28K Original Miles: 1980 Ferrari 308 GTSi

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Ah, the classic Ferrari 308, a car that is likely near the top of the list among the world’s most iconic sports cars. That being said, there’s a question on my mind as to whether the 308 will ever live among the likes of the most sought-after Ferraris 20, 30 years from now, or if it’s likely to remain as a vestige of the malaise era when seemingly every manufacturer was impacted by ugly safety bumpers and power-robbing emissions. This particular 308 is a fuel injected model with under 30,000 miles and listed here on eBay with a $70,000 Buy-It-Now.

For a while there, the later production 308s were absolutely taking off (and still are quite desirable.) The bumpers were better integrated and the performance improved, so there’s little question as to why those cars are more sought after. The earlier models really were hit with the ugly stick due to those bumpers, but I’m sure you can find some European market units to swap on. More interesting to me is this car’s color, which appears to be Argento, a fancy way of saying silver metallic. You hardly ever see 308s in anything other than red or black, so my guess is the total numbers of units in this color is fairly low.

Oh! Combine that with a lipstick red leather interior and you have quite a combo, and certainly one that is eye-catching enough to make you forget about the bumpers. The low mileage is worth talking about as well, as this really is a time-warp car given it has barely cracked 29,000 miles since new. Oftentimes, because the 308 is one of the “cheaper” Ferraris, we see more miles racked up on the mid-mounted  2.9L V8, as the impact on the sale price is less dramatic than if you were to drive the likes of an F40 daily. This car hasn’t been used in this way and remains fairly new in the wrapper, although I’m disappointed to see aftermarket speakers in the door panels.

The V8 at this time didn’t produce a mind-blowing amount of horsepower, rated at 214 horsepower and 211 lb-ft of torque. This is not going to win many stoplight showdowns these days, but with a proper exhaust, the engine will still sing and sound like a Ferrari should. The asking price seems high, even with the low mileage, as I fear this is one of those cars that has missed the boat in terms of the rapid escalation in value of 80s and 90s cars. If you have to own a 308, I’d strongly recommend looking towards the late 80s to find a car that you’ll pay more for, but will also be worth more in the end.

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Comments

  1. Howie

    This might be a good deal if you can handle that red interior. It does say or best offer.

    Like 3
  2. Danno

    Just needs a turbo K24A2 swap, and a bit of work on the stance.

    Like 1
  3. David McElwain

    Oh I’d love this car just the way it sits.

    Like 2
  4. Upperchucked

    The mileage is just about right for a major service, including belts. I suspect it will be an engine out service.

    Like 0
    • Jesse Mortensen Jesse MortensenStaff

      You can do the belt through the wheel well. That’s why we like this era of Ferrari.

      Like 1
  5. t-bone bob

    Located in: Granite Bay, California

    Like 0
  6. Michael Tischler

    Buyers missed the boat,these were 30 k cars pre Covid.

    Like 0
  7. greg

    Beautiful car! I like the color combo.

    Like 1

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