1976 Ferrari 308 GTB

With the arrival of the Dino 308 GT4, the 246 retired leaving a gap in the range. Indeed, following this departure, the Italian manufacturer no longer offered two-seater coupes with "small" engines. And it is not the 308 GT4 with four seats, designed by Bertone that was going to fill this gap. In short, Ferrari needed a solution, a small berlinette designed by Pininfarina, and quickly! The answer to this problem was brought in 1975 by the Ferrari 308 GTB which at the same time abandoned the Dino emblem to become a full-fledged Ferrari.

Two cars were presented during the 1975 Paris Motor Show (a yellow one (Giallo Fly) at Pozzi and a blue one (Azzurro metalizzato) at Pininfarina), as Lauda had just won the Formula 1 title, and the berlinette with features inspired by the 365 GT4 BB was a great success. It must be said that the (shortened) base of the 308 GT4 was technically good, and that the 308 GTB brought to it all that was expected from a Ferrari. Namely a powerful and sexy style!

It had a similar mechanical layout to the Bertone-signed 308 GT4, but was equipped with only two seats. The bodywork, beautifully designed by Pininfarina, took some visual cues from the fantastic Dino 246 GT. The rapid arrival of the first 308 GTB was also made possible by the use of polyester for the bodywork (except for the aluminum hood). At the time, this material, in addition to being mastered and light, allowed a faster production. For a brand in a hurry to present a new product, it was ideal. And what a line! Lurking on the ground with its small 1.10m high, it has a cut as sultry as typical of its time. The front end is short, ready to devour the ground, with pop-up headlights and air vents, it doesn't get much more seventies!

The profile is well balanced and very dynamic. It is helped by the homogeneity of the overhangs, the inclination of the front part, the obliquely truncated rear, the two big air intakes, or the black border underlining the body line in the shape of waves while breaking the volumes.

However, only the first 808 examples called Ferrari 308 GTB "Vetroresina" were equipped with this polyester shell manufactured by Scaglietti. In June 1977, with the arrival of the GTS (Scoperta) convertible version, the 308s switched to a steel body, 150 kilos heavier.

The V8 engine has nothing minor except its modest displacement of 2.9 liters. On the contrary, the "Tipo F106" is probably one of the major engines of the brand. Depending on its evolution, you will find it under the hood of all the normal V8 cars of the manufacturer (up to the 360 Modena), but also of the 288 GTO, the F40 etc. In short, this 90° V8 with flat crankshaft is a heavyweight! 16 valves, double overhead camshafts, dry sump, four Weber 40 DCNF carburetors, it's a racing gear! And of course, the output is excellent for the time with 87 hp/L, that is to say a total of 255 hp obtained at 7700 rpm. That said, these figures could lead one to fear a cruel lack of flexibility at low revs, but this is not the case thanks to the 284 Nm developed at 5000 rpm.

Right from the start, the 308 GTB (B for Berlinetta) is a sensation. It is totally integrated in the Ferrari stylistic unit of the time while appearing even more balanced than the BB. Thanks to its polyester bodywork, it remained light (1090 kg) while offering high-level performance: 247 km/h, 1,000 m from a standing start in 25.4 seconds, and 0 to 100 km/h in just 7 seconds. The Porsche 911 is kept at distance.

A fiberglass car can be differentiated thanks to a few details: it has a small attachment at the top of the windshield pillar, where it touches the roof. Other differences for the European version: the space for the rear license plate is plain, while the steel cars have a hollow there. The reverse lights are located in the bumper, while on the steel cars, they are located in the center of the turn signals.

Given that the 308 GTB was never officially intended by the Ferrari factory to become a race car, it did end up with a quite significant competition career. Not so much on race tracks, but more impressively on rally stages. Apart from the famous Michelotto built Group 4 and Group B cars, a lot of privateers have modified 308s to use them in competition with the success we know!

Our car is one of the first 308 Vetroresina: the most sought after.

Produced in April 1976, #19189 left Maranello in an elegant "Blu Scuro" livery and a "Pelle beige" interior, equipped with optional air conditioning, spoiler and electric windows.

It started its life in Italy, initially delivered in Bari to Mr. Andrea Andone with the registration number "TE20600". The car stayed in Italy with 3 known owners until 2014 when it was sold and exported to Germany. The new owner then began a complete 3 year restoration to bring the car back to its former glory. The result is still visible today: it looks like it just came out of the factory! No expense was spared and the heavy file of photos and invoices shows incredible attention to detail. The result of this work culminated in the issuance of the "Classiche Certificate" by Ferrari. In 2019, our 308 joined the private collection of a car enthusiast alongside other Italian gems. Offered with an impressive folder of photos and invoices, its Ferrari Classiche Red Book, and retaining its tools, accessories and delivery manuals, this is a very rare opportunity to purchase what is probably one of the most iconic Ferraris of the late 1970s!