Yeah, that is probably #1 on my list so far. I really would like to know what the Ferrari engineers were thinking when they determined that was the best option.
Wasn't that done to transfer more mechanical feel through the gear lever to the driver's hands as you row through the gears? Ofcourse the seals need periodic replacements. I am OK with that tradeoff. I would assume some of these decisions were due to engineers being over ruled by Mr.Ferrari.
That could have been a reason but there are other ways to accomplish that. And even if they decided a direct rod and shaft was needed, they could have put a sleeve through the sump, or even a tunnel cast into the sump (would require two oil pan covers though). A tunnel could have done double duty as a baffle (which they instead cast to the inside of the pan cover). I used to look down on cable shifters since many FWD/transverse engine cars had mediocre cable shifters, but in recent years some of the best feeling shifters I have experienced were cable units, much to my surprise. Porsche has some cable shifters that are superb.
"I would assume some of these decisions were due to engineers being over ruled by Mr.Ferrari." Remember that Enzo didn't care a whit about Ferrari road cars. Anything that indicated otherwise - like the commercials for Goodyear tires, were marketing efforts. Enzo could not have cared less. There are numerous accounts/interviews to prove that point. All the claims folks use about "I'm revising my [whatever model] Ferrari to be as Enzo intended" are silly. He didn't care about your 308...or your 512BB or your 400 Super America...etc. He CARED about the Ferraris in the sports/prototype classes and the F1 cars. FIAT cared about the "Ferrari" cars that we actually drive on the road.
He probably did not care as much about specific cars but I am sure he did to an extent as each car carried his name on it. It is not black and white like that. Nothing is. He probably had some overarching guidelines that the engineers and designers had to obey. For example, the design house has to be Bertone or Pininfarina, not Braun or Dieter Rams for example. That the red paint has to be only from the Ferrari palette. That they have to look faster than they performed as road cars excluding the GTOs… I can keep going on but dinner is served. Ciao.
I've read similar words countless times, but I find it dubious that he literally didn't care in the least about anything having to do with road cars. It seems like I read that he was initially against the mid-engine transverse placement in the 246, believing it wasn't something suitable for an average driver. At the very least, it shows he had an opinion and cared enough to have the conversation. One only needs to look at the cars they actually *produced* in that era, to see that it's a bit far-fetched to say everyone BUT Enzo cared about the road cars. I've never gotten a sense of the man, that he'd walk through the factory and say "I don't care about any of this, do whatever you want."
Well...there is a lot of written information, published at the time re Enzo/his attitude toward the road cars. I think it's rewriting history to claim he had any real interest in the road cars. For example...he wanted the "Dino" logo for the non-V12s. But the marketing folks/dealers quickly found out that the "Dino" logo wasn't selling, but the "Ferrari" logo would. So dealers and the factory rebadged "Dino" cars to have the "Ferrari" logo.
Again not to sound dumb here I have done some online searching but I can’t get the answer. Is a 1982 308 gts a Quattrovalvole? Or was Quattrovalvole introduced 1983 and above ?
QV models were from 83-85, so an 82 will be a 2-valve injected car (they are said to be the least desirable 308 but I wouldn't hesitate to buy a nice one). Also, be aware that Ferrari didn't start using galvanized metal in the body until mid way through the 1984 model year (Jan 84 to be specific, as I recall). So cars earlier than that are much more susceptible to rust problems and need to be carefully looked over.
Amazing info , the owner told me the car has never touched rain ? Would that help with the rust issues ? Also not being QV is it much less desirable ? I’m seeing 40 horse less ? I’m trying to see values on these cars but all over the map.
Rain, humidity, frequent washing, climate, etc, etc, all can cause rust problems. I would say any of those factors could cause an issue. Proper storage in a controlled climate really is important over the long term, and not just for rust on metal -- it factors in to all of the materials on the car. Ironically, people who washed their cars too much and/or were not smart about drying them afterwards might have been doing the worst possible thing. The 308s have fallen into certain groups based on desirability. First were the early fiberglass carb cars (worth big $$$$ now), then I'd say the steel body carb cars, then the 83-85 QV models, then finally the 80-82 injected cars. Some folks may switch the order of the QV and steel carb cars in terms of desirability, but they are both in the middle. The QV cars sorted out a lot of problems and brought some nice improvements throughout, so I tend to think of them as better cars to get into for new collectors. The 80-82 injected cars are considered least desirable due to the drop in power and getting strangled by emissions standards. Values are all over the place, mostly depending on the desirability and then the condition. When I was shopping in 2021, I saw steel body 308 values range from a low of $40K to a high of $160K (they have gone up quite a bit since then). It took months of shopping and learning to understand why there was a spread and how to sort the cars into different categories. Towards the end I was zeroing in on #2 condition 84-85 QV cars in the $75K-85K ballpark which made the most sense for my wants/needs. They were not abundant and sold very fast, so I never did buy one. Ended up spending more for a nice 328 instead.
Hey look, 308's are rare enough, I don't care what anyone else says, that you can be damn proud to own any one of them. Let's just leave it at that.
For US version, there are definite answers: 1982 US = not a QV; 1983 US = is a QV For Standard (Euro) version, it's way more fuzzy = 1982 euro could be either; 1983 euro could be either.
I owned one of these 82 cars, it was my first Ferrari, I was too dumb to realize that I was getting the least desirable version. They are fine to drive under the speed limit but 1. they burn oil and 2. they are gutless. Get a running and driving 328, you will be miles and smiles ahead.
After reading many of these types of threads here and asking similar questions when I was searching, the one thing that I have seen repeated multiple times is buy the best, most sorted car you can afford. It is much cheaper to have someone else pay the bill for sorting it out than taking on that job. Especially if you can't work on your own car.
Remember as well, the '82 has the sodium filled valves. I wasn't aware of that when I bought mine. One of those "while you're in there." If you're going to pull the engine (which you'll have to for all of the work needed) might as well do those valves.
Careful "sodium filled valves" is right up there with "which oil to use" and "timing belt replacement interval" with this crowd
These two statements do not add up: Someone who doesn't even start his car for 10 years, is not someone who babies his car.
