308 and 512i BB - design similarities

Well, Sammy Hagar used both in his "I can't drive 55" video as the same car so they are pretty similar

 

Few people caught that

 

TIL… 0:44 … never knew that!

 

When the two cars are next to each other you can see the differences. The 512 is a much bigger car, 6 in longer wheel base, 7 in longer in length, 5 in wider, but the same height. Most people have never seen a 512 in person, so they often confuse the car with the 308. When they are next to each other, however, you can clearly see the differences. The 512 is a much more substantial car.

 

I love the 512, since I was a boy, I always knew the difference, and I have seen several in person over my lifetime. Although the 512 is a much more powerful car, it does not handle as well as a 308 / 328 . The motor sits right on top of the gearbox, so its a little top heavy. If I had the money, I would buy the injected version, BBi, in a heartbeat.

Big G

 

I've always liked the 512, I.M.O. it is an undervalued car. I have never been fortunate enough to drive one but have noticed that it is one model that a lot of people who work on older F-cars say they are the model that have or would personally buy.
The only thing I don't care for is the design of the interior door panel everything else is stellar.

 

But to be true to Origins, the 365BB should be mentioned in this thread.

It was so Beautiful they named her the Brigitte Bardot
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/magazine/articles/the-365gt-4-secret?amp=true

 

I love the lines
A definite plus is the way you reveal the engine cover
That clamshell design is awesome

 

I always thought of the 365/512 as a 308 on steroids..
Only car I would “upgrade” my 328 for if l could afford it,,
Ok an F40 or 288 but hey are obviously silly money now..

 

The BBi is a 308 on steroids. Much bigger though nearly as easy to handle as the 308 but so more powerful. Love them both.

Best, Peter

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Ignore the mechanical aspects and the 308 was absolutely and obviously an evolution of the Boxer design from the perspective of Pininfarina. the Boxer has some awkward elements that were refined in the 308. Examples would be the big yellow turn signals, the chunky dash and the nose to tail disproportion. The way the dash flows into the armrests on the 308 was the beginning of a trend as well as the flowing profile of the body.

But the fact remains that if you own a Ferrari, that's the one and nobody is gonna tell you different.

 

Well, according to Leonardo Fioravanti, the sequence of events belie this, to some extent.
Fioravanti started to work in 1970, somewhat in "freelance" on the design of a successor to the "Dino 246", a two-seater of what was eventually to evolve into the 308, so that project is chronologically the first one;
He then he had to stop, because Ferrari decided to concentrate all ressources on what was to become the BB, and asked Pinifarina to do so. So the project for a 246 successor was shelved.
And, contrary to what is said in the article quoted by Rod in his post #10, that project was initially called "the SuperBerlinetta", still according to Fioravanti, so a "Berlinetta" it was indeed, and right from the start.
When Ferrari, reacting to the lukewarm sales of the 308GT4 in the vital american market decided that the 246 was to have a two-seater successor after all, and asked Fioravanti to work as fast as he could, he took the shelved project of 1970 and evolved it into the definitive 308. So the 308 and 512 are really interwined.

Rgds

 

Something about the 512 has never quite looked finished to me. The 308 is so much better looking. Of course, I'd drive a 512 if offered one...

 

Love them both. The 246/308/328 side air intakes are iconic, so those cars have always been more visually interesting, but the BB is longer and has huge presence.

I saw a blue 365 BB on the road in San Diego, and the proportions are shockingly exotic.



Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

It’s all about taste. The 512 is a different beast but I’m really happy with the interior design, so eighties and the quality and craftsmanship is top notch…

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Both stunning cars and you can really see the similarity in that front over head shot, the similar coke bottle styling over the two flat bonnets.

The side profile of the 308 I think is really brought together with the elongated air vents that run through the doors into the rear guard.

It adds real interest, removes any slab sidedness and has become so iconic.

That's where the 308 wins out in design for me, its side profile.

 

I don’t understand why everyone talks about 512BB and nothing about the 365BB? (And yes I love the 512 BB)


Maybe because the 365 was not sold in America?


https://sportscardigest.com/ferrari-365-gt4-bb-and-512-bb/

 

None of the Boxers were sold new in the States.

 

I suspect it’s because Ferrari made their name in America with the 308, in television and film, in the 1980s.

That somewhat raised awareness of the “other” Ferraris— 512 BB and 400i — which were grey market only.

Plus Lamborghini won the poster wars with the Countach…. and still wins the auction/value wars.


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

Personally, design-wise, I've always placed the 308 GTB/GTS design above the 365 GT4 BB/512 BB/ 512i BB, for a couple of reasons.

The 365/512/512i front indicator lenses just look a bit too much for me, compared to the 308's bumper mounted items.

And, the top of the 365/512/512i engine cover, with it's two rectangular raised sections, doesn't look as aesthetically pleasing on the eye as the 308 GTB/GTS engine cover (I know the raised sections serve an actual purpose, but they just look like afterthought add-ons to me)

That's not to say the 365/512/512i isn't a great design, it just seems a little less pleasant on the eye that the 308 GTB/GTS design (we are talking a fraction of a percentage difference though! )