1982 Ferrari 308gtsi, 43k Miles, Rosso Over Nero, Major Service Done on 2040-cars

For your consideration, on offer today is a 1982 Ferrari 308GTSi. Finished in classic Rosso Corsa over Nero interior, this 308 is in nice driver condition overall with absolutely beautiful paint, nice interior and a strong engine, showing just over 43,000 miles on the odometer. I am offering it on behalf of the owner who has brought it to me for service for the past several years from his home in northern Ohio.

If you have observed prices of classic Ferraris, practically every single model has climbed steadily throughout the years, with certain standouts such as the 246GT going from undesired old sports cars to six figure thoroughbreds which are the pride of many a collection nowadays. While the 308 series was built in a higher volume from the outset, the past few years have seen them start their climb and I firmly believe that in about ten years, these will be unobtainable for less than $100K, along with Testarossas and the 400 coupes. Trends in the collector car market show that people who collect cars buy what they remember from their youth, and with the Millenials starting to graduate college and take jobs in the workplace, I believe the demand for cars of the 1970s and 1980s will rise and so take their respective values along with it. So here is the opportunity to acquire an automobile which can be driven and enjoyed all while remaining a sound investment for the future, and while there is work needing to be done on this particular example, there is a vast network of service information across the internet and parts are readily obtainable and not priced out of reach of the average enthusiast. Please continue to read on to find out more information about this classic 308. I would also invite any serious parties to contact me directly on (513) 519-7302 to discuss the car in further detail.

EXTERIOR: Finished in classic Rosso Corsa, the paintwork on this 308 is in absolutely incredible condition. It was refinished about a dozen years ago and was done to a painstakingly high standard whereby the car was totally disassembled and taken to bare metal before being refinished. There is nary a run, sanding scratch or any orange peel to be seen anywhere on this car, and I’ve been around a lot of 308s in my day. It’s clearly obvious when viewed in person that whomever painted the car was a master in their craft, and rare as I find being able to say it, but pictures do not do this car justice—it needs to be seen in person to be truly appreciated. One thing to note regarding the photographs—they were taken on a very bright day with flash photography, so the color saturation appears to have more of an orange-ish hue, but I can assure you, the shade of red is absolutely correct for this car. You will observe that the details of the paint were done correctly; i.e. the satin black around the windscreen frame and just behind the steel roof panel above the buttresses. The only change from original was color matching of the center bodyline from black to red. The underside of this 308 is equally nice with no evidence of prior rust repair or accident damage that I am able to see, and the common rot areas such as the rear wheel arches and door bottoms are good and solid.

INTERIOR: The interior, finished in Nero leather, piped red, is in good condition overall with normal wear evident mostly on the driver’s seat outer bolsters. There are no tears in the leather and the carpets and door panels are also in good, serviceable condition with only minor wear commensurate with age and usage. The headliner on the targa top is in good shape and not sagging and the factory stowage bag for the top is present and in good shape. The fascia panel is in good condition with no tears or shrinkage in the material, as well as the center console. You will note that a voltmeter has been installed at the forward edge of the console and there is a small switch in the coin tray at the far left end of the fascia which controls the fog lamps. The original Pioneer radio was removed and a modern unit has been fitted, along with supplemental speakers on the rear deck, behind each seat.

ENGINE: The engine in this 308 runs strong and fires readily hot or cold. Approximately three years ago, a major service was performed which included replacement of the timing belts, overhaul of the tensioners and a new water pump. A check and adjustment of valve clearances was performed at the same time, along with oil and filter change using Agip SINT 2000 which is the correct oil for these engines. The cooling system was given an overhaul and the radiator was removed and rodded out and a complete flush and refill of coolant was done. The engine runs at a steady 195 dF on hot days.

TRANSAXLE/CLUTCH: Here is the area where some work is required on this car. The second gear synchronizer is bad, which is a common trouble spot on 308s of this vintage. Additionally, the third gear synchro is a bit noisy when the gear oil is cold but once warm, operates ok. First, fourth, fifth and reverse are all functioning as normal. When the major service was performed, the gear oil was drained and refilled with Red Line 75W-90 N/S which is what we have found works really well in these vintage Ferrari transaxles and have used it for several years. You would likely want to perform an overhaul of the entire transaxle if going through the labor to R&R it, so I would budget around $5,000.00 for this job or, alternatively, a secondhand unit may be able to be sourced from T. Rutlands or Dennis McCann. The car can be driven as-is, and has made four trips back and forth between Toledo and Cincinnati, but obviously you would want to make this repair a priority, particularly if you are doing a lot of around town or back road driving. I advised the owner on this issue back when he first brought the car to me but as he had a fairly large collection of cars and used this car very infrequently, he elected to leave this job up to the new owner. The clutch operates fine, although engagement is at the very top of the pedal stroke, so it would certainly be advisable to replace the clutch when doing the gearbox repair.

WHEELS/TIRES: The wheels are Superformance QV repros and are basically brand new, along with the tires, which have less than 3,000 miles on them. The original TRX wheels are present and will be included with the car and the original spare is present with a good, original Michelin tire on it.

ELECTRICS: All electrical items on the car are working. We overhauled the window regulators and put HD motors in a few years back, as well as upgraded the fuse blocks to the ‘Birdman’ type which use glass fuses as opposed to the old ceramic ones, and are beefed up for handling circuits such as the fuel pump, which commonly overheats the original blocks. The headlamps, wipers, blowers, all interior and exterior lighting and instruments all work properly, albeit with some fluttering of the fuel gauge with less than half a tank of fuel in the car. The speedometer and odometer work properly and accurately and do not cut out as on many of these cars. The charging system is healthy, although you will want to investigate a parasitic drain on the battery if the car is left standing for more than a few days. I have not looked into this, and seem to recall that it was not present before the owner installed the new radio, so that might be the first place to check. There is a trickle charger installed on the battery with a built in plug.

SUMMARY: The factory jack and tool kit are present, along with the handbook. Service records are spotty, but I can confirm any work I did to the car over the past few years. I have been storing the car for the owner since last fall when he asked me to prep the car for sale in the spring. You are welcome to come view and test drive it and have a PPI performed by the shop of your choice, at your expense. The closest Ferrari dealer to us is MAG in Columbus or, alternatively, there is a Ferrari independent there by the name of NJB Motors. As the owner is a collector, he might be interested in a trade for something of equal value or lesser value plus cash—let me know what you have and I’ll be happy to run it by him. Lastly, if a deal is commenced, I will put you in touch directly with the owner so you and he can handle the title and financial end of the deal. This car is being sold as-is with no warranties expressed or implied herein, and I assume no liability for any unknown defects at the time of or thereafter this listing runs. It is the responsibility of the buyer to make sure they are comfortable with the terms of the sale and the condition of the vehicle. Shipping is the responsibility of the buyer, however I will of course assist in any way possible to help make this a smooth, easy transaction. With a bit of mechanical work, you will have yourself a beautiful Ferrari which is sure to appreciate in future years and can be enjoyed at the same time. Thanks for looking and good luck!