308 Horsepower Confusion

As a kid i always wanted an early E30 M3 (with the wing) and figured the M1 must have been a rocket. I drove both one right after the other and couldn't believe how slow both felt. I'm still in disbelief. I actually opened the M1 engine cover to see if it was a real BMW motor in there.

Same feeling when i finally drove a Mustang 5.0 and an Acura NSX.

The 308 is no faster than any of them but it's much more fun to drive and so much more beautiful than any car ever made IMO.

 

+1

That's just it!

I've owned and driven quite a lot of wonderful cars, including newer Ferraris, but there is nothing I've found that's as fun AND as beautiful as a 308. (Of course, I'm still waiting for my friend to let me take the wheel of his 288 GTO. . .)

 

Assuming it's tuned properly...

The only reason I join itno the new threads o this is that tuning makes a HUGE difference in ANY of the 3x8 variants, and the early carb cas will suffer in complarison if the carbs, AND the distributors, are not "correct"......

And I'm afraid the number of them in this condition is: not many..

BUT once they are right, hang on!

The injected cars are "simpler" I suppose but failing components are rapidly putting them in the "same place' as the carbed models..

Good luck in your search....I feel there's some sleepers out there that would really respond to the love....

 

I had an epiphany when I drove a 288GTO this year, I remember being behind the wheel thinking how much of a turd my boxer was when the turbos spooled up. Best way to describe a GTO is Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde. I went home right away and drove my boxer to redeem myself and apologize for thinking such bad thoughts about her.

 

Sorry Alan, you cant apply that to a 308, an F40 yes but no 308 ever to roll out of the factory.

 

I heard a 288 owner in Vegas tell me his car was like a wild carnival ride on the track if you didnt know what the heck your were doing. I guess the F40 is much more forgiving.

 

att: grammar police.............before i get banned........in my last post, i stated, "their worth it".........correction......"they're worth it..........."

 

Hey man, your engine had high compression pistons for it but not the cam to really take advantage of things. You *could* have woken your engine up a ton and had a solid 270 cranked out of that thing. I will let you know how it is once I am done

 

Agreed but I didnt see the value in spending $1400 for cams then sell the car otherwise it would've had them. 270HP would be nice on paper but its torque that gives the thrills not peak HP at 8000rpm and a 308 cant make massive torque at low rpm regardless of the internals.

Im debating a dyno of my boxer engine after the build and then again in-car to measure it at the wheels. Finding out what the actual drivetrain losses are would be nice.

 

The flywheel dyno setup is a pain, but for academic purposes it may be very worthwhile.

 

I disagree re the Ferrari HP figures being incorrect. If you look at Ferrari's published HP for these cars and then look at road tests with 1/4 mile ET/trap speeds for these cars at the time, they confirm that Ferrari's published HP figures (which are flywheel HP, as they are published for every other car) are essentially correct.

As an example, the 260 (FW) HP quoted for a US 328 is literally exact as verified with a published road test 14.2 sec 1/4 mile time. (RWHP around 220)

If arguing that Ferrari's figures are much higher than that shown on a dyno...OF COURSE they are, the same as they are with any other car that you put on a dyno. Car/engine makers quote FW HP, not RWHP.

 

I think the 328 did offer a real 260bhp although the Euro figure of 270bhp sounds a bit high. No worries, they are satisfyingly quick to drive. About the same as an early NSX which is plenty fast by most peoples standards.

 

Sorry, mate, but you're comapring '95 models. By the next year or so, the US versions were upped to 3.2 litres and had more torque. The quoted 0-60 times of the later US versions were around 5.5 seconds.

 

Doug,
Some of your info is incorrect. US 328's are 3200 lbs (wet weight) Euros are slightly less. I had a 99 E36 M3 and a 328 at the same time. The M3 is much faster, much better handling and has much better brakes. I've been on tracks many times with M3's present and they are quite fast. I was able to reel them in with the 2004 STI I had, but not that easily, whereas 308's, 328's and 348's were easily lapped in 20 minute sessions with the Subie. That should give some perspective. You can read magazine stuff but it doesn't translate very well to what a car feels like or how it performs on a track.

Dave

 

Just have to point out a post made by a new QV/former 425hp Cobra owner

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=139231706&postcount=29

"All this talk about how slow the 308 is seems a bit baffling to me. It feels fast. Not brutal like the Cobra, but still very quick and agile."

 

I meant: "Hang on, to THIS!!!"
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85 QV Euro, bone stock, 28000 miles. Dyno'd 206+/- rwhp (250 +/- bhp, no?)

(edit: the 298hp log is after supercharging)
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Thats cool to see the power plateau after 6000, not peaky at all.

Stock exhaust?