328 with ABS

OK... So my thinking on this was that 1988.5s all had convex wheels to accept optional ABS. I believe then the ABS came standard for the 1989 model year.

However, I don't think that last statement is 100% reliable, because at least with 308s, there is definitely some "flex" in what one would call a "model year"--I've seen cars with older S/Ns be registered a model year earlier than a car with a later S/N.

My tech specs manual says that 1988.5s began with S/N 76626, a 328 GTB.

On the Ferrari328.com registry, starting with 78714 was the first car (in that registry) listed as a 1989. Three later cars in that registry are listed as 1988s!

Anyway my guess is that ABS became standard sometime around 78714. I can't seem to find it in my service bulletins.

What number is yours? (The last five digits of your VIN.) For that matter, probably time to update the ol' profile with your soon-arrival!

Welcome to Ferrari Chat - there is no other single place in the world outside of here where so many knowledgeable, community-minded owners are gathered. A tremendous resource, here!


Take care,

--Mike

 

I found one other reference (http://www.qv500.com/ferrari328p1.htm), whose validity I cannot vouch for, that mentions that ABS was available as an option for "a few months."

 

?

Amazing? How can someone not to be sure if his car has ABS or not? Something strange or somebody really naive!!
Ciao
Eugenio

 

78791 is late enough in the model run - my guess is they were made standard by then. What was the build date of the car?

If they are on the car - I can't believe there would not be any references to such in the owners manual - so it should be easy to confirm.

 

Regardless of the wheels, ask the seller if there is an ABS light on the dash, top row, second from left. Cars with ABS had this light instead of the defroster light.

 

Yeah it's not that uncommon for cars of the period. I came across a couple of owners of 88-89 cars who couldn't tell me if they had ABS or not. As Mule says, the dash has a different light, plus the ABS uses a different master/"distributor" unit under the front bonnet which is large with box-like top and 4 (not 2) brake lines (plus lots of electrical connections) coming from it.

 

By the way, the light on the dash says "ANTI LOCK", not "ABS" but it should be obvious.

 

I think my light says "ABS." I'll check tomorrow.

 

You already know about mine - probably the only Yellow one on your list.

 

I can tell you that #77569 is an 88.5 that does not have ABS but does have Convex wheels. Not sure if this helps narrow down the start point for ABS or not, but the info can't hurt.

 

Mule is right that the easiest way to tell is the dash light.

Convex wheels began when the suspension was changed, not to accommadate ABS. ABS was offered as an option in Europe only on late 88 cars. In the US, no 88 model year 328's (Mondials do) have ABS, but ALL 89 model year cars do. The confusion sometimes comes from the fact that early 89 MY cars were built in late '88. BTW, the ABS works very well for an early system. It does not intrude too early and the pedal does not go nuts.

Dave

 

Mine is the body color. Can't say whether it started its life that way or not, but its currently blue.

 

My 328, S/N 77564. likely a same day manufacture as yours, has convex wheels and no anti-lock brakes. Easy way to check on the orig car color is to process the VIN thru carfax..it'll give the car color as listed on the manifest into the Port of Los Angeles right off the boat.

 

Mine was manufactured in Sept 1988 and has ABS, #79190.

 

Is your car a Euro?

If not, Dave (hardtop), I think this contradicts what you stated earlier... This car would then be an example of a convex-wheels, post-suspension updates, but without the ABS option, U.S. spec car, what we usually call 1988.5s, some of which actually are registered as 1989s.

Got that?

 

U.S. Version registered as a 1988...

 

I was shopping the market in early '89 for a 328, here is what I was told when talking to the Steve Harris dealership out in Utah(by Steve himself, if I recall correctly):

* wheel & suspension change came in 1988, as mentioned above...

* at first, tho, new wheels, but no ABS...

* for a brief time period(don't know how long, I suspect it was just during the fall of '88), ABS was an available option, but you had to know about it to order it. Or, the dealer had to specifically order it, which may or may not have mattered at all to the dealer. At the time, I was particularly interested in the ABS option, as the various car mags had mentioned ABS, and maybe even the 'new anti-dive' suspension that was coming, but not yet here.

* by '89, the cars were all coming over with ABS as a standard feature.

Somewhere else along the way, I think I confirmed this in talking with various people(I ended up calling every dealer in the U.S. in my search; seems like there were 20-25 U.S. dealers then). Seems like one or more guys told me that the last of the '88 cars just started showing up with ABS, but I can't confirm that. Wouldn't surpirse me, tho, as that'd be the way Ferrari would likely do it.

So, my 'guess' at the entire situation is that there was some overlap of non-ABS & ABS cars -briefly- coming into the U.S. during the fall of '88.

At the time, Steve Harris had a new, very late '88 GTS(Dec, if I remember correctly, mighta been November) that I considered, but passed on(wasn't exactly what I wanted). Anyways, I think that baby had ABS, altho it's been so long ago I couldn't swear to it. However, the reasons I passed on buying it had nothing to do with ABS, so I'd guess it probably really did have ABS on it; otherwise, I wouldn't have been looking at it...

* Also, remember that Ferrari doesn't do 'model years' like other manufacturers. To be accurate, the year is what's posted on the door jam, and -not- whenever someone finally gets around to registering it. Sometimes, the cars are mis-registered, which adds to the confusion.


How's that for a lot of 'definite maybies' ??