Intro to my 1987 328 (s/n 73441)

After months of looking at many 308s and 328s, I came across a gem of a 328 back in October. I am the third owner, picking up the car with just under 26K miles. The second owner bought the car (for only $37K !!!) in 2006 and took amazing care of the car with copious records. I don't know much about the original owner, other than the car did not get a lot of use towards the end of his ownership. Because of that, the second owner put quite a bit of money into the car to deal with assorted issues for the first few years of his tenure, but it's been running nicely and reliably for the last 5-8 years. Other than a grouchy second gear synchro when cold (goes away after about 5-10 minutes of driving, typical I am told) and some light brake squeaking, it runs and drives beautifully.

Just before the sale, the second owner put on new tires, had belts serviced and fluids/filters changed, had the interior redone, and had paint correction done with respraying of the black bits on the front skirt, side skirts, wheel wells, and other areas. He spent about $15K on all that, which I factored into my offer as a positive. The body paint appears to be original along with everything else on the car aside from the new seat covers, carpet, and door panels. The PPI flagged a couple minor issues, which I deducted about $4K for, but honestly, after looking at many other cars I knew this was the one and I'd better act fast before someone else discovered it. When I received the car just before Halloween, the condition was even better than I expected, and I honestly felt like I was experiencing what a new 328 must have felt like back in 1987.

The car has some minor issues I will fix over time. The passenger mirror is floppy, there is a minor oil leak (appears to be the oil pan gasket but I need to really crawl under there to look), and I feel like the shifter detents are a little stiff. There are minor paint chips here and there (about a half dozen on the bottom edge of the doors) but no rust in sight. The door switch for the courtesy lights is flakey and needs a look (works when I jiggle it so I am thinking maybe the contacts need a cleaning). The PPI flagged some seepage around one of the distributors but so far I don't see much.The hood is slightly bent -- original owner did it the first day he owned the car -- but it's not bad enough for me to mess around with (and the story adds some charm). There were a couple tears in the weatherstripping that I carefully fixed with 3M weatherstrip adhesive (worked great) and a couple more I want to address. I put Gummi-Pflege on the repaired weatherstrips and it really did a nice job softening and shining them up.

I've been putting about 100 miles a week on the car, purely for pleasure drives, and will probably average 400-500 miles a month when the weather is favorable. The car is definitely heavy handed at low speed and especially when cold, but after 10-15 miles of driving, it drives wonderfully. It's a great cruiser on country roads in 4th and 5th gear. It's also beautiful to look at, and puts a smile on my face everytime I wander into the garage. I still prefer the looks of the 308 over the 328, but never did find a 308 in this nice shape that I had a chance to buy (others beat me to every one).

Here are a few pics, starting with the night the car arrived around 11pm in the middle of a coastal storm (weather got much worse the next day, so I was glad the transporter pushed for the late night delivery while it was still just sprinkling out). The second owner never took the car out in the rain and had no idea how well the roof sealed, so I drove the car down my driveway with a sheet of Tyvek house wrap on top. I couldn't figure out how to turn the headlights on, and ended up driving down my 1/4 mile driveway holding a flashlight out the window. Once I got her in my garage, toweled her off and got my dehumidifier running. Kind of a crazy start to Ferrari ownership! (The roof never did seem to leak)

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After that it has been all fun and enjoyment. Some minor TLC and lots of driving. It's a great car and I hope to own her for years to come. I started a new notebook for records, and hope to be as good a caretaker of the car as the second owner was -- I want the future fourth owner to be as fortunate as I was. This forum has been a wealth of information during the search process, and I hope I can be an active participant.

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Oh, I almost forgot, there is an easter egg in these photos -- a cosmetic discrepancy on the car -- that I wonder if anyone can spot. There's a story behind that too. Speak up if you notice it!

 

That cover came with the car from the previous owner. Not sure of the brand but I’ll look at the tag next time I pull it off. Very nice fit overall.

 

Yes, it was sold by Lake Forest Sportscars in Lake Forest, IL, on 9/18/87.

 

Well the only tag on the cover says "37050". No mention of manufacturer anywhere.

 

So let me clarify, an "easter egg" is slang for an obscure detail in photos, software, books, etc. In this case, the easter egg is something on the car that is cosmetically incorrect for a 328. I am wondering if anyone can spot it. Hint: it's on the back of the car.

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Yes, the out-of-place 328 GTS badging is the Easter egg! When I questioned this, the seller was really scratching his head until we compared before/after photos of the detailing work done in 2020. The badges were in the right spot before but in the wrong spot after. Interestingly, the position is more like what was done on the 308, so I’m guessing the detailer probably did what he thought was right for a 308.

I was concerned this meant the car had been repainted but it turned out to be a rather innocent mistake. I may reposition them at some point but for now it’s just a good story.