rear spoiler on qv and 328,is it for looks or does it actually do something?
Yes. It creates a low pressure area and allows more hot air to be extracted. That being said, Tillman! had his removed and he saw no significate change in his temps.
As Matteo mentioned, I removed mine for a sleeker look. No issues over the past 10,000 miles. For the record, the roof spoiler was technically an option, although almost all US cars were delivered with it. EDIT: Pics are in this thread: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62097&highlight=spoiler
I just wish it came in Red. I dont want to modify my car at all but If I allowed myself I would paint it red along with the Targa Top. JJ
I orig. had a early 308 and loved it for the sleakness and then bought a QV for the xtra power...I am not a big fan of the spoiler...from my research, it became known as the "basket handle" and was demanded by the US dealers since they felt the new QV models did not look different enough from the 2v models in the showroom, the europeans thought his silly and had no such spoiler ( but I think was an option in europe). I always thought the spoiler did nothing but dirty up the lines and give me another thing to clean ( armorall thirsty item at that!)...BUT, my big question always was ...why did it apear on the Boxer, which were all Euro version, so the plastic thingy must do something and this is the first I heard that it helps evacuate hot air from the engine bay...I guess this is one for the Myth Busters
I read the air evacuation in a article. I will look for it. I seem to recall it being in the "original v-8". Anyone have access to a windtunnel to see? I agree about the spoilerless look. That's what I loved about my old 78. Having the spoiler also makes it hard to check the oil and replace the forward plugs. 76-79 2v no spoiler 80-82 2v FI spoiler 83-85 4v QV FI spoiler
I wonder .. 1) how much weight we are draggn' around high up there? 2) If hollow, I wonder if the leading edge could be discretely modified to sport intake holes and povide fresh cool air into the engine bay....now that is functional and heat reduction!
It's fiberglass so it can't be that heavy. If it's hollow, you could drill holes in the leading edge and then make holes in the engine cover and route some small ducting but the amount of air would be minimum I think. Windtunnel would verify this. I would be more interested in looking at the way air gets to the radiator and how it evacuates from the front of the car.
Tillman took his off last summer and drove it normally. He noticed NO difference in the cooling properties of the car, or in handling. It has now been permanently removed.
Most spoilers on sports cars are for high speed downforce, that's what I "assumed" it was for. Maybe someone that tracks their car can tell if there is a difference , with and without it above say 100mph +.
If you look at both angle and profile, 328 spoiler will generate lift, not down force... Ciao Eugenio
Took mine off to refinish it a few years ago. It's surprisingly light. Suspect it's hollow inside, like the Euro bumpers. No opening into it from the mounting surface tho. Have often thought of instilling brake a brake light strip in the back of it. Wouldn't obstruct the rear view & would be very visible. So far I haven't had enough time to do something like that.
Looks like it really just directs air over the deck lid vents - I can't see any other reason for the intentional downward slope of the bottom side of the spoiler. It seems like a borrowed-from-big-brother-Boxer item, probably to help with (1) cooling in the hotter climate extremes of the U.S. and (2) selling cars, as a halo marketing item associated with the top of the line car. I believe the QV got revised air extraction louvres in the hood, and that the rear deck vents were reconfigured around the time of the QV launch, so maybe the spoiler came out of the same design sessions. Also, at parking lot speeds, it's aerodynamically tuned to pull women toward the car. Aesthetically, I like it -- one of those '80s design cues that ties the Boxer/308/328 family together.
Rear window sun shade. I wonder how fast you have to be moving for it to do anything at all. (The bleacher bench on the back of the EVO supposedly comes into effect at 80 MPH -- but parked with a 12 knot tail wind, it will lift the trunk lid when the release is popped.)
On a 308, particularly a fuel injected 308, probably to almost definetely not. The basket handle spoiler originated (for Ferrari) on the 365gt4/BB (boxer). It was added AFTER the original design during road and wind tunnel testing when it was found that the car without the spoiler had a low pressure area above the rear deck that prevented sufficient air from getting to the carbs. The spoiler was an add on / afterthought to remedy this problem. This is discussed in detail, and shown in period wind tunnel photos and pininfarina sketches in the Mel Nicols boxer book. The 308 did not have this issue, and carb 308s did not need or have this spoiler from the factory. Later, it became an option on some 308s/328s and standard on others (us cars). This was almost certainly for styling purposes, to make the 308 look more like its big brother, the boxer (like the 308 "boxer trim" option). The fact that it was an option should make it clear it served no performance purpose - if it was necessary, Ferrari would have made it mandatory - as they did on the boxer. Hope this helps... Alex
