A very enjoyable read. Thanks for writing and posting it.
What a great story! And the exact same reason I plan on having an F-car someday. It's a hobby, and I want to maintain as much of it as possible. Once my '49 Ford is finished, then a 308 is certainly on the docket. It was a fantastic read!
Thanks, Brian. I am also going for a trophy at a concourse event in 6 weeks. Already have my toothbrushes lined up and a list of about 50 things to do...
If this is your first concourse judging they will probably provide you with an additional list when they are done. Chip away at that list over the next year. Repeat.
Best wishes. Start another thread on preparing for a concours and we will "help" you. (Hee hee.) I completely agree.
Well said. It's funny how different Marques attract different types of people. It's seems to apply to different models within the Marque also. I wonder if the 308 people will someday be the "status buyers" with the prices going up. By the way, I thought you we're great in Sling Blade.
My 1983 308 GTS Quattrovalvole was invited to The Quail A Motorsports Gathering this year in “The Great Ferraris” category. I was in good company. Directly in front of me was Jim Glickenhaus with his SCG003C (that's him in the blue jacket). To my car’s immediate left was one of three factory prototype 348 Challenge cars. Three cars down to the right was David Lee’s fire-breathing 246 Evo. To my immediate right was Jeff Cowan’s flawless 1975 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 and a couple of cars over to the left was Rossocorsa1’s perfect extremely low mileage 1989 328 GTB. It was seriously, majorly, awesomely cool to be invited to Quail. I am sorry to report that none of the three 3x8s that were present won Best in Class. That was awarded to some dodgy old jalopy; something called a “1958 250 Testa Rossa”. Harrumph. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thank you! The adventures the car continues to take me on are just amazing. How did I get so lucky? Regarding more photographs, well, the reality is that my car is as plain as a 308 gets: standard issue Magnum p.i. red with tan. We've all see a million photos of red and tan cars already. And photos of me standing here with my car and there with my car are just too Facebook-y for my taste. Attending The Quail though was major, so I posted a pic.
March 4, 2020 - Update at 7 years of Ownership I am in a bit of an unusual situation at my 7th anniversary of ownership. The car has been up on jack stands in the garage since New Year’s Eve 2019. Frankly, 2019 was more of a BMW-centric year for me. The big event was preparing and then driving my 1987 BMW 325i convertible across the country to participate in BMW CCA “Oktoberfest” in Greenville SC and then touring the south in the car with my wife. Drove from California all the way to South Carolina only on backroads. Went as far south as Savannah Georgia. Put 6,800 miles on the 33-year-old BMW. It ran flawlessly. The biggest event for the Ferrari in 2019 was participating in the Virginia City Hill Climb. I love this event. I was a few seconds faster than my previous year, but I am not trying to break any speed records. The Ferrari is up on jack stands because I have finally tackled the suspension renovation. Needless to say, I have not been working on the car this whole time. There have been all kinds of obstacles, not least of which being a protracted visit by my mother-in-law. I’m having lower suspension spring perches made to lower the car a little. That is taking time. Another “obstacle” was that it was time again for me to change the timing belts. And, there are always all kinds of little while-I’m-in-there fixes. It is just going slowly. It is weird not having the car to drive for this length of time. Fortunately, all the suspension work will last a very long time, probably beyond my lifetime. Over these last 7 years, I have averaged 1,850 miles per year. The car now has 51,000 miles on it.
Thanks for the update Brian. But this time I really like the BMW travel part. Wow! And don't hurry with your work on the 308. Wrenching is part of the game for us home mechanics. Best from Germany Martin
Well, one of the upside of this abnormally warm winter (same for you Martin I guess: NO SNOW AT ALL up to now!) is that the 328s get driven...and are happyer. Tried to visit the beavers places and spots the last week-end; discovered that we have some in my neck of woods; our german neighbours re-introduced them in Saarland in 1996, but the beasts do not care about the borders or ID papers... Rgds
Fantastic story which I’m sure parallels the experience pretty closely by most of us. Can’t wait to read about the next four.
Noone cares about ID papers while crossing the border any more. Least of all here on our river border with car ferry (which I cannot enter with the 308 because of the deep front spoiler). But if furry immigrants start cutting your trees, I would intervene Seriously; Even regarding Switzerland I can't remember any more, when they wanted to see my papers last time. Best Martin
Hi Brian, I know you wrote this thread a few years back but it reminded me a lot of my experience buying a 308. I too within a very short period had the fuel pump fuse burn up and switched to the Birdman fuse box, had my oil cooler line leak and my exhaust was shot. I was always hesitant about buying a Ferrari due to the ‘fear’ that others would be too smug but o boy was this not the case. It has been a wonderful experience and I have been treated more like an old friend by everyone than a competitor. Hopefully all is well with your 308 and would love any updates!
Yeah, I continue to be surprised by the comradely of the Ferrari crowd. They have turned out to be an incredibly inclusive bunch. Everyone – from LaFerrari to 250 Lusso owners – enthusiastically engage in conversation about my “lowly” 308 despite their car being more interesting. I think we kinda “need” each other because owning a Ferrari is a little bit on the fringe. We are all a little bit misunderstood. From our 3x8 side of the fence, I think it is difficult to gauge the effect our car has on other people. We get all critical of our cars because of Magnum p.i. and the 20,000 3x8s that were built and that it was the least expensive model when new and blah, blah. The car is such a magic blend of fantastic and weird. When I hear “entry level”, I hear it more as meaning that 3x8s are a “gateway drug” than “beginner” Ferrari. All Ferraris are the same when you don’t own one. I am lucky that I own a second “practical” antique sports car; my 1987 BMW 325i convertible. It gets a little attention from cognoscenti, but I don’t hesitate to park it a shopping centers, drive it in the rain or hauling large items, which I am always reluctant to do with the 308.
