Description
Presented at the Paris Motor Show in October 1973, the 308 GT4 occupies a particularly special place in Ferrari's history. It marks a genuine break with the models that preceded it: it is the first production Ferrari to adopt a V8 engine in a mid-rear position, an architecture that would subsequently become one of Maranello's signatures for several decades.
The GT4 is also a styling exception. Ferrari abandons Pininfarina here to entrust the design to Bertone and Marcello Gandini, author of some of the most emblematic Italian silhouettes of that era. With its taut and angular lines typical of the 1970s, the GT4 stands in radical contrast to the curves of the Dino 246 it replaces.
It is initially marketed under the Dino 308 GT4 designation, before fully integrating the Ferrari range from 1976 onwards. Its 2+2 architecture constitutes another particularity: despite its mid-mounted engine, the 2. 55 m wheelbase allows for two small rear seats and makes the car considerably more versatile than a strict two-seater berlinetta.
At the heart of the 308 GT4 lies the famous 90° Ferrari V8 of 2, 926 cc, mounted transversely and fed by four twin-choke Weber carburettors. In its European specification, Ferrari announced 255 bhp at 7, 700 rpm and a maximum speed of 250 km/ h. The engine is paired with a five-speed manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential.
Production of the 308 GT4 ceased in 1980 after just 2, 826 examples, before its replacement by the Mondial 8. Long overshadowed by the 308 GTB and GTS, the GT4 is today being rediscovered for what it truly represents: a historically important Ferrari, with styling by Gandini, equipped with a carburetted V8 and produced in relatively limited numbers.
The example we are offering possesses a particularly interesting and well-documented history. This is chassis F106AL13446, corresponding to a 1976 308 GT4.
Its colour combination is particularly elegant and typically seventies: an Argento bodywork with black lower section, combined with a blue leather interior. A configuration considerably more original than the traditional Rosso Corsa and which suits particularly well the angular lines drawn by Gandini.
We find the car in Germany in 2016, in the name of an owner based in Bad Essen. An FSP/ TÜV inspection is carried out on 27 April 2016 and the German documents correctly identify the car as a Ferrari Dino 308 GT4, with chassis number F106AL13446.
The car subsequently arrives in France. During an inspection carried out in Saint-Laurent-du-Var on 12 October 2016, its odometer reads 52, 401 km.
A few days later, on 30 October 2016, this same 308 GT4 is offered for sale in Paris at the Artcurial "Automobiles sur les Champs" auction. Its grey/ black combination and blue leather interior are already highlighted in the car's presentation. It will be sold for €41, 720.
A major mechanical overhaul is subsequently carried out in December 2016 at Monza / Garage Francorchamps. The invoice on file notably mentions the replacement of both timing belts, timing bearings/ tensioners, water pump seal, an auxiliary belt and the oil filter.
On 7 February 2017, the Ferrari is acquired by its last owner, who will keep it for nearly ten years.
Used very sparingly since then, it now displays only 52, 519 km on the odometer. The reading of 52, 401 km taken in October 2016 thus confirms the very low mileage covered over these recent years.
Despite this light use, maintenance has not been neglected: in August 2024, a further major service was carried out, notably including replacement of the timing belts. An essential point on this Ferrari V8 and a genuine advantage for its future owner.
This 308 GT4 thus brings together numerous strengths: a rare and particularly successful colour combination, a known history over its recent period, nearly ten years in the hands of its last owner, very little mileage evolution and a timing belt service completed in 2024.
With its naturally aspirated V8 with four Weber carburettors, its five-speed manual gearbox, its Bertone line signed by Marcello Gandini and only 2, 826 examples produced, the 308 GT4 is a Ferrari in its own right – and above all a Ferrari that played a major role in the marque's history by inaugurating the mid-mounted V8 architecture that would give rise to an entire lineage of legendary models.
