1981 Ferrari 308 GTBi

The vendor, who owns a classic and vintage car hire business, also has a personal collection of fine classics, which should come as no surprise when you learn that his mother was a very successful rally driver and his father a world authority on car restoration.

Suffice to say that this car, like the others in his collection and business, has been maintained to the very highest standards, regardless of time or cost implications, with all routine work entrusted to Overton Vehicle Overhauls of Shoeburyness and other, more specialist work consigned to the best and most appropriate experts.

Eagle-eyed observers among you will have noted the car’s GTBi badging, which would suggest that a fuel injection system is in place.

Well, there is a fuel injection system, the original one, and it does come with the car, but it’s not attached to it.

The reason being, of course, is that a previous owner saw fit to replace the injection system with the more powerful carburation system that featured in the earlier cars.

Hence the presence of quadruple downdraught Weber carbs in the engine bay, which were very recently overhauled and tuned by Redline Tuning at a cost of nearly £1,000.

Their work was much appreciated by us when we drove the car. Not only does it offer delightfully spirited, driver-focussed performance, it also comes with the kind of throaty, burbling soundtrack that you just don’t get with fuel injection. 

Overall, the car’s dynamic, mechanical and aesthetic condition is very good even for its exceptionally low mileage, never mind its age, and this is certainly one of the best 308s we’ve seen.

And, as the official auction partner of the Ferrari Owners' Club of Great Britain (we currently happen to have a rather splendid 2010 California coming up for auction) we’ve seen a few 308s over the years.

The car presents very strikingly from every angle and the Rosso finish really pops and sings in the sunshine.

One good reason for the vibrancy of the shine and lustre you see is that the car was resprayed to a very high standard just over one year ago. 

The work was carried out by the well-regarded restoration firm, RDS Roadsport of Rochester. 

They took the car back to bare metal, cut out any and all corroded sections, fabricated and welded-in new metal, and resprayed the car – a body of work that set the vendor back some £25,000. 

As you might expect then, the bodywork is very straight and true, and there are no dents, dinks, dimples or creases of note anywhere that we can see. 

The panel gaps and shut-lines are consistent and even, and the paintwork is pretty much beyond reproach.

However, it’s our job to find stuff to moan about, no matter how inconsequential, so here goes.

There’s a small scuff near the front edge of the passenger door; a tiny spot of nascent blistering on the o/s/f wing; a small patch of overspray in the middle of the driver’s door; the odd trace of overspray on the glass in a few places; and a couple of stone chips to the windscreen.

And that’s really just about all we could find, and we were trying quite hard.

The wheels appear to be blissfully ignorant of kerbs or other roadside obstacles. 

They are shod in matching Michelin TRX rubber.

From what we can see, the badging, lights, lenses and other exterior fixtures and fittings are all in equally impressive condition.

Basically, it’s all really very good indeed.

The interior is every bit as good as its exterior counterpart, and the condition and quality of it is far more a reflection of the car’s low mileage than its 45 years of evidently pampered and rather leisurely life. 

The Crema leather on the upholstery and trim has earned just the gentlest of patinas over the years, and today the overall aesthetic effect is warm and inviting.

The carpets and mats are following the same script in terms of preservation and condition, and the steering wheel, gear lever, handbrake and other controls all look fine to us.

The door cards are also good.

The headlining is just starting to sag in a couple of areas.

As far as we’re aware, all dials, gauges, buttons, switches and knobs do what they’re supposed to do without hesitation, deviation or repetition.

We love the wholly analogue nature of this car, and the binnacle full of Veglia Borletti gauges is a joy to behold.

The vendor tells us that the A/C probably needs re-gassing.

The zipped luggage compartment behind the engine is in fine fettle, as is the frunk, which contains a full-sized spare wheel.

The engine bay is clean, dry, tidy and orderly. Everything we can see appears to be in its right and proper place.

As mentioned, the car is currently equipped with quadruple downdraught Weber carburettors, which should give it some meaningful bhp gains over its original fuel injection configuration.

The original Bosch fuel injection system comes with the car, along with a few other spare parts.

The car’s undersides look particularly solid, sound and free of any threats to their structural integrity – as far as we can tell.

At the time the vendor purchased the car in September 2024, it was described in the sales listing as follows.

“Originally registered in October 1981 to its first UK owner, by 1989 this 308 GTBi was in stock with dealer Graypaul prior to being acquired by our [the penultimate] vendor, an Italian classic car enthusiast. After a few years' use our vendor became frustrated with the original injection system and so had it removed and the car retrofitted with a carburettor setup using genuine Ferrari components. 

Further work included a fitting replacement camshaft, inlet manifold, distributor and ignition packs, upgraded oil pump pick up, and twin Bendix Red-Top fuel pumps. 

Due to an expanded collection the Ferrari has been dry stored over recent years, during which time the engine was rebuilt with all new bearings, gaskets, belts, fuel hoses, and is currently being run in. In the last two years the suspension has been rebuilt, the braking system overhauled, including brake callipers and driveshaft bellows, and the electric window motors rebuilt.”

We have no reason to question the veracity of any of that. 

The car’s history post-purchase by the current vendor is well documented and attested to by numerous invoices, bills and receipts.

Those invoices support the above claim that the car was the recipient of a new fuel pump and new timing/cam belt in 2017 (which is also the year when the vendor believes the engine rebuild took place).

It comes with its original book pack, a selection of old MoT certificates, photographic evidence of the car during and after the bodywork restoration and respray, sundry spare parts (including the original Bosch fuel injection system), and an MoT certificate - with no advisories whatsoever - that’s valid until 1st July 2027.

Most people (of a certain age) will form an image of a 308 in their mind’s eye when they hear the word ‘Ferrari’.

It was, and still is, one of the best-loved and most memorable designs to wear the prancing horse badge. 

This particular example comes with the inestimable advantages of very low mileage and low ownership.

It also benefits hugely from the fact that someone else has done all the heavy-lifting on the bodywork, engine and mechanicals.

It is mechanically spot-on, drives superbly and, as one of just 42 UK-supplied RHD cars, is as rare as teeth on a particularly endangered breed of hen.

And if none of that is quite enough….just look at it.

What a stunning car. 

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.