first 328 came to light. Next year this will mean it's around for 25 years. Isn't that a great thing! We should make a global line up and start all our engines at the same time remembering this. my 2 ct The 328 was the last breed of a very fine line of the most beautifull Ferrari's ever build ( accuse me for being biased and i'll promptly deny) and all cars that are left after all these years should at least make some kind of statement.... btw when was the first production one actually build?
Really! that's nice, but shame on me as i always thought it was introduced in 1986. But hee, than 2010 will be THE YEAR.
Don't know why but 1986 is often refered as the introduction year of the 328. Bluemel says the 328 was announced at the 1985 Frankfurt (Germany) Salon. Maybe 1986 it was introduced in the US? gf
ah yes - I had an idea! Ferrari or Carello could produce the 328 front fog lights for a favorable price...
I believe the 328 and the 3.2 Mondial were both introduced in 1985 at the Frankfurt show. The cars were then sold in the US as 1986 models, but I suspect some of them actually hit the streets in late 1985.
1986 was the "model year designation", but it appeared in 1985. This is no different than the so-called 64 1/2 Mustang, which Ford actually called a 1965. In the US, for instance, on January 1, 2010 any manufacturer can legally refer to a car for sale as a 2011 model. I once saw a 2007 Mercedes S550 on the dealer showroom in mid- December 2005, but it did not have a sticker, because the dealership could not legally sell it until January 1st. To the best of my knowledge, the Merc S550 was one of the few (if only) times a model had been shipped to dealers prior to being able to be legally sold. In the days before standardized VINs, crash tests, etc..., cars were often titled as the year of sale, which is why you often find models with no big changes (Triumphs, MGs, Fiats, etc...) titled a year or two after their production date.
56211 seems to be #1. It was a Red/Biege GTB and was a pre production car. There were a couple of other pre production cars built until 59301 which seems to be the 1st regular production car. For a time line I do know that a TR #58299 was an 85 US model. 59317 was the first US car I have found but the first build date I have is for 60191 which was October 85. I woud guess from the number of cars that preceded 60191 that 59301 would be early September.
One of the reasons for so much confusion on model years is different countries have different rules for determining model year. In some countries it is the date first sold. In others I have heard it is the import date. The United States requires manufacturers to declare a model year and post it on the car. That date does not need to reflect the year it was built, imported or sold. Evn though 328's arrived in the US before 1985 the first year model sold here was 1986.
