Head to Head – Porsche 930 vs Ferrari 308 GTS

Believe it or not I still have the framed Porsche 930 picture that adorned my bedroom wall as a promising young petrolhead way back in the mid-eighties. Granted, my interior design tastes have evolved somewhat and this iconic car may not have decorative pride of place any longer (to tell you the truth it’s in the loft at my parents’ house) but the fact that I still have it, being unable to throw away such an important piece of nostalgia from my childhood, speaks volumes, both as to my ability to hoard stuff but also to the esteem in which I hold that particular car.

I wasn’t a one car boy though. Alongside the Porsche 930 there would always be a Ferrari of some description, too. Whether it be a Testarossa, a 288 GTO or a 308, the constant presence of a red Fezza would serve as a counterpoint to the German 911 and provide perpetual inspiration to my young car fanatical brain, augmenting the various other Top Trumps and Matchbox cars festooned about the place.

Fast forward *cough* almost forty *cough* years and not much has changed. These cars continue to excite and I’m lucky enough to work for a company that positively encourages this passion of mine, providing a platform to not only share that passion but to also indulge it, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today ladies and gentlemen, as we pit the Porsche 930 against the Ferrari 308 GTS in the latest instalment of our Head to Head series, with both models being available at the time of writing via our world-renowned auctions platform. Read, bid, rejoice!

It’s OK, we still get confused about the various 911 models and all of the different numbers used to denote them too. In production from 1975 to 1989 the 911 930 was the first Porsche to be fitted with a turbocharger, thus setting wheels in motion that continue to this day, and they were wheels that created a legend.

Porsche had been playing with forced induction in its race cars for a while and wondered if it would be a good idea to do the same with its flagship production car, the 911. Spoiler alert: it was. The 1975 Porsche 911 930 featured a 3.0-litre flat-six that was bolstered by a Kühnle, Kopp and Kausch whirly boi that provided 0.8 bar of sweet, sweet boost to achieve a rather tasty 265bhp. This allowed the 930 to get to 60 from parked in about five-and-a-half seconds and on to a top speed of 155mph which in case you were unsure of is bloody fast. This was the mid-seventies don’t forget.

Unlike its race cars, however, the 930 was comfortable. It had a relatively plush interior, air conditioning and a stereo. All well and good but the 930 isn’t remembered for its creature comforts. The 930 is revered for how it drives. Oh yeah, and that now iconic whale tail spoiler. We still reckon it’s the best looking 911 and we will die on that hill.

You see, as popular as the word ‘turbo’ became in the ’80s not many production cars were fitted with these glorious devices when the 930 debuted in ’75, and whilst it did allow for some impressive performance figures it also gave the 930 a bit of a rep for being a handful due to the on/off nature of said power’s delivery. Driving anywhere under 3,500rpm is fairly uneventful and there are massive wads of turbo lag before anything of any note happens but get the thing above 4,000rpm and all hell breaks loose, more than likely along with the rear end, a trait that would earn the car its nickname of ‘Widowmaker’. Driving a 930 remains a raw, analogue and savagely visceral experience and it’s absolutely glorious.

Porsche would continually develop the car, too. Not content with the performance figures listed above the German firm consistently upped the ante, first with the 300bhp, 3.3-litre model in ’78 (with the flatter ‘tea tray’ spoiler replacing the whale tail) and then again with the 330bhp Turbo SE in 1986. Various other upgrades and amendments were made over the course of its life, including the introduction of the highly desirable G50 five-speed gearbox in ’89, but whichever model you choose you’ll be absolutely smitten. Yes it has its flaws, who doesn’t, but whomever said don’t drive your heroes was talking utter twaddle.

The car we have available is a 1977 3.0-litre but with an optional five-speed gearbox. It’s also black, which is the best colour. Fact.

Facing off against the 930 in this clash of the titans is the Ferrari 308 GTS. Debuting alongside the fixed roof GTB version in 1975, both cars shared the same transversely-mounted 2.9-litre V8, complete with four twin-choke Weber carbs that produced 255bhp. 0-60mph figures are around the 6.5second mark and top speed is a claimed 157mph, putting it squarely in the 930’s sights and making for a incredibly close fight.

Designed by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina the 308 would become a household name thanks to Tom Selleck and his magnificent moustache. Taking centre stage as Magnum PI’s whip, the 308 GTS is now instantly recognisable to us Gen-X lot thanks to its starring role in that TV show but there’s more to the 308 than mere television appearances. Much more.

Beautifully sculpted and with excellent handling and smooth performance from that sonorous V8 (early cars were clad in lightweight fibreglass, too) the 308 was a huge hit with the sports car buying public. It didn’t hurt that it was considerably cheaper than its 12-cylinder Berlinetta brother either. Customers could opt for the fixed roof GTB or the GTS with its Targa hard-top that could be stored neatly away behind the seats. The tubular steel chassis was specially reinforced for the GTS to compensate for the lack of a full roof but performance was comparative to that of the GTB.

Ask someone to think of a Ferrari and chances are the image they conjure up in the old grey matter will probably be akin to a red 308. It’s a car that has worked its way into popular culture and our consciousness, not only by virtue of being a truly excellent car but also helped along the way by a certain moustachioed celebrity, such was the power of television back in the ’80s. Can you name an equally revered car from today’s modern era of TV?

Up for auction on Car & Classic is this beautifully presented and recently refreshed 1980 GTS. It’s the quintessential Ferrari for many but which of these two legends are you backing?