can someone remade the 308/328 chassis?

Can you imagine how much that would cost?

 

In the British sports car world, the MGB unit-body has been remanufactured for a while, using the original equipment retrieved from the old Abingdon factory. Technically, it is possible to buy a badly damaged, rust-bucket MGB, rescue the identification plate and the drivetrain, and resurrect it as a pristine "new" MG to factory specs. Not sure of the current cost, but given the expense of restoring unit-body cars it is probably a financially viable option. I recall these were $5000 or more (maybe even $10,000?) back in the '80s when I worked in the spares business.

The 308/328 is a different kind of car, though, being body-on-frame. Ultimately there are enough intact 308/328 chassis available on the real cars. Rust and minor accidents tend to hurt the body panels more than the frame, so I'm not quite sure what we'd achieve by remaking it, other than to encourage fakes/replicas. The beauty of the body-on-frame approach is that a car is almost infinitely restorable, provided you can get panels that fit.

 

Why on earth would anyone want to do that? There's enough around at a price point you can buy two.

 

Depends what you have in mind, I suppose; a new assembly line for new 308/328? Or one chassis for restoring one car?
If the latter, you could come across a full, complete, "new old stock" chassis from time to time, let's say "about one each year". Originals were made not by Ferrari themselves, but by a subcontractor, Vaccari & Bossi, also in the Modena surrounds, Italy.

Rgds

 

308s are starting to be recognized as collectible cars. I wouldn't recommend cutting one up at this point.

 

have you checked into the kit car market.
since you're willing to do the work yourself you may find a kit that has the look you're after.
most are set to accept crate motors and are fairly easy to assemble.

 

So after all the work and expense you end up with a worthless fake. If that is what turns you on go for it. You would probably be better off with a pristine 308 restored or whatever model which will actually be worth something in the end. A kit car is a kit car,a replica is a replica,a fake is a fake with no value except to the owner. No viable resale value or worth.

 

I think it would be very cool if sombody could construct a 308 frame out of modern materials, like aluminum, or even hydro forum it. Just think how much more rigid the car would become. Then you could really set the car up for some modern suspension tuning, more power, in a much much stronger chassis. It would transform the car completely.

Trouble is..the 308 chassis is more of a space frame design. You can't just unbolt the frame from the body and roll out the chassis. Tons of work would be required to do it. The body panels are welded directly to the chassis. To remove completely, you would risk destroying the body work in the process. Cool idea, but completely impractical.

 

This.

For all the labor, skill and investment, you're far better off with a properly restored 308.

We've seen this in the rise in early Porsche 911 values (which discourages more useless RS clones) -- anyone with an authentic or accurately restored early 911 has effectively made tens of thousands of dollars while having a great car to drive.

 

No comment on the merits of creating a clone or replica...but...

Why not start with a ratty GTS/Bi, take it down to the frame you want, then work back up from there. This way you will have so many parts you will need. If you start with a frame only, you will spend many times more procuring parts to complete your project. Start with a complete car, take it down, and sell what you don't need during the rebuild.

Forget the value naysayers...decent clones and replicas have been selling for years...less than cost to build...but they sell just fine. Besides, that's not likely what it's about to you.

It's not for me to build such a car, but I appreciate honest efforts. I'm so not about the the red over tan sheep. I much prefer the wolves!

Ciao, Nikolas!

Hannibal

 

Eurospares had a new bodyshell available a while ago, it may still be there.

 

There must be something satisfying about making a copy or 100s of Fiero-Ferraris wouldn't be roaming the earth. I can't imagine what it is, but there must be something.

 

Those Fiero-Ferraris are not copies.

 

The questions you raise are difficult to answer, as it is mainly a debate about philosophy, and about what is "right" and what is "wrong".
To me, a Ferrari 288 GTO is a car made as such by the Ferrari factory in Modena, Italy, which, among other things, has a twin turbos longitudinal V8 engine. 272 such cars were made by the factory, not 200.

You want to make a "reproduction"; fine by me, it is your choice. I don't know if this is "right" or "wrong", that's not up to me to decide. Remember that if you try to have a reproduction passed for an original, then this is legally "wrong" and you're liable, which means that the Law say that your car will never be a Ferrari 288 GTO (remember the Favre story in the Eighties with his copies of 250 GTO that ended by his "suicide" - or was it a suicide?...)

You say that you want an accurate reproduction even to the minute details and have for instance the same interior (seats, etc...) as the original.
But the problem is that your reproduction will never be accurate and will never match those high standards on a 308 chassis (not a 328 one, by the way) because the chassis of the 288 is longer than the 308 one at the rear with an engine that is not transversal, but longitudinal. The rear fenders of the GTO are longer than the ones from the 308, the wheel base is longer too: the wheel arches are not at the same place in the fender.
This is very obvious even to an untrained eye: so why go to minute details if the shape of the car is not even accurate, and will not be?

And of course the GTO engine is longitudinal with the gear box behind the engine; of course no 308 or 328 powerplant looks like the GTO engine (no to speak about the Turbos, intercoolers, etc...)

I don't think I am a purist, but to me it is exactly the same as in the aviation world when people are trying to say that a HA 1112 is a Messerschmitt 109; well, it is not, because even if it is the same fuselage and same wings, it does not have the right engine.

But I am perfectly at ease with yourself building a 288 reproduction. To me, but that's just me, the best thing to do is to find an old 308 slowly dying and rotting in a automobile graveyard and save the chassis; but not to cut a perfectly healty car, because these are true Ferraris by their own standard, they don't need, and don't ask, to be disguised as a GTO.

And as for what is "right" or "wrong", well...

Rgds

 

You're right...to their builders and owners, they're as good as real thing!

- Mystified

 

Nikolas,

If you really love the 288, maybe build a modern iteration. 360 chassis and drive train with 288 body panels and styling. Like Beck does for the Porsche 904. Such a nice driving car that there are several 904 owners who have Becks, purportedly, so they can drive them any way they want without fear of killing their million dollar machines. Do that right for the 288 and, with the exception of the TaxTheRich jacktards, you might have some folks applauding you rather than giving you the long look down their noses as they adjust their monocle!

 

It will definitely be cheaper to find a ratty 308 with a "mostly straight" chassis and have some rip it down, then build it back up. The labor to build a chassis from scratch makes no sense really. Those old chassis were built off jigs to ensure they were straight. Just about no one will have a jig save Michellotto or someone like that. Plus, there are good chassis out there for sure still; or ones requiring minor repair.

Back of the hand tells me you will spend 15-25k (USD) on the car depending on condition. It could easily cost 100k or so to make a good GTO copy. Some people spend that just restoring a car to original spec, let alone with all the curveballs involved in modifying a car with aftermarket panels. There is also a good chance it will not appreciate or perhaps even hold it's value after that - hard to say, depends on many things.

You could also just get a 308 that is in decent shape and put GTO panels on it. This will also cost a lot for a good body shop to do. I would say that is ~25-30k US alone. That doesn't include sorting anything (which all 30+ year old cars need); that is just body work and paint.

But it's your money and life, so do what you want and have fun!

 

get a bad 308 and start with it
only way to do it without losing hundred dollars in the build and not ruining a nice 308 (which today would be a bad financial decision)

and even like this, you will need a lot of time, patience and effort to build a "good" car that will look like a 288. to go and drive like a 288 is an all different matter

personally i would simply get a bad-cheap 308 gtbi US model, and hot rod it
without tryng to make it look an exact 288 copy

i have seen a lot of 308 modded and some do look very good
also you can think about building a good tuned engine to go with the look