When I was in my 20's (tall, thin, thick curly hair, mustache, young) I had more of a resemblance to Tom Selleck than Higgins, and when I watched the show, I related more to Magnum since Higgins was just an old man. Now that I'm in my 50's (tall, bald, thin mustache, old) I was prepping my 308 at a car show, and someone asked me, "Hey Higgins, where's Magnum?" Yikes! Where did the time go? Check out my picture in Number 494... http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=138745172#post138745172 308's are icons. They have always been cool, will always be cool, and if you check "Cool" in the dictionary...well you know how that goes
I am not quite sure where the suckage is, in these units, as I have never fussed with, or driven one, but, I suspect the issue in in the brain and not the actual injection hardware. Personally, I would investigate whether you can simply replace the electronics with a system such as the MOTEC ECU or FAST ECU. These are infinitely programmable from your laptop, though there is a steep learning curve, and you will probably spend 80 hours dorking with the program until you get it down. (Having a local dyno place that is known for tuning Ricers is a good idea as a fallback). You may have to change a sensor or two, and check compatibility with the distributors/coils. I put a custom built EFI on my Chev and the difference between carbs/mech dizzy/factory EFI is night and day, (though there is nothing wrong with GM EFI, you just can't custom tune it for motor modifications). Doug
Just a little history lesson - Miles Davis was the FIRST person to use the term cool to refer to something other than low temperatures with his "Birth of the Cool" album released about 1949-1950. This obviously became a part of the popular vocabulary that we use today. ANYTIME you hear someone say "Hey, thats Cool!!" it is a direct result of Miles Davis influence on our culture. Miles Davis owned a yellow 308GTS. Therefore, 308's are by default cool in my book....and have never been anything other than that. At the same time its the only Ferrari that Jay Leno owns too if I am correct.... (for those who dont know my avatar is Miles Davis) PDG
Buddy Guy drives one as well, I have the James Fraher print of him leaning on it, that was used a the cover of Living Blues magazine back in 1991. A red 328GTS, IIRC..
Yngwie Malmsteen was arguably the most technically accomplished hard rock guitarist to emerge during the '80s. Combining a dazzling technique honed over years of obsessive practice with a love for such classical composers as Bach, Beethoven, and Paganini, Malmsteen's distinctively Baroque, gothic compositional style and lightning-fast arpeggiated solos rewrote the book on heavy metal guitar. His car of 17 years? A black 308 GTS. His studio? Studio 308. One of his song titles? Magnum Opus. His studio product still sold in music stores? The YJM 308 Amp. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cVIOuvDUGE The Ferrari 308 inspired him - Cool!
That's pretty much it. I think there's a sharp distinction with the 348, where many in the 308/328 fold just aren't interested in those cars, regardless of price. When it comes to 308s and 328s, they tend to be viewed more as a long run of the same car and guys just buy the best they can afford. I like 328s, but as you say it is a very old school car. I don't think the transition from rubber safety bumpers to fibreglass valances made it all that modern, and most of the improvements are in the area of durability/reliability. Great album. Miles was the birth of cool himself, but he had a 275 GTB first, and others. To some extent, stars bought whatever was new at the time. What was interesting to me, as someone too old to be too savvy about modern rock/pop music, was Maroon 5's choice of a 328 for a music video a year or two ago. You would have thought a young, rich band would use an F430 Spider (stills below). Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Nicely done Bullfighter!!! I have NOT seen that photo of Miles. I do remember, about two years ago, that his 308 was on Ebay. I wanted that car badly, but it was not the time for me to be buying my car yet. For those who dont know me, I am a full-time professional trumpet player, so I am very much into Miles. PDG
I don't mind the occasional "Hey Magnum" shout either, except when it's followed up with "how's that mid-life crisis?" as a youngish kid on a bike shouted out at me the other day. I just had to laugh however.
206/246 Dinos are beautiful. but they are insanely expensive. none of the car collectors guys i know care anything about them, they seem to be coveted by another generation, or caliber of gearhead. same goes for the 348/355 series, they no nothing for me, and seem to have a bad reputation given all the mechanical issues the models have relative to the price of the car and its age. to me the 308 series is THE fun Ferrari. if i can get things turned around, i will keep my QV and buy a carb 308 something also, and keep both! if i wanted to go fast, i would have a sport bike, if i wanted a Jap car, viper, or some "ricer" i would have had them by now, as i have the means. i think it says alot about many of us here that we have chosen, of our own free will, to buy old, slow Ferrari 308's.
Funny thread, I can only speak for my self BUT I have never lost interest in the 308 gtb and never will. From first time I saw one in 78-79 I was hooked. If its worth a dollar or a million dollars It will remain my favorite ferrari. Having driven all the different incarnations of 308 (and ferrari for the matter) my choicewould be the euro fiberglass drysump car, the usa spec cars look almost as good but the extra crap added by ferrari for our continent adds too much weight and dulls the experience (on the road and the track).
Cool history lesson thanks! As for Jay Leno he does NOT own a 308 or any other Ferrari. In his garage however there is a red on tan 1977 308 GTB that belongs to one of his employees. You can imagine my surprise a few months back when I was visiting the garage and saw the GTB; an exact sister car to mine separated by less than 100 serial numbers. Upon inquiring Mr. Leno himself told me that the car was not his however he is a fan of the old 308's and of how you can work on them yourself.
@Nuvolari - thank you for that clarification. I remember there being a thread about it here on F-Chat a year or two ago, but was under the impresssion that it was his car somehow. I wonder what other celebrities have 308s in their garages....probably its own thread. PDG
I wouldn't give mine up for anything - I think I'm in love with my car! Bring on the "Magnum" comments, I don't care. It's been nothing but fun!
Yes. Back when I was shopping for my 308 in 1983, a couple Ferrari places tried to steer me to some nice 246 cars that were in the $16K range vs $20-$26K for the 308s. Sometime wish i had taken their advise. Doug
And under the skin (except for the motors) Dinos and 308s are pretty much identical. Same chassis (exact same wheelbase), same suspension, same fiberglass cockpit liner, same window mechanism etc. Take a look at some of the resto threads on the Dino board and you'll see the same car underneath. Glass half-empty people will say that 308's are at best 60's technology, where half-full will say it's a heavier, more powerful Dino with sharper edges at 1/4 the price.
Years ago my friend asked me if I was ready to 'trade up' the 308 implying that it was merely a starter Ferrari. My reply was swift that the 308 is the one I always wanted and while I may own other cars the 308 is in its own league not to be compared with others. To me at least the 308 is the dream end not merely a stepping stone to a more expensive or newer model.
That reminds me a conversation I had with a 246 owner: the dude paid $14,000 for his 246. Now with the price of 308s in the low 20s, years from now someone will say "I should have buy one at the last real estate crash, there were tons of them on ebay for next to nothing...". .
That's for you to find out, but there was Euro 308 QV on craigslist for 20,000 just last week or something...Have fun shopping.
I'm very happy with mine, but I havent seen a good one for that price that doesn't need a ****load of work.
I'm a fan of other Ferrari models and who knows with a little luck, some planning and work - maybe my 308 can get a playmate in the future. But, I do not plan on getting rid of my 308 - to me and so many others here - its a 100% classic F-car! Evere time I see a 308 next to other and very often newer Ferraris - it just looks very special.
My 308 does not even run but it certainly gets people looking in the door. Here it is in my bike shop surrounded by cycles with random parts/gear all over it. Every and any one walking by knows it is a Ferrari without asking. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Oh, yeah. I remember the *starter Ferrari* comments. Ferrari 308=Porsche 914 crap. This of course, from people who didn't own a Ferrari. Or a Porsche for that matter. Doug
