Least favorite F car from the 70s & 80s

400?

 

Pontiac Fiero

 

400.

 

Maybe you should turn your life around.

 

Mondial?

 

Then how would you explain this?

"The Mondial has been one of Ferrari's most commercially successful models, with over 6,000 examples produced over its thirteen-year run."

 

Countach

 

For me personally, it would have to be the GT4. I'm just not a fan of Bertone styling. Too angular. I've always preferred the Pinninfarina lines.

 

Another Bertone masterpiece.

 

I would agree with this and also include the GT4. That always reminded me of a 308 GTB/S wannabe trying to get into the family type buyers.

 

either the mondial or the gt4. always been a fan of the 400/412 - i guess because i haven't owned one. ;-)

 

Except that the 308 GT4 preceded the 308 GTB/S.

400 Automatic is a pretty horrible car IMO. Large expensive, ugly and ... automatic. I had a ride in a gold one once. Ugh!

Not a big fan of the TR styling either. BB is wonderful.

 

Silly question. It's like going to a gallery filled with paintings of Monet and asking the person next to you, "which one do you like the least?" Who does that?

 

+1

 

Ford Pinto!

 

The 308 GT4 shape has grown on me over the years.
I like it the more I look closely at it.
It is kind of a Lancia Stratos stretched into a sleek 2+2.

Here are some pictures off of the web of the 308 GT4 and Lancia Stratos for a back-to-back comparison.
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The Stratos is one of my favorite cars of all time, and I love Bertone styling. The original Countach LP-400 was a beautiful car, but then came the fender flares for wider tires, and the 5 MPH bumpers, &c.

My first Italian car was a FIAT X1/9 and people forget what a smash hit that car was. Circa 1978, there were tons of them on the road. I wonder why FIAT hasn't reintroduced it, frankly.

As for least favorite Ferrari's of that era, the 400/400i is just about as plain and uninspiring as a Ferrari can get, but I still wouldn't mind driving a well sorted manual version.

Cheers,

George
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Cool photo George!

 

I think you exceed the weight limit for that roof

Funny you mention the X-1/9- I bought an old mag (I think car & driver) at a flea market a couple of months ago since the issue reviewed the then-new generation Monte Carlo- I bought it for my brother as a joke since he had an '80 Monte beater in college. Anyway, the same issue reviewed the x-1/9 and they LOVED it- said you could flog it without worry and in the dark days of 1978 I'm sure it was a nice ray of sunshine (As was the 1978 911SC, my first car (bought used)- 0-60 in low 6s, when a vette struggled to crack below 9 seconds- that's when Porsches got their reputation as being "fast" (and the 930 was in the low 5s in '78), but I digress...


I'd have to say 400 automatic was the worst Ferrari of the era for the original question. (since 3 speed auto- the 400 itself is quite striking- nice looking)

 

Exactly this.......
Who even talks like this.
If I did not have one in my garage, any mentioned above would be welcome .....
I personally love the 400/412 series, I also like the gt4 and the Mondial.

 

The X1/9 was a fantastic little car. In tight Gymkhana courses it could beat almost everything. Razor sharp rack and pinion steering, excellent road feel, and a tight but comfortable ride. It's what got me hooked on Italian cars. It's very close to my 308 GTSi in handling, but not as quick, of course, but the front end at low speed is tons lighter than a 308. I dreamt about that car for years after I parroted with it.

Cheers,

George

 

Well, it's my personal point of view. Commercial success is an strong argument, thinking about legacy, IMHO, it was the least expressive Ferrari of the 70s and 80s.

 

Actually, no. The Mondial 8, when introduced in 1981/82, was priced about $10K higher than the 308.

But yeah, two-seat sports cars almost always have more of a lasting appeal over a 2+2 GT.

 

it's true - about 20% more expensive then the 308. But I argue most people would put the Mondial at the bottom of the heap. The 2+2 config, a ton of bad press (most were regurgitative), and modest performance (relative to price) of the 8 all contributed to the negative viewpoint. The 308 GT4 has definitely hit it's resurgence (prices reflect that) - and I think the 365/400/412 are so understatedly beautiful and classy.

just my $0.02