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Plunge taken

18K views 41 replies 19 participants last post by  Oddball 
#1 ·
:) Well everyone, today we finalised the purchase of my first Ferrari.

Fibreglass 308GTB with about 3 previous owners and very tidy. Also a freshly rebuilt motor.

Had the PPI and there were only 38 items noted. Hah! Most of which were in the category of "spacer missing on xyz flange", "stain on boot carpet" and so on.

Main items for immediate fix are steering rack and some suspension bushes.

Like all of you I've had a passion for cars since I was six or something, and while I've always had something interesting in the garage, have never ever gone in this deep.

Car should be in my garage in a couple of weeks

Wish me luck

Kon
 
#2 ·
Hi Kon,
Congrats and welcome to Ferrari ownership!! For the steering rack, I seem to recall that it is the same component as a non-ferrari car but I can't remember which one. Do a little research before buying a ferrari steering rack. If I come across it I'll let you know. Is your car right hand drive or left hand drive? Can't wait to see the pictures.
 
#3 ·
Hi Pete,

Thanks for the tip. I'll check the rack out. Plan is to rebuild the rack rather than replace at this stage.

Car is RHD, wet sump spec.

I'll see if I can work out how to post pictures !

Colour is blue with tan hide.

Cheers

Kon
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the tip. I'll check the rack out. Plan is to rebuild the rack rather than replace at this stage.
Check around, I'm still straining to remember which rack fits the car. As I recall it was cheaper to buy this rack than it was to rebuild the stock one.

Anyway, the car looks fantastic so again, congrats on a great purchase! I do like the blue also and the interior looks perfect!

For the fuse block, look for my thread in the workshop section about when I built my fuse panel, it is a real easy job to do yourself.
 
#6 ·
Dear Comrade kk61,

A superb motor car indeed. A friend has a fibreglass 308 (yellow) to which he has just fitted electronic ignition that was supplied by a UK manufacturer. If you are interested I can obtain the full details.

I like your car in that particular shade of blue. It looks very much like 'California Blue' so is this the colour?

All good wishes.

With kind regards,

Vulcan
 
#7 ·
Hi Vulcan,

Thanks for your good wishes. The blue is I believe called 'Azzuro'.

A previous owner has already installed electronic ignition so hopefully it will prove reliable. I will probably check out the replacement fuse block I have read about.

regards

Kon
 
#8 ·
Congratulations! It looks wonderful in Azurro and it looks to be in great shape.

I wish you many and happy safe miles in her. Here's to being able to collectively bore fellow FerrariLifers on the joys of 308 GTB ownership (mixed in with anorak facts and figures-talking of which, a rhd 308 vetroresina must be a rare animal indeed, I wonder how many were made?)

Currently I am in Morocco and then off to India. I am looking so forward to taking the 308 GTB for a drive, planned for 8 August. Pictures and more "anoraksia" to follow, including from my recent trip to the Le Mans Classic where I got to drive many laps around the Le Mans Circuit Bugatti in my mate's 996 GT3RS. The way it comes on cam a second time at 7000rpm and then lunges to 8000 plus is intoxicating, but that is another story...

Please keep the stories and pictures of your fine 308 vetroresina rolling in.
 
#10 ·
Vulcan, the colour you were thinking of is "Azzuro California". Azzuro means blue in Italian.

It's a bit difficult to say if the 308 is that colour from that photo, it might be.

Attached is a 550 with that colour for reference. Is that the right colour, Kon? As you can see it can be quite variable on photo's.

Congratulations on this purchase, Kon. With PPI it sounds like you know what you're getting yourself into, so slip into the seat, relax, and floor it. :)


Onno



 

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#13 ·
Onno/Vulcan,

From the previous owner, I'm told:

When the very first 308GTB was shown to the public at the Paris Motor Show in 1975 it was exactly to the specification of this car. According to the Salchi Paint code sticker still fixed to the inside of the engine lid the original colour was Azzuro metallic, the colour which it still is 30 years later.

I have a photo of the paint tag but can't quite make out the detail as yet, but Onno it does look like the colour in your photos, albeit with a 30 year gap between the models.

Kon
 
#15 ·
Kon, congratulations!!!!

The car looks superb, the interior looks brand new, incredible!!

The exterior seems to be Azzuro California, but it can also be Azzuro Ferrari (might be the latest because you said it is metalic)

Enjoy your car, drive it a lot and share the ownership experience with us ;)
 
#30 ·
Hi T1fosi and everyone,

Thanks so much for all the positive wishes. Probably two weeks before I get the next drive so I'll be able to post based on actual experience at that point.

Meanwhile I have already learnt a fair bit from the forum and I'll continue to trawl for anything 308.

Cheers

Kon
 
#33 ·
I can relate....

Thanks so much for all the positive wishes. Probably two weeks before I get the next drive so I'll be able to post based on actual experience at that point.

Meanwhile I have already learnt a fair bit from the forum and I'll continue to trawl for anything 308.

Cheers

Kon[/QUOTE]

I know how you feel Kon- After one month of having my new toy in my possession, I count the time between rides.
Last one was yesterday and fate will keep her parked until Aug. 10 ( unless I sneak out in the evening for a quickie...! )

In the meantime, I keep reading and planning etc. It has made life fun!

Enjoy ( as I am certain you are ),

Greg
 
#36 ·
From what I understand, for the vetroresinas, US and Australia and Japan cars had the wet-sump AE motor with rest of the world, including the UK, enjoying the dry-sump AB motor. Apparently the AB motor pushes out 255hp and the AE motor pushes out 240hp. Although I think the US motors were closer to 205hp given the relatively poor performance figures of the US cars in contemporary road reports. The US GTBi/GTSi seemed to be quicker than the US vetroresina.

Right I will remove my anorak as it is very hot here in Delhi.
 
#39 ·
Gents
Just an update for those still interested.

Car was delivered to the agreed workshop monday this week. Same guy that did the PPI. We went through the list and ended up agreeing on the following:

All fluids change
Brake hoses ('77 originals)
Rebuild rear Koni's
Rebuild rack ($500 AUD plus labour)
Rebuild one engine fan
New temp sensor for same fan
Improve fuse box
Axle seals
Sundry light bulbs and other odds and sods.

This will get me a registerable vehicle plus a baseline for future maintenance. I'm going back monday next to see her in pieces and hopefully on the road end of next week.

Fingers crossed!

Incidentally he had two other 308's in the shop in pieces. I guess I had an intro to the Ferrari world when I asked him if the exhaust I could see was aftermarket. It was the full spaghetti number with curves and twists and so on and nothing like any cast exhaust I'd seen on anything.

Response was: Nah, that's how they come from the factory.

Lesson learnt.

Kon
 
#40 ·
Sounds like an already beautiful 308 GTB is benefitting from your ownership. Hope the bill is reasonable and the satisfaction of good work lasts longer than the pain of the bill. Great to hear that your car has found such a good home!
 
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