first 308gtsi

for a GTSi the first year model was 1980

 

It's been pointed out to me, that my car #31311 is the 2nd U.S. Production GTSi which would make the first one #31309 (Keith Bluemel's book and other serial # spotters list #31309 as the start of the GTSi).

GTBi's would be the even numbers between #31308/#31310 ??

 

Nope, only odd numbers on street cars up to 75000...

 

I had one of the last 308GTSi models to be sold in the US (41707).

 

Ok, so did they then alternate GTS/GTB every other #??

31309 GTBi
31311 GTSi
31313 GTBi...etc ?

 

Not enough GTBs for that.

 

Ok, just dug out Keith Blumel's book

His production #'s state

1980-82 GTBi's range from #31327-#43059

1980-82 GTSi's range from #31309-#43079

So according to this numbers #31309-#31325 (9 cars) would all be GTSi's....
sound right?

And mine would be #2 @ 31311.

Overall if that's that case, doens't make much differnce to me other than it's intersting fact

 

I've been trying to identify the the sequence in production of my 76? 77? early steel 308 GTB. My car carries a plate which identifies it as being manufactured in November of 1976. The car came to me titled as a 1976. A car title originates with a Certificate of Origin, thherefore it should be a 1976. When I applied for a Heritage Certificate on the Ferrari Owners site they informed me my my car was manufactured in April of 1977.....Huh? November 1976, April 1977? Then I remembered my first trip to Italy 35 years ago ( a "roots" trip to trace my ancestry). I had a street adress in Rome and thought - piece of cake. When I finally arrived at the street, the street name changed a few times as I walked down it looking for my relative's adress. and then I noticed even when I was on the correct "street" the sequence of numbers on the buildings made no sense at all. Tired and hot I went into a church rectory on the same "street" and was fortunate enough to find a priest who spoke English. He informed me that numbering on the street had nothing to do with sequence. Over the many centuries that the street was in existence sequential numbers simply did not exist. New on the street? Pick a number. No, I am not kidding. So when it comes to numbers in Italy, it's far from science, but more of a lottery, in this case , pick an available number that does not exist on the street (in your vicinity). Remember - Europeans think in terms of centuries, while we think in terms of decades. Here's my response from the factory:

Dear Mr Del Colle,

Thank you for contacting us.

We would like to inform you that your 308 GTB is a 1977 model year, but for homologation purposes at that time Ferrari was obliged to communicate to the US authorities the chassis numbers that would be produced the following year. This is why your car actually carries the plaque with a production date from 1976, when it was in fact actually manufactured by ourselves as one of the early steel-bodied cars for the US in April 1977.

Therefore, we kindly invite you to take as correct the date shown on your Heritage Certificate.

We remain at your complete disposal for any information or assistance you may need.

Our best regards,

Ferrari Customer Care

I'll continue to press the factory for answers, but doubt I'll ever get a response that will satisfy me. Hope you have better luck : )

 

Re :Keith Bluemel and first /last production numbers. His book lists 20805 as the first steel bodied car and mine is 20425. Do not belive every thing in ink. See the letters section of the latest issue of Cavallino - It wil be an ongoing subject.

 

Agreed, Bluemel may not be the "end all, be all..." But I personally don't have any further sources

 

Based on what I've seen, sometimes they were made in batches and sometimes it appears to be random. Just part of the fun of trying to put the puzzle together for some of us with too much time on our hands...