Other then the photos at wreckedexotics.com, does anyone know how well the 328 fares in real world safety / crash tests? Ie if someone whacks me in a big SUV, or I hit a tree, how well will the 328 hold up? Thanks, Josh Vancouver Canada
Crash testing and the standards that applied then were not nearly as rigorous as they are now. Not to say the 328 is unsafe but pull up next to a Suburban at a stop light sometime and think what would happen if that 6000 lbs was coming at you at 45 MPH. I'd rather be in the Suburban. I ride motorcycles too. I just try to be careful and keep the idiots from killing me.
I didn't consider it when I bought mine, but I had a fairly serious accident in college in a Fiat X1/9, where I collided with a domestic station wagon (Caprice maybe?) in a narrow-angle intersection. My speed at the time was probably 45mph. It was raining and late at night, and the Fiat was a targa-topped, mid-engined car without ABS. The X1/9 is also a tubular frame car. The front of the car up to the firewall (based of the windshield) was gone, basically disintegrated. BOTH the driver and passenger doors opened without binding, and both of us walked out of the car unhurt. I don't recall if the windshield cracked, but it didn't shatter and there was no glass in the cockpit. The guy in the Caprice had a minor cut. I don't know if this is a direct comparison to a 308/328, but I'm pretty sure I would have died if I had been in an '81 Civic instead of an '81 Fiat X1/9. The biggest concern now would be all of the SUVs - I'm sure they would override any Ferrari bumper and do some serious damage to the cockpit -- and occupants. Like Rifledriver said, I just take extreme car when driving the 328, always use my turn signal and treat it as though I have no crash protection other than my driving skills.
Sit in a 328GTS and look where the A pillar is. If you move wrong, you can lose an eye. They're fairly strong, but no targa-topped car is going to be all that resistant to bending in half. Add in the gas tanks sitting over the exhaust headers, and it's not all that elegant engineering. Sit at any stoplight, and you'll notice that all the bumpers are at your head height. Crash bars in the door do little to protect you when the impact is two feet higher. But hey, we all die sometime, right? re: X1/9, it was engineered to meet proposed rollover and crash protection rules that were eventually scrapped because manufacturers found them too difficult to implement. That's why they're heavy and slow, but safer. I'd actually prefer to be in an X1/9 in the event of a crash rather than the 328.
Ferraris, like all modern cars, come with a Windows-based accident avoidance system. You need to keep looking out through the windows. Especially these days. I keep seeing SUVs and trucks bigger than my first apartment ... and none of them ever have any cargo in them. Ferrari, Honda, or Buick -- the SUVs and Pickup owners are trying to out-mass you in an accident ... apparently because they have no confidence in their ability to avoid one. They've sacrificed agility for sheer bulk mass.
On a personal note, I tangled with a full size 4WD P/U once in my 87 GTS. I hit him at an oblique angle which ripped up the right side of the car pretty good, but I drove home. The P/U driver got a tow. Some years ago, I read an account of a 328 GTB passing a semi on the right (never a good idea BTW) and the semi driver did not see him and merged right before the 328 cleared. He tagged the left rear of the 328 which then, predictably spun in from of the semi which then T-boned it. Don't know the speeds, but the 328 occupants were unhurt. Anecdotally, Ferraris seem to be able to take a licking. In part, I think it is becasue they are actually pretty heavy for their size. Nevertheless, defensive driving is the best bet and one thing to always remember is that at 44 inches high, you will not always be visible in other's mirrors. Also, in passing zones, you may not be able to see over little hills in the road that you can in ordinary cars, so caution is the key. Dave
Pretty well, actually, aside from the impact height differences........ Suburban came in from the left, a Mustang driver from the right.... The new doors never fit the old openings, however....sigh.
When I had a GTS with the top off, I was always bothered by the proximity of the top windshield frame to my forehead. Of course, in the event of a crash your head would dive forward and down as long as you are belted. I do like having a roof over my head. I just feel less vulnerable. Dave
On an interesting note one of my other cars is a SMART Fortwo. It's truly tiny yet due to it's steel tube-style frame, it's quite safe overall. It's a blast to have here in the city and parking is an absolute breeze. My concern is that here in Vancouver BC we have some really bad drivers. They were trained to drive in right-hand drive countries and never really adjusted. They do cause quite a bit of accidents and I'm worried one of them will whack me in their SUV (usually they drive the Mercedes ML but some do venture into larger SUV's). They scare the daylights out of me, and there isn't much you can do if one of them plows you at a light, or cuts out in front of you (this happens often, you'll see their head looking in the opposite direction as they pull right out in front of you from a cross street and you're relegated to seeing how quick your car can stop at full brake-pressure. Then when you've come to a screetching halt you realize the moron just drove away and never even noticed that you almost plowed them from the side because their head never turned in your direction - not even for an instant). Sure, I'll drive slow and use caution. I'll keep my eyes looking at every intersection for that person shooting out, but if push comes to shove I'd like to know how the 328 would handle a good 'whack'.... The 328 will spend the bulk of it's time sitting in the garage (it rains here a LOT), next to a couple other cars that also act like the wicked witch of the north when it rains. But on a nice summer sunny day, I can't wait to pull off that targa and go for a brisk - but safe and cautious - drive Two more quick questions; 1) anyone have experience strapping in a baby seat in a 328? (I will be very very very cautious if I drive with my toddler daughter) 2) how will the 328 react if we get caught in the rain for a few hours (the other posts mention to be concerned about exposed electronics getting wet I think?) Thank you everyone for all your help and advice. Boards like this make owning a 328 so much less scary - and much more enjoyable!
I have had my eight month old daughter in a baby seat in my 89 328 GTS, should be no issue, just drive safe. I have had my car in a downpour quite a few times, just make sure to dry off the car before putting it away for the night and make sure the A/C is working to help clear the windows when they start fogging up, found that the hard way, so I had the AC charged after doing the 30K service last month.
That bothered me, too. So I stopped putting the top behind the seats as shown in the manual, and turned it around (exterior aft) to give my seat a bit more recline room. It also helped reduce the amount of mirror readjustment needed between top on and top off. But with the top pushed to the side to allow the driver's seat to recline, the pass seat is pushed forward. And you have to be careful it doesn't interfere with the shoulder harness anchor point. I'd really like to find a top that I could fold up and store somewhere that doesn't interfere with the seats. This car is quite comfortable without that top behind the seats. When I first got my 328 (used), it was pretty hairy in the wet ... with fairly old Eagle VRs on it. I got a complete four wheel alignment, and put on new Bridgestone S03s, and it transformed the wet handling completely. After that, I used it as a daily driver (in summer) -- rain or shine. (Until I got the EVO that just lives for the bad weather. Ironically, the Advans that come with the EVO aren't as good in the wet as the S03s.)
After restoring a 308 I can say that I am now more concerned about how mangled up I would be in a collision. Especially a Euro car (mine is US spec). A t-bone at an intersection or an off-set head on crash will mean certian death to the ferrari owner (or you would wish you were dead). The side impact beam (US spec only) is too low as they follow the channel/ parting line in the middle of the doors. The front frame structure is also too low - no higher than the top of the front rim (not the tire) so anything hitting the front will move the fender out of the way and then you have the fiberglass firewall to protect you. My BB is Pure Euro and even worse than the 308 because it has aluminum door skins and no crash bars. The Bonnet is aluminum as well with even less frame structure other than what holds the upper control arms on. Bottom line is these cars are not safe but they sure are fun to drive but after an accident count on a closed casket ceremony.
I think you were originally asking for some hard data about how the 328 fared in DOT crash tests, not some banal statements about how it would be better to be in the SUV than the ferrari. In the 328 DOT crash tests that were performed to federalize the 328, it took two 328's to pass the frontal, side and rear impact tests - this is good! There has only been one car model in DOT crash test history to pass all the tests with one test car - the maserati quattroporte. The vast majority of new car models require three or four separate test cars to pass all the tests - generally, one for each crash test. So, while there's no qualitative evidence available on each of the individual crash tests that were performed, it's probably fair to say the 328 did better than most passenger cars. Obviously, best thing to do is not get in an accident in the first place through careful and defensive driving!
I have also driven 328's in heavy rain quite a bit. Obviously it depends on the tires somewhat, but they are a t least as good as normal cars in the hydroplaning dept. I never had or never heard of trouble with electrics getting wet in rain. Dave
I would say a 328 is 1000 times safer than my car. I have one of the only cars ever made where the passengers protect the frame in side impact collision. Ken
My 328 got sold out from underneath me! Someone came in and offered more then the deal I had made, so the guy sold it to him and gave me back my deposit So, back to the drawing board. Need to find an 89 black/black in excellent condition. Any advice? I've been checking the usual suspects; Cars.com / Autotrader / eBay
Sorry to hear that. I have always lived by in business as well as personally that a deal is a deal and I would never do what the seller did in this case. Really bad form IMO. Sounds like you actually had a contract with a deposit, but legal action would not be worth the trouble. Dave
I have driven home from Hardtop's house (and his dirt road driveway) in rain and snow. The 328 felt very stable and not as top-heavy as my Yukon or as light in the rear (drive wheels). Like Hardtop said, a very heavy car for its size, good front to rear weight ration, and low center of gravity. Of course the roof leaks... After the drive below (from Denver in the snow in Feb), I remembered that I felt very safe in the car around other larger cars. Can't speak to any impacts, though. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Took me two years to find an 89 black/black in above average condition. Found two in "great" condition; both over $70K. Stay patient, ask a dealer to help you search, don't rush into a deal, another 89 black/black will always be around the corner. There are at least four on FerrariChat. Best of luck searching for the (in my opinion) best car and color made.
DOT crash tests are a joke, the standards are way too low. How many times do you see an offset frontal crash at a combined speed of 45MPH? Run a 328 into a block of cement at 80MPH offset and see what happens.
I guess I dont know how one would do against a Suburban, but they are extremely tough cars from all I have heard and seen. I do not recall hearing of one person who was ever killed in a 3X8. I recall hearing somewhere many years ago that the 308 was the first, or possibly only car that was allowed to race in certain SCCA events without a roll cage because the cars were deemed to be so much stronger than anything else. I am sure a GTS is weaker than a GTB, but its still probably tougher than just about anything else on the road.
For a Ferrari they are a tough car, your best defense is driving skills. I would much rather be in a tube frame Ferrari 3x8, Boxer etc., than a unibody such as the 348/355/ 360/430 as they seem to disintegrate in side impact collisions then you have had it.
