If you haven’t noticed, prices for manual Ferraris are pretty much headed to the moon, and never coming back. If you wanted to get into a car with a gated shifter and a prancing horse for under $100,000, your options are growing increasingly slim. This is actually an arena I explored recently, and while I will not be adding a Ferrari to my garage, I certainly understand if this 1975 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 listed here on Car and Classic catches your eye. It’s currently up for grabs for €60,000, which works out to about $70,000 USD. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Araknid78 for the find.
Confession time: I spent a great deal of mental energy over the last few weeks convincing myself that I could, and should, own a vintage Ferrari. I went down the rabbit hole of chasing any Mondial 3.2 coupe I could find, and not surprisingly, I am late to the party. Supply was always limited, but now, it’s non-existent. I was offered one of the later Mondial T models with the same engine as a Ferrari 348 for a heady $100,000. That’s just bananas, especially for a car that has historically been one of the most unloved Ferraris of all time. This particular car was imported to France when new, and it still wears its unusual yellow tinted headlight lenses – a French market requirement.
The 308 GT4 is more or less a spiritual predecessor to the Mondial, and while this may have seemed like a drawback a few years ago, that sentiment has dramatically changed. Any Ferrari with a naturally aspirated V8 mounted in the middle of the chassis and connected to a classic manual gearbox is going to be held in high regard these days, especially since Ferrari has abandoned this combination of features in its modern road cars. The car shown here was not exactly a smash hit when introduced, as it was sold under the Dino brand without any Ferrari badges, before this strategy shifted and the prancing horse appeared in an attempt to boost sales.
The 308 is equipped with a 2.9-liter V8, producing around 255 b.h.p. in European-spec trim. The description notes it has been in current ownership for many years but has an “average” maintenance history, with the last timing belt change performed in 2011. The challenge I had with cars like these is you’re currently paying for a moment in time when Ferraris with three pedals are surging. What happens to cars like this and the Mondial, when the mood shifts and the next generation loses all interest in old sports cars with a stick shift? You’ll be holding the proverbial bag on a vehicle that still costs significant money to own, but its future value remains in question. What do you think: will Ferraris with a V8 and a manual always appreciate?
These cars sold so poorly that some dealerships reportedly repainted them red and fitted them with Ferrari badges to help them sell faster. This car was originally blue and had a badge change. I wonder if this is one of those cars painted at the dealership.
I owned 1973 #07202, originally blue as well, when I got it in Rome in 1985 it had been painted red at the factory, it was listed in every document as a 1976 model, found out 28 years later that it was the Paris show car.
Gem of a car, pretty much bullet proof ,right out of the gate
Cheapest Ferrari I’ve ever seen.
I wanted to go & see this 308, but the Car & classic will not accept my French Visa card
It’s a good point about how costly they are to own and keep street legal with registration and insurance. Heck i almost bought a Maserati last summer until I did the math. At a minimum, 12k a year and that’s hoping it doesn’t ever need anything.
I can imagine this would be 20k a year or more.
Not at all, but it has to be well sorted, these cars are very well built, at least mine was, and it was the first .
I have always loved the look of these!! About 10 years ago i had a 92 Mondial T, my first and last Ferrari. I did lots of car shows and had a ton of fun, and leaned many things, yes it was a gated manual. But with the price of things these days never again. Parts and labor back then was crazy, i would hate to think what it is like now. I sold it when my head was still above water.
What a beauty. Would’ve loved to see it in its original blue. I really like these wedge Ferraris.
The Wikipedia post on Nuccio Bertone:
“When Bertone designed Ferraris, penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro, this was a radical departure for Ferrari that drew the ire of rival design house Pininfarina, which Ferrari had so far often worked with. However, his two 250 GT SWBs only foreshadowed the controversial Dino 308 GT4 of the 1970s, designed by Marcello Gandini, who had by that time designed several stand-out models for Ferrari’s rival Lamborghini.”
I imagine there was a lot of yelling.
Whenever–and that’s very rarely–I think about owning a Ferrari, I think of how many better cars I could own for a fraction of the money. Ferraris aren’t owned because they are good cars; they are automotive jewelry, just as today’s Leica cameras are photographic jewelry.
A lot hinges on your definition of “good cars”. I’m guessing that you are down on Ferrari because the brand has become so popular with the nouveau riche and, as such, is a status symbol. I feel the same way about Porsche. Both marques have produced some seriously great cars over the decades, and both continue to produce remarkable cars today…just not for people like us. This is an honorable Ferrari. It’s very analog and more (or less) serviceable. I would love to own it, not as a piece of bling, but as the true driver’s car that it is.
“when the mood shifts and the next generation loses all interest in old sports cars with a stick shift” Well that is why a manual is called an anti-theft device.
I remember seeing one of these in a used car lot in West Allis, Wisconsin for $19,995. in the mid 70’s. I wasn’t really impressed. So instead I went out and bought a brand new Corvette for less than a third of the money. Of course it wasn’t Ferrari, but the upkeep was a lot lower.
Overrated sleds, the fake Daytona from Miami Vice is a better choice than this
I used to have a restoration shop. And did a fair bit of work on these 308 GT4 and also a couple 246 Dino’s
I have to say both very nice driving cars, that made great sounds. But the GT4 was an marvel of packaging. It really was mid engine, V8, had 4 seats, and a decent size trunk. In a very tiny car. Amazing
Located in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France
Thanks for the acknowledgement, Jeff