A walk down memory lane with a codger who's trod it can put a new slant on things. Seriously, performance we take for granted now in reasonably-priced new drivers and sports cars was extraordinary then. There were two distinct camps...Euro-sportscar types who disdained brutal accleration for its own sake, and American-muscle jockeys. Next to nothing in the way of crossover at a reasonable price. The mid '60s Corvette bridged the gap well, but at around $5-6K remained a dream for most.
+1 As much as I love my 328 and consider it one of the most beautiful cars made, I do prefer the mechanical interior of the 308s. If there was one thing I would change about the 328 it would be to dump those electronic and plastic interior console switches.
No the answer for me is to move to the US......you guys pay around a 1/2 price for your cars compares to us down under.....US$70K-93K is what you will expect to pay for a 328 here,US$135K-200K is the going rate for a 360 depending on the year......246GT/S though are more or less the same price
The only remark I have is that the 308 is to Ferrari what the E-type is to Jaguar! Classic in the true sense. I have had an equal amount of frustration with uncle Lucas as I am having with Godfather Enzo!
..hmm don't know about the power part of it as I just recently had my 87 328gts on a race track along side my cousin's 79 308gts and I always pulled away from the 308 by a good 5 to 6 car lengths on the straights ....the handling/cornering are comparable though IMHO (I should add that the 308 had a recent major service and was running in top shape at the track)
In the real world, the performance difference between 308/328 and US/Euro spec is minimal. It all comes down to personal preference. I prefer the 308qv original shark nosed styling to the Testarossa-like 328 nose, and in my opinion the very 80's style switch gear and orange gauge markings of the 328 have not aged as gracefully as the "grab a handfull of toggle switches, throw em, and see where they land" style of the 308. As far as Euro vs US, I wanted a car that was as close to as it left Maranello as possible, not messed with by anyone for US certification after the fact.
I find the 328 to look very 89 Vette like with it's color matched bumpers. I prefer the swoopier lines of a 308 anyday. I didn't care much for the plastic controls in the 328 either. Needless to say, I bought a 308 instead.
I think the OP considers the aesthetics a toss-up, based on his comment. If he hated the 308 or 328, he wouldn't be in such a quandry. Most normal people can't tell the difference. Fortunately, normal people don't hang out here. As far as the 328/Corvette, there actually is some resemblance. The pointy nose of the 308 (and Datsun 240/260/280Z) was pretty much out of fashion by the mid-1980s. That's likely why the 288 GTO, 328, Testarossa and F40 went with the more aero front ends. Jerry Palmer did a very nice redesign on the Corvette for the 1984 model year, no doubt inspired by the 308. Pininfarina apparently had similar thoughts, trying to update the '70s-dated bits of the pretty 308 (nose, superfluous fender grilles, etc.). So it's not surprising that the late '80s Corvette and 328 have some similar lines. I've parked my black 328 nose to tail with a black C6 Corvette, and the resemblance is still amazing. If anything, GM just keeps getting closer to the 328 with each Corvette redesign. From a Ferrari perspective, I suspect the 328 revision to the 308 followed the sold-out-in-advance 288 GTO. Whether you consider it a success is up to you. I used to like the 308 better, but after years of seeing both I think the U.S.-spec 308 looks a bit out of balance (black really helps this effect). Also, the basic design/build quality of the 328 is hard to argue with. I'd have a hard time recommending anything other than a 328 or 360 for a first-time Ferrari buyer, and frankly even the modern 360 seems more troublesome based on cars/owners that I know. As far as the interior, I think the 328 stitched dash, armrests, etc., are very elegant, and the 308 looks a little more '70s vinyl. That said, I think Ferrari could have used higher quality switches on the console (and they got even worse in the 348 and 355, where they turn to goo). The 308 benefitted from reusing the old 365 and 512 switches. The 308 handbrake on the center console is inexcusably bad design, though. In any event, we're talking 98th percentile best looking sports car ever made versus 99th percentile. Here's a recent photo from a San Diego show, my 328 next to a black 308. Find the ugly car. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Leaving bumpers off altogether, and removing seats, roof panels, carpets, etc., obviously cuts weight, but that doesn't help in a discussion of whole, stock Ferraris. As far as bumper weights, 40 lbs sounds low to me. IIRC, the U.S. 308 also has hydraulic pistons behind the bumpers, which probably weigh something. And, more important than the 80-100 lb. range is that the weight is hung out over the ends of the car, which is the worst place possible for handling. Blame NHTSA, but as soon as that idiotic 5 mph bumper regulation was repealed Ferrari lost very little time in removing the barbells from the ends of the 308. The net result is somewhere in the 1.5 to 1.8 seconds improvement in 0-60 times from U.S.-spec 308 to 328. Part horsepower, part weight reduction. Again, both cars are slow by modern standards, but with respect to performance a 328 or Euro 308 (for those who don't live in California...) are configured better.
well I was close but would still owe a bottle of scotch, by 1.8 lbs: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=137432651&highlight=bumper+weight#post137432651 Tour de Corse This is the weight (in kilos) of parts taken away... US Front bumper (23,5) Rear bumper (21,0) unless maybe there was 1.9lbs of dirt on them? lol 0-60 times? I didn't know 3x8 drivers cared about such things! the US 308 front bumper 'pistons' weigh a couple lbs each, max. I got a good deal on aluminum parts that pull in the front a few inches, there really isn't more than a pound or two difference though. hey whatever floats your boat. Sure, I admire the mechanical improvements of the 328, but like some others here the aesthetics, inside and out, of the 308 are more pleasing to me. Not that I would kick a 328 out of bed for dripping a bit of oil mind, but there it is. Bottom line is both models are 20-33 years old, have heavy old-school steel tube frames, steel bodies, sketchy electrics, and really nothing "exotic" other than a 4 valve V8 and very pretty body lines. Seriously, a 3000lb 2 seater before the age of 10 airbags, electric nut warmers and HVAC that works is nothing to brag about. My other car is a stock '86 Honda CRX Si. It weighs just under 2000lbs, 95ish hp, has more interior and storage space, and really up to probably 80mph (tops at about 120) would run very close to my 308 (if I would ever chose to punish the Ferrar's clutch and gearbox in such a way). On a tight road the CRX would also be glued to it's heavy rear bumper. And I don't care. I admire the engineering more in the Honda, but don't go to sleep at night dreaming of driving it... Some good insight in this thread - we own and drive 3x8s not because they're the fastest thing on the road, but because we can, and love to. salud Kurt
That reminded me of my the little 5spd Honda Civic with manual steering that I bought new for 6300 bucks when I was in college, the little sucker was fun to drive and I wished I should bought the CRX Si instead. Last year, I sent my daughter to college with a new Civic Coupe Si but she left it home so I drove it once in while, that i-VTEC DOHC is incredible, it revs up to 8000 and pumps out almost 200 hp, that thing purrs like a little 328. Sometimes I wished my Ferrari can be trouble free and cheaply maintained as a Honda.
Personally, I think the 308 is much more attractive than the 328, and my 1978 Euro 285 bhp engine, combined with no air conditioning, made it a lot faster. Electronic ignition, too. Difficult choice. Taz Terry Phillips Image Unavailable, Please Login
More information; Euro 308 is 287 lbs. lighter than US version. Compression rato in a euro 308 is 7.2, US version is 6.8. 0-60 in a euro 308 is 5.9, US version is 7.4.
Just curious but where are you getting your 0-60 times? Road and Track recorded a 308QV doing 0-60 in 6.8 seconds, I believe in their April or May 1986 edition when they did a comparision of a US Spec 308QV to a US Spec 328. Also, I'm not sure I've seen any recorded data from a US or European Magazine showing that a Euro QV could break the 6 second mark. Although there are probably variations +/- a few tenths on any given car. Maybe there are publications showing the numbers you mentioned, so I'd just like to know. Best regards, Dino
i don't think anyone has mentioned this, but there is a huge difference in sound between US and euro cars. i have owned/own euro and US 308/328s. yes, the performance differences are not big, but they are noticeable. however, the sound difference is huge and very noticeable. the euro cars have the quintessential ferrari sound: a nice growly idle that turns into a formula style scream at high revs. especially with tubi. if for nothing else, get the euro version for the sound. john
+1 Those 0-60 numbers are incredibly off. The difference between the two are no where near that different. Testing conditions are different for each magazine/organization who tests. You dont know if one car had a full tank of fuel, cold outside, barometric pressure, type of road surface, brand of tire, passengers, roll out distance, etc etc etc. The major difference between the two is weight and a tiny bit of power. Both are easily solved. Euro cars are not subject to some mystical European only voodoo. Bumpers, emissions stuff, a couple very light weight bars in the doors (they literally weigh maybe 4lbs), a small amount of bracing (maybe 15-20lbs) in the back and that's it. Dont drink the "omg Euro carz are uberz" kool-aid
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo !!!!!!!!!!! You guys mean that Ferrari made something other than the most beautiful thing on earth, THE 308? You ARE BS-ing me ....................... RIGHT? You know where I stand and it is just a evil, dispised FI 2V. And ..... I plan on buying another.
I got those figures from a couple of previous threads on FC, where they said the figures were the result of magazine road tests.
You are quoting dry weights vs wet weights. Reality is not that great. The US version test is 7.4 because gear ratios are lower and requires a 2-3 shift to get to 60. I read that you could knock a lot of time off by going past redline and reaching 60 in second. Dave
Technically, redline is 7700. Yellow area is in the low 7k+ range and is very usable once the engine is warmed.
