Why does Ferrari not make the 308 again?

That was discussed some posts ago, its burried somewhere I can't remember, but a member pointed out that... Ferrari, unlike American cars, is not into building "retro" or "nastalgia remakes". Ferrari is leading the way to racing and technology and they just wouldn't see the idea of doing that sort of thing. But I know what you are saying! It would be good to take the most popular example and revive it. The 308 was a good seller. The modern day equivelent would be the 360.

 

First off, they don't even sell well used. They were more than a 246 new yet fetch 1/3 now. So why make a new one when there is about zero demand?

Second, it's a dated design. Ferrari wants to make state of the art products, not recycle old ones.

Third, to keep the Ferrari mystique through limited production but sell more and cheaper cars, they have Maserati.

Ken

 

OUCH! That was a low blow.

 

I'm guessing they don't want to dilute the marque.
Simply selling more cars may not necessarily equal more profits in the long run.

I personaly like the fact that I don't see an Fcar every day...although they're becoming more common. The last time I said wow when I saw a porsche was the Carrera GT.

Cheers
Simon

 

"fetch 1/3 now"?????

They were 27K NEW, a good one is $27K NOW.........not sure what you mean.

It's value has held up well against, say.......a Chevy Vega!!!!!

But all are correct, Ferrari looks forward never back...Not sure they'd design a car to complete, say, against the new Elise......why would they.

A Fiat Spyder maybe, like the Fiat Dino of old..........not the Ferrari Dino, the Fiat Dino..

 

I think is is the key point, I used to think BMW, MERC, Porsche were special
also, but with the millions of the "low-end" cars around from those makes,
the high-end cars stopped being special to me. With Ferrari, all cars are
still special and I would hate to see that be destroyed.
--tony

 

Forget about the 308, how bout a new 246GTS???!!!!

Oh, wait, Lotus just did that.

 

Yep, they sure did.........

 

You are apparently not staying current with what Ferrari's marketing strategy is. It really is not about huge volume...they don't want the Ferrari market diluted with a "low end" model. Ferrari ownership is supposed to be somewhat exclusive, and having a backlog of orders is a good thing. I think they would much prefer to stay around 4000 to 4500 units and keep the sales price up, rather than double or triple volume through offering a lower priced car. As stated before, Maserati is part of the strategy of offering a high performing car, and a lower price of entry (without diluting the Ferrari brand). This marque will be their "volume" brand...they are targeting to move over 10,000 cars per year in the near future.

 

I could be wrong, but I think he was saying that the 308 was more than a 246, when new, yet now the 246 brings 3x the money (used).

 

I believe that he meant that 308s are selling for 1/3 of what a dino is today...

Alex

 

Maybe the first 2 years in the 70's were 27K BUT BY 1980 they were 55K and 65K for the 84s

 

Why would anyone think a reintroduced 308 would cost substantially less than a current 360? If Ferrari wanted to reduce the cost of their cars they would simply (not really so simple) have to increase (drastically) the production numbers and methods of producing their current models. That's not their market. While the 308 may be the quintessential Ferrari and may be aesthetically more successfull than many of the newer cars, I would hate to think the designers stopped there. Respecting previous styling clues is important but outright copying them is a cop out i.e. Ford GT. Great performing, great looking but it's been done before -who needs it.

 

Right, got it...246s originally WERE the lil' brother but now command more in the market against contemporary 308GTBs..

It is also correct the 360 IS the modern 308, against the 575....

 

If ferrari want to reduce the cost of new cars the should stop fitting all the electronic driving aids

 

I'd rather see Ferrari build something with better styling than what they're offering now. If they won't silence the critics by offering a car that trounces a Porsche's performance numbers for the same sticker price, at least they can offer a better looking product....

 

A 246 sold new around $16k and now fetch $70-90k. Do the math. Yes, a Chevy Vega would be a poor investment and GM isn't reissuing THEM either!

There's a Fiat Dino on Ebay now with a Buy In Now pretty cheap.

Ken

 

They do, its called the 360 and soon the F430, which are cheaper today compared to average income that the 308 was when it was being sold new.

 

Yup. That's what I meant. Now, a 246 reissue? Maybe badge it a Maserati? Or just to piss off Frank, don't badge it at all! LOL but that won't happen.

I bet Maserati will produce a small mid engine car at some point but it won't look like a 246.

Ken

 

Frank -

The 360/430 does not contain the same styling cues that the 308 has - the only thing the new cars share with the 308 is the number of cylinders in the engine. If Ferrari keeps this up, you'll be able to close your eyes and not be able to tell the difference between a new Mercedes 500 SL and the Ferrari offering...

 

if i close my eyes i won't be able to tell the difference between a hummer and a ferrari!

 

My point was that Ferrari still made a v8 entry level car that was in fact cheaper in 2004 dollars than the 308 was in 197x dollars.

 

Guess I don't see what you see, when I see a 360.