Which car put Ferrari on the "map"

The eye of the "uninformed couch potato public" maybe, but not the Ferrari enthusiast .The departure from the 12 cylinder engine to the 8 cylinder 308 steered the Ferrari enthusiast away from Ferrari, not toward it. Why do you think the gray market import business of the Boxer grew so much back then...because the Ferrari enthusiasts of the time didn't want an 8 cylinder Ferrari. Like it or not, if it weren't for the then market influence of FNA due to poor sales of the Dino 308GT/4, the 308 would have been badged a Dino too. That being said, it was race cars that first put Ferrari on the map anyway...not road cars...and certainly not a v8 road car such as the 308!

 

Personally, I believe that it was racing that put Ferrari on the map, not any one street car. I have started on the downhill side of 50 so my memory ain't the best (uh, what was I talking about?). But my earliest memories of Ferrari are from its racing victories, not the cars.

Dale

 

It is all subjective, when I was growing up in the mid 60's their racing was of interest to me first(early Wide World of Sports coverage of racing, with Chris Econamaki) and then saw road cars - very rare, but growing up on LI, on the Noth Shore helped. Going to the NY Auto show at the old NY Colleseum was fantastic and was able to see all the road cars. Ferrari put Ferrari on the map - exclusivity, beautiful lines, great noise and power. Enzo was a marketing genius and put forth a strong racing heritage.

 

But Robin didn't drive it (unless you think he WAS Magnum)...Magnum did and so he wanted to go cheaper! LOL

Ken

 

But Robin bought the 308 to use while he was at his Hawaiin estate. Magnum was just a leech that took advantage of the situation and drove the wheels off of the thing.

 

Ah, good point. I guess the production company didn't account for the impact of the car, and later scrutinizing by FerrariChat!

Ken

 

You 12 cylinder guys (FrankParker) can whine all you want about a Ferrari having to have a 12 cylinder in it in order to be a Ferrari. Bottom line is this: The most recognizeable Ferrari..buy a huge margin is the 308/328 cars. You cannot deny it one bit. When people see them they know exactly what car it is. They don't say "what is that" they say "look!! a Ferrari", Yes the 12's are beautiful and the TR is the second most know Ferrari. But when the none enishiated think of a Ferrari, the 308 pops into there head..or Magnum P.I.

Now take a 456 or a 250 SWB or even a 250LM...to some they like the way it looks (who wouldn't) but do they know who made it? More then likely they would have to ask..or look at the label on the car. I have so many people that come into the shop and look around at the cars. When a 308/328 is in the shop..they know it's a Ferrari. But I have had 348/355, BB512, TR's, 246GT etc in the shop and have to ask me what those cars are!! When I tell them they are astounded that Ferrari has made so many cars. To them the only car Ferrari makes is the 308/328 cars. Strange but true. I have to explain to them that Ferrari has been around for 60 years and they have built many cars, Most say "I;ve never seen anyother Ferrari except these ones".

Like it or not an 8 cylinder Ferrari is the car everybody knows as a Ferrari.

 

For those who think Ferrari is on the map because of it's Racing success in the 50's
one question for you: Is Aston Martin on the map because they won Le Mans in 1959 with a driver named Carroll Shelby?

 

great post! Boxers are great, i love them. but " uninformed" or not the vast majority of the public, from children to older folks see the 308 as " A Ferrari ". when i first saw a 308 on Magnum PI, i was so smitten that i went to the library and looked up what i could on the model and Marque. it was through the 308 that i was introduced to cars i had never seen or heard of. i learned of the GTO and the famous races and history BECAUSE OF THE 308. my marrone 308 was like a stealth bomber. people would freak out when it pulled up along side of them. i had a father of 2 young boys pull up next to me in a nicely restored older Jeep Cj, as young as the children were , they were shouting " a Ferrari! a Ferrari! " . the father had a proud smile on his face and gave a polite smile to me. i beeped the horn, gave them a thumbs up and gave the webbers a good rev for them. the kids almost came out of thier seatbelts they were so happy!

unless you are a car person, the other Ferrari models may not stand out as they are seldom seen in public, on the roads. out of sight, out of mind.

 

Bravo! Excellent Post!

Now if only I could find a 308 t-shirt.

;-)

 

So would want a car loved by the great unwashed, or one recognized by Ferrari enthusiast as an extention of the art first created by Enzo. Your call!

 

It is not yet on the US map. I think most drivers think it is a kit on a Firebird.

 

"For those who think Ferrari is on the map because of it's Racing success in the 50's
one question for you: Is Aston Martin on the map because they won Le Mans in 1959 with a driver named Carroll Shelby?"


No but ferrari has 4000+ race victories and a few with that same guy

 

308, IMO. I had a 328 GTS, & people would ask me if it was a 308 like magnum's car.

 

To take a longer view, Scuderia Ferrari had a very strong reputation in Europe and abroad ( i.e, was on the map) before the war. So well known was Enzo Ferrari, Alfa would not let him out of his contract without a promise NOT to use the Ferrari name on a car of his own for a cooling off period. Leveraging his already well known name as an Alfa Romeo racing team director for the first Scuderia Ferrari, he turned a moderate sized machine tool company into a continuation of Scuderia Ferrari and a successful automotive racing concern.

So, the car that put Ferrari and Scuderia Ferrari on the map was a pre-war Alfa Romeo.

Very similarly like the car that put Ferdinand Porsche on the map was a pre-war Mercedes.

best to all
rt
"..."the world did not start in 1945..."

 

In Thomas Magnum's wildest dreams perhaps...

I'd have to agree with Wayne though. Ferrari's name was established way before the 308 ever hit the streets. Perhaps it helped when Ferrari set foot on U.S. soil back in 1954, and hit it off selling about a thousand 250 GTE's some years later.

 

Ouch.....

 

Correctamundo, although I suppose you have to be a certain age to know that. If I had to pick anyone Ferrari model that put the Scuderia "on the map" for most enthusiasts it would be the 250GT/SWB (hence my sig). It's the first Ferrari to combine strong racing success and class dominance
with significant production numbers.

The SWB is the car that I see in my mind's eye when I hear the word "Ferrari" without any qualifiers. To be fair, I'm sure if I were 20 years younger it would be the 308GTS.

 

I do agree with Wayne..But the jist of the question(or the direction this thread has turned) is what brought the name Ferrari to the masses..or here in north america anyways. Of course people knew what Ferrari was long before the 308 came out. But the 308 brought Ferrari into the mainstream. This car was the one that made Ferrari able to produce the cars that it does now. This car is the car people think about when they think Ferrari, here in North America. The Ferrari 308 is the signal most recognized design in history next to the VW Beetle. There is a reason for that.

 

Wayne, of course, is right. Ferrari was on the map long before 5-0. This is really a generational question. For us Baby Boomers, Ferrari means racing and movie stars. For the Gen Xrs, perhaps Ferrari means 5-0 and Miami Vice. (Funny, two cop shows.) For the echo boomers, who knows?

However, I if had to pick one car that has been an out of the ball park home run for Ferrari, in terms of exposure and profits, it would have to be the 360.

Timing in life is everything. Just at the point where millions of Baby Boomers start having disposable income, Ferrari brings out the perfect Baby Boomer car.

Please remember that 5-year waiting lists are a recent phenomena. Back when they where new, 309/328/348/355 did not fly off dealer lots. Hell, even the V12s back in the day were a slow sell. Doesn't anybody remember why Yates and Gurney got that Daytona for Cannonball? Luigi, or whoever it was, had a car gathering dust on the showroom floor.

Right now, Ferrari, by itself, is rolling in money. F1 is doing great. Endosements are doing even better. The 360/430 is bringing in big bucks.

Ten years from now, who knows? Bernie is probably going to change the F1 rules to make it more like NASCAR, i.e., let's play nicey nice and give everyone a chance at winning. If so, Ferrari will have a tough time winning championships, which might hurt the endorsement money.

What about the 360/430 line? Time will time. But once the Ford GT settles in as $150k car that kicks the ever-living butt out of the 430, those 5-year waiting lists might disappear.

Dale

 

Ferrari 288 GTO put them in the must have category and also sky high premiums back in the 80's !
Then the F40, F50 and Enzo followed suit...

Like what others said...prior to that..you have the doe...you have the car !

 

Wrong pal...the F430 will kick the cocky butt of the Ford GT...Trust me it's proven already !

 

I know, but then the question should read:

What type made you fall in love with the marque?

to answer:

I know that when I was a kid of about six years old, my mom got me a plastic car with popup lights which actually worked with a little switch underneath the car. I had no idea what car it was supposed to portray, but somehow I was drawn to the shape of it.

Later on, same thing happened with Magnum's 308. I had no idea it was a Ferrari and frankly, the Ferrari-name hadn't entered my concious life yet, but I was definatly drawn to the car. It's looks, it's obvious speed, it's sound.

Then I saw a photograph picturing the unveiling of the Testarossa in the Lido in Paris back in 1984. It was then when I got seriously hooked. Only then I started to find out more on the marque I had just fallen in love with (and found out there was much, much more than the 1984 Testarossa).

A few days ago I presented my nephew of almost 2 years old with the 1:43 F40 by Bburago. Although he seems to be much more into trains, a Ferrari apperantly is an acquired taste. He will learn

Oh, and the car my mom got me when I was a kid was, as I know now, a 512 BB.