1983 Ferrari 308 GTB QV

Details

Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a very rare, factory right hand drive 1983 Ferrari 308 GTB QV.

This car is a UK delivered, factory right hand drive example that was sold new by Maranello Concessionaires to its first owner in the UK on 13th July 1983. It was ordered in ‘nero’ (black) with a magnolia hide interior (VM 3997) with red cloth inserts & red piping (VM 3171) and red carpets. The car was ordered with air conditioning and a deep front spoiler. The car was delivered to its first owner through Ferrari dealer Tordoff Motors Ltd in Bradford, UK.

The subsequent early history of the car is not known, however, there are UK Mot certificates on file from 1989 (@ October 1989 the odometer reading was 21,201 miles) through to 2006 (@ October 2006 the odometer reading was 36,314 miles) confirming the mileage on the car. There is also an inspection report from Hayes Metro Centre on file dated 15th August 2002 when they acquired the car describing its condition at that time. They also changed the registration from 140GLG (which was most likely a personal plate) to A896BRM, the registration number which remained on the car until it was exported to Australia.

In October 2006, prior to the car being exported to Australia the engine was rebuilt by Motorvation in Hertfordshire, UK with reconditioned liners, new piston rings and gaskets. At that time the odometer read 36,300 miles

The car was imported into Australia late 2006 by its then UK owner who migrated here. There is an import approval on file dated 19th June 2006.

Interestingly, this person is a client of Oldtimer Australia and he advised us of the following with regards to the car:

“I purchased the car in early 2006 from DK Engineering, one of the UK’s most recognised premium classic Ferrari dealers. The car had been in storage with them for a long time and cracked a ring, when on a test drive. I bought the car, in this condition as they put me in touch with an ex-DK engineer, who had just started his own classic Ferrari engineering business and I was one of his first customers. I felt very lucky, as he did a brilliant job and the cost was reasonable. In broad terms the work required involved rebuilding and refitting the engine, detailing the engine bay, fitting a new clutch and repairing seized brakes.

On importing the car into Australia, I had the interior redone by Sports and Specialist Trimming, in Melbourne. V&A Spiteri, also in Melbourne, gave the car a once over and re-torqued the engine after I had run the car in.

I sold car on the 21st September 2010.”

From the history file, we know that the car was first registered in Victoria in March 2007. There is a Vic Roads Certificate of Roadworthy on file dated 2nd March 2007. The mileage was noted as 36,622 miles which is consistent with the odometer readings recorded on the UK MOT certificates.

In September 2010 a new set of four 16 inch wheels were ordered for the car from Superformance in the UK

In February 2011 the car was serviced by Ital Motors in Hawthorn, Victoria which included a cambelt change. At that time the odometer read 37,004 miles. At that time the speedometer was also replaced with a new one which reads in kilometers instead of miles.

In September 2011 the car was serviced again by Ital Motors in Hawthorn, Victoria. At that time the odometer read 3,974 km. The next service took place in March 2012, again by Ital Motors. At that time the fuel pump and relay were replaced. The odometer read 6,209 km. The last service executed by Ital Motors took place in December 2012, at that time the odometer read 9,675 km.

The car was sold through Prestige Warehouse in Melbourne on the 21st February 2013. At that time the odometer read 9,615 km.

The car is being offered for sale from the estate of a well known Canberra based businessman and Ferrari collector. It is understood that he purchased the car in circa 2020 from a Ferrari enthusiast on the Gold Coast.

Today the odometer reads 11,737 km and the car has travelled 71,276 km from new.

The Ferrari 308 GTB QV is a rare car with only 748 examples built of which it is understood that only 74 were factory right hand drive. The 308 GTB QV was never sold new in Australia and this car is one of only 67 UK delivered, factory right hand drive cars.

Fortunately, this car has been very well cared for throughout its life as confirmed by how it presents and drives today. It is excellent on both fronts.

Though not documented, it is most likely that the car has been repainted at some stage. The black paintwork presents exceptionally well, with very few stone chips, blemishes or defects. Even the front spoiler is in reasonably good condition. All of the external trim and the glass is similarly well presented. We do like red Ferrari 308’s, but how good does this car look in black! The classic Ferrari Cromodora style alloy wheels, prancing horse shields on the front guards along with the magnolia trim provide the perfect colour contrast and really lift the car.

The car is fitted with 16” wheels shod with Bridgestone Potenza tyres all around. The front tyres are 205/55R16’s dated stamped 1910 (week 19, 2010) and the rear tyres are 225/50R16’s dated stamped 1710 (week 17, 2010).

The engine bay is neat, clean and tidy and all the correct ID tags are in place. The boot looks to have been retrimmed at some stage as the original carpet and cover have been replaced. Under the front bonnet, everything is original and in good condition. There is a spare wheel present.

Given the car has been retrimmed, it is no surprise that the cabin is very well presented. All of the upholstery is very clean and there are no rips, tears or damage, just a very light patina. The seats, door cards, centre console, head lining, carpets and the dash are in excellent condition. All of the instruments are crisp, clean and look to be in good working order. The electric windows work, though they are a little slow. The air conditioning is not currently working.

Ferrari 308 GTB’s are great cars to drive and this QV is no exception. Out on the open road the 2,927cc V8 engine sings. It has loads of power on tap and it pulls strongly through the rev range. Once the gearbox has warmed up, the gearchanges are slick and precise as you work the lever through that trademark Ferrari gate. The car handles, steers and stops as you would expect.

The car runs and drives well, though it has been used sparingly in the last ten years. It is running rich at idle and would benefit from a service and tune. It is also due for a cam belt service.

Accompanying the car is a thick history file, which includes the original Maranello delivery documentation, books (unfortunately no service book) in the correct pouch, jack kit and a spare wheel.

Highlights:

• Rare factory RHD 308 GTB QV.
• Stunning and original colour scheme.
• Relatively low mileage example with a good history.
• Light, nimble and just a delight to drive.

Price –

Background

Apple, Coca-Cola, McDonalds and Nike are brands recognisable the world over. So is Ferrari and interestingly the iconic Italian luxury sports car manufacturer was named ‘The World’s Strongest Brand’ in the 2019 Brand Finance Global 500 Report.

Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1939 out of Alfa Romeo’s race division as Auto Avio Costruzioni the company built its first car in 1940. The Second World War halted Ferrari’s dream, which was finally realised in 1947, when the first car bearing his name, the Ferrari 125 S, was built. From that day on Ferrari race cars dominated the world over, winning race after race and many world championships in Formula One, sports car racing and endurance racing. Ferrari built exclusive sports cars for the road too, but in the early days, this was primarily to fund his motor racing!

The Cavallino Rampate or ‘prancing horse’ was the symbol chosen by Ferrari and like the ‘golden arches’ it is recognised by just about every man, woman and child on the planet!

The Ferrari road cars from the 1940’s and early to mid-1950’s were built in very small numbers and it was not until the introduction of the 250 series cars that production numbers increased. Almost 1,000 Ferrari 250 GTE’s were built from 1959 – 1963. The 250 series also produced some of the most special Ferraris ever built, including the Ferrari 250 LM, 250 SWB, 250 California Spider and of course the 250 GTO. The 250 series cars were superseded by the 275 series cars, the 330 series cars and later the 365 series cars. The nomenclature designated the cubic capacity of each cylinder. So a Ferrari 330 was powered by a 12 cylinder engine of 3967cc capacity.

Ferrari’s iconic Dino was first shown to the world as a prototype at the 1965 Paris Motor Show. The car morphed into the 206 GT of which only 150 cars were built from 1967 to 1969. In 1969 the 246 GT was released, which whilst a similar looking car in many ways was actually quite different. The car sat 3” taller than its predecessor and the body was now built from steel. Mechanically the ‘new car’ was powered by a 2418cc V6 engine. Enzo was keen to tackle Porsche head on and to do this he needed to increase production. The Dino was a hit and circa 4,000 of these cars (both the 246 GT and 246 GTS) were built from 1969 to 1974.

The Ferrari 308 GTB was introduced at the 1975 Paris Motor Show, essentially to replace the 246 Dino GT. The car was designed to fit between the top of the range 365 GT/4 Berlinetta Boxer and 2+2 308 GT/4. The car was released to critical acclaim and its sweeping Pininfarina design was admired by everyone who laid eyes on it. Originally the car was manufactured with a glass reinforced plastic (fibreglass) body to keep the weight down and it was powered by a three litre V8 engine with a dry sump. Only circa 800 fibreglass cars were built before Ferrari reverted to a more conventional steel body construction in 1977. Most markets also reverted to having a wet sump engine. In 1977 Ferrari introduced the 308 GTS, which was essentially the same car with a targa roof. The car was made famous through its appearance on the TV show Magnum PI. The model evolved into the 308 GTBi / 308 GTSi in 1980 when Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical fuel injection replaced the traditional Weber carburettors. Two years later the four valves per cylinder “Quattrovalvole” or “QV” was introduced. The 308 was an incredible success and circa 12,000 cars were built from 1975 to 1985 before the 328 was introduced.