IF I HAD the money I’d buy… A classic Italian sports car penned by iconic design house Bertone with a chassis tuned by legendary F1 driver Niki Lauda. A sporty little number that’s actually quite practical with two seats in the back and a sweet soundtrack that sings throughout the cabin thanks to a mid-mounted 3.0-litre, quad-cam, all-alloy V8. I’d buy a Ferrari / Dino 308 GT4.
Why a Ferrari 308 GT4? Well, first off, it looks so cool and quite different to any other Ferraris.
That’s because it was the first and only road-going production Ferrari that Bertone styled, and its trapezoid wedge shape made it stand out from the Pininfarina-styled cars that went before and came after it.
The 308 GT4 featured a lot of firsts for a Ferrari production car.
It was the first Ferrari to be built after Fiat took a 50 per cent stake in the company in 1969. It was the first mid-engined two-plus-two Ferrari, and the first use of a V8 in a roadgoing car.
Between 1973 and 1980 just 2,826 units were made and the first lot were badged ‘Dino’ to differentiate the V12 Ferraris from V8 and V6 ones. The cars wore the Dino badges up until the end of 1976. These 308 GT4 models are also creeping up in price as buyers and enthusiasts finally start to appreciate this classic beauty.
What’s special about this particular one?
This particular 1976 right-hand drive version is one of the first examples to be adorned with a Ferrari badge. It wears a sporty Rosso Corsa paint job with oh-so-seventies crema leather interior with matching Alcantara inserts and coffee coloured carpets. It also sits on original magnesium alloys with matching tyres. It has four twin-choke Webers that make starting this baby a blast.
It has been well cared for and maintained and comes with 57,000 miles on the clock and the owner’s manual including the all important original service book from 1976 and a full folder of receipts documenting all work carried out on the car.
What does it look like in action? It looks like art on wheels and here is a wonderful video by Gear Patrol featuring a much loved 1975 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4.
Who else drives one? Only the King himself! Elvis Presley owned a Black Elite Edition 1975 Ferrari 308 GT4, which he bought secondhand in 1976. The story goes that he bought the car in LA with cash for about $20,000 and drove it all the way home, alone, to Memphis.
Apparently when he got back to Graceland he parked the car up and never drove it again.
It costs £37,500 (roughly €43,000). What else could you get for the money?
Got your heart set on a sporty red number? Well, for the same money, you could have this Alfa Romeo Giulia Super Sport…
… or this Mercedes-Benz GLA 200.
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