308 FACTOIDS

Out of curiosity, where did you get the number? Ferrari themselves are notorious for incorrect information.

I had never counted before but I have among other things a data base of US version Ferraris for a few years.
I just counted. It shows 51 1980 US version GTBi's . All with 17 digit VINs.

 

Brian, do you have any idea of how many US 1985 GTB QVs there were. I have one doc from a dealer that claims 26. Another that claims 29. At the same time I have read that between 83 and 85 as total of 59 US spec GTB QVs were produced. Hard to believe half of the total were produced in 85.

 

Below is a link to a table showing number of cars by year of manufacture. It's an educated guess correlated to several authoritative sources as noted in the thread. ... but it is still a guess.

Table showing 3x8 Production Numbers by Year of Manufacture

My table puts the number of 308 GTBi built in 1980 at 82 units.

 

World wide? Or US?

 

In those years model years started and ended at very inconsistent times as smog and safety laws changed.

For example 83 QVs were built from January to December. 84s were built from December to July and 85s were built from July 84 to July 85.

Also US is one of few countries with official model years. Its why traditionally most people keeping track of Ferrari go by VIN and not model year.

 

I had the pleasure to meet John at the Annapolis Cars and Coffee a few weeks back. Super guy and beautiful GTB. He has spared no expense in taking excellent care of his 308. Enzo would be proud.

Sent from my SM-P610 using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

I have heard over the years that my metallic black QV is a bit rare, something like 24 were that color. I don't know if that is for 1984, for the GTS, for QV's or for the 308 line 76-85.

Interestingly, a friend of mine has an identical 1984 308 to mine. Exactly the same car down to the deep front air dam.

 

I have written this more often than I can remember, but from one (french) Muller to another (american) Muller:

1. there was no "1981" model as such at Ferrari. There were cars built between January 1st, 1980 and December 31st, 1980, that some countries chose to designate "1980 models" and "1981 models", but that didn't mean a thing to Ferrari. Not a thing.
The concept of "model year" is that, at a given date (always was July 1st here in France), a manufacturer introduces a whole lot of minor changes (or not so minor) that he had delayed during the last few months to a car to make it different and "newer".
But it never was the case at Ferrari. They introduced the changes on a model at the date that they saw fit (the major suspension modification on the 328, for instance, was introduced on the production lines near the end of March 1988; it was an important change, but did not warrant any modification in "Model Year" designation - except for a new type certification with the road-registration department in some countries)
Perhaps, as alluded by Brian (= "Rifledriver") the american importer made a difference at the time between "1980 308 GTBis" and "1981 308 GTBis", but to Ferrari, that was not significant.
Ferrari probably knows how many 308 GTB"i"s they did built for the american market between Jan 1st, 1980 and Dec 31st, 1980, but not sure they did know how many the U.S federal importer had them qualified as "1980" models, and "1981" models; not Ferrari's problem...

2. as alluded by Brian again: Ferrari never was consistent with the production figures, and a large "pinch of salt" is always needed: given figures are almost impossible to cross-check, sources are never endorsed by the factory . It is not that they do not know, it is that they do not see fit to publish exact figures, or event ot correct published mistakes (2897 or 2993 carbed 308 GTBs? they know, but we guess...).
And, by a stroke of luck for you, 1980, with the changes between carbed and injected engines, the introduction of the 17-digit VIN, etc...is actually one of the most, if not THE most, difficult years to decipher...

Rgds

 

OTOH, correct me if I’m wrong the 1984 models are the most number produced.

 

As mentioned already, "Model Year" is not an accurate delineation for the 3x8 line. The table of estimates below is of worldwide production.

There were two types of QVs; those without and those with an O2 sensor and electronics. We inaccurately refer to them as the "1983 QV" and the "1984/85 QV".

The "factoid" in the above is that the "83 QV" may be the last Ferrari produced without electronics other than the sparkboxes (Digiplex). Others can confirm.

Image Unavailable, Please Login

Note in the time since I cooked up this table, I've seen a photo of the factory floor taken in October 1983. In that photo both "83 QV" and "84/85 QV" models seem to be in production making it appear that there was no sharp break between the two models as implied above.

 

By Federal law the manufacturer has to declare a model year. That has been true in the US for a very long time and that was part of the reason behind the 17 digit VIN. It was not up to Ferrari nor was this done by the importer. A 17 digit VIN is attached to the car and stamped in the frame when built. It is the 10th digit and 1980 cars used A and 1981 cars used B. Further because in 1980 our smog laws no longer allowed Ferrari carb'd cars all 1980 cars for the US are fuel injected.

Even before the 17 digit VIN Ferrari had to declare a model year and was plainly shown on the emission plate.

 

The least.

 

Do not ever tell Ferrari that because that is exactly how Ferrari referred to them

Have a look at Ferrari Cat, N 259/83 and Cat N 302/84 as well as a whole host of other official factory documents.

Look at your own owners manual.

 

Oops.

 

Indeed Brian, but you know as well as I do (or TBH probably better) that it was not the case in Europe for many years: our cars do not have anything other than "0" (zero) in the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th position in the 17 digit VIN: the was no law governing the "Model Year", at least for Ferraris...and all "euro" cars (except for Swiss and Sweden, and of course the RHD UK) were identical and have the same spelling of the VIN)

So when speaking about Ferraris of this period, we need to know if we are considering the world market, or only the U.S market, which made about 30% of the whole production.
But much more for "certain models at a certain time": about 67% of the carbed 308 GTS produced went to the United States...for the first two years of production.
And much less for others: only 135 328 GTBs...

Not easy to reconciliate; at least for the U.K market, "Maranello Concessionaires", the offical importer, did produce its figures, so for the U.K, we have something; nothing (to the best of my knowledge) for France from Pozzi; "AutoBecker" archives for Germany are said to have been lost...etc...

Rgds

 

And that is why at any point in post Enzo cars when we describe a car we always mention market destination. It is important on many levels. Not just US market or not.

In the Enzo period except for right hand drive very few differences until emission laws came on the scene.

The same has been true in all of Ferrari history. In 275 we say its a torque tube car or not. In 330s it was a cable clutch car or not. We have always needed multiple descriptors no matter the period and in the case of US cars our federal law made it a little easier.

If Ferrari prints a model year on the front cover of an owners manual I fail to see how that is not a valid way to identify the car.

 

I was counting US cars only. But either count is far more than 24 which was the point. .

 

For what it is worth to someone as a reference, mine is an 84 model # 50045. K with lambda


Ordered on 12/14/1983
Production began 01/02/1984
Production completed 01/27/1984
Left the factory on 2/17/1984
Left Italy on 2/28/1984 on way to FAF in Atlanta

Just info for people who like this stuff here and as a reference point to some other productions in the same time frame.

 

There was overlap everywhere all the time. They were building the last carbed cars when the injected ones were on the assembly line in front and behind them. They were peppered all thru the first of the injected production

 

There always is. 348s were on the line at the same time 328s were. There are lower numbered 348s than late 328s.