This thing won its spot on the site because of the yellow/tan color combination. We saw our first of these in these colors a couple of falls ago when we were visiting the local Alfa shop, where an old friend of the shop was borrowing some time on the lift to check over his 308. Having spotted the yellow paint through the glass in the garage doors, we were relieved to see the tan interior when we walked into the garage; the yellow on black look has too much of a bumblebee feel for our taste.
As far as the Ferrari 308 series goes, this is the least desirable to us. Bosch K-jet is fine on a Volkswagen (where it actually sounds great and provides a nice, natural crackle and pop exhaust), but a Ferrari deserves to breathe. The earlier carb'd cars make significantly more power than the injected cars, and the later quattrovalvole cars made up for the restrictive emissions equipment on fuel-injected cars by using 4 valves per cylinder. Add to that the TRX metric tires from the factory, and you have what we would say is the least desirable of the 308 series - and yet, we would be perfectly happy with one if that's what we ended up with. It's only relative - these probably drive great.
Year: 1981
Model: Ferrari
Engine: 2.9L V8
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 33,853 mi
Price: $59,900
Location: Cleveland, OH
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1981 Ferrari 308 GTSi
We have just added to our extensive exotic car inventory a beautiful 1981 Ferrari 308 GTSi in Giallo Modena over Beige leather interior and only 33,853 miles. This 308 is loaded with: 3.0 liter fuel injected V8, gated 5 speed manual transmission, Ferrari AM/FM/CD radio, original jack, owner's manual and much more. This car received a recent and high quality repaint shows extremely well. Full belt and fluid service performed 4/2020.
Ferraris of this vintage have their failure points, but they are well-understood and benefit from an active DIY community. You can expect to pay dearly for NOS or OEM components, and the Ferrari labor is as expensive as it gets. Do your research and you can avoid surprises for the most part. After all, you really are purchasing the ownership history as much as you are purchasing the car itself - make sure that it's been given proper care, especially in the past 5-10 years.
A friend with access to all sorts of machinery has maintained that these are worth investigating. Sure, the power is nothing spectacular, and you could probably run a Ford Fiesta around a track quicker. But numbers aside, they are said to provide a unique and enjoyable driving experience. Add to that the distinctive and sharp exterior styling, classic Ferrari V8 soundtrack, and the tall gated shifter, and you have the makings of a superb weekend sports car.
-Graham