1989 Ferrari 328 GTS – Classified of the Week
July 25, 2023
Every now and again (actually it’s quite a regular occurrence now that we think about it) a certain vehicle will pop up, either in our classifieds or on our auctions platform, that sparks a heated debate amongst us petrolheads here at Car & Classic. Whether it be a particularly cheap SLK32 AMG or a questionable pick up truck we love to have a mass debate. With so many differing opinions here any deliberations (which is just a posh word for an argument) rarely reach any resolution but that’s part of what makes it all so much fun. Case in point, and our latest discussion, concerned this rather lovely Ferrari 328 GTS.
On the face of it you wouldn’t think that it would be cause for any heated disagreements, after all, it’s merely a late model Targa. A great car, yes but perhaps not such a talking point, outside of its rather stunning black over tan colour scheme, but delve a little deeper and you’ll notice the bone of contention that sparked our classic car cogitations.
What got our undergarments in a tangle, you see, are the five numbers on the odometer, the first two of which are zeros. Yep, this car has covered just 594 miles since new. That’s the equivalent of a return trip from London to Newcastle. That’s it. That’s the entirety of this car’s use since it was built by Ferrari SpA, Maranello, Italy and delivered via Maranello Concessionaires to Dorset based Ferrari dealer Emblem Sports Cars in April 1989.
From here it was taken to it’s first lucky owner, a Ferrari collector in Cornwall on the 11th May that same year who had ordered his brand spanking 328 GTS in Nero with Beige leather with Nero dashboard, Castoro carpets, air conditioning, ABS and a rear aerofoil. Clearly a man of taste, but not one with a desire to actually drive the thing. For whatever reason the decision was made to preserve the car as is and was promptly de-commissioned and stashed in a heated garage for the next quarter of a century!
Disinterred in 2015, the car was subsequently recommissioned by Ferrari specialists DK Engineering who have continued to look after the car for its next two owners to this very day. It now presents as one of the best and most low mileage examples in existence. But what of the aforementioned bickering, we hear you cry. Well, the question arises as to whether or not you can actually drive the thing.
This has nothing to do with the mechanical integrity of the car by any means, it’s absolutely spot on in that regard. The dilemma comes from the argument that if you drive it, it loses its USP and potentially some of its value by the time you’ve gone over 1000 miles, therefore it cant be used. It’s certainly a compelling case and one that may well hold sway but we’ve always been firm advocates of actually driving cars, no matter the situation or degree of provenance. That’s the whole point of a car after all. If it doesn’t get used then it’s just a rather large lawn ornament and if that’s your bag then just buy one of those god awful cherub statues from your local garden centre and be done with it.
We would never presume to tell you what to do with your own car though. Suffice to say, however you choose to approach this beautiful 328 GTS, if you’re searching for a true time warp, as-new classic Ferrari then this is most definitely the one.
