Hagerty’s Alisdair Suttie analyzes the ‘affordable’ machine from Maranello in this 1976-1985 FERRARI 308 BUYER’S GUIDE.
One of the last real Ferraris manufactured when Enzo Ferrari was intimately involved in making decisions and creating new models, the 308, above, owned by Sarasota Café Racer’s Graham Cave, bridged the gap between sports cars and Supercars. In many ways, it’s the entry-level or Junior Supercar that Tom Selleck turned into the true star of TV’s Magnum P.I. Fallen out of favor over the years, the 308 has gained traction and become highly desirable once again.
There are poster cars and then there are poster cars. The Ferrari 308 is the latter, an Italian masterpiece that was lusted after in period and would become even more lust-worthy after appearing as the wheels of choice for Thomas Magnum, left, the Hawaiian-shirt-wearing private investigator played by Tom Selleck. For all that, the 308 is a relatively common classic Ferrari, which also makes it one that still doesn’t cost eye-watering sums of money to buy, according to the FERRARI 308 BUYER’S GUIDE.
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1967 would be another watershed year with the old 389 being swapped out for Pontiac’s all-new 400 cubic inch engine. At least in the eyes of Poncho enthusiasts everywhere, the Pontiac 400 ranks among one of the all-time great engines and would be the basis for Pontiac’s famed “Ram Air” option. And with the introduction of an updated engine, it was time for Pontiac to update the GTO as a platform. While it had big shoes to fill, the second generation 1968-1972 GTO was more than up to the task. Those were arguably the model’s best years but, being a musclecar with a wide range of available powertrains, performance options, convenience features and colors, the market for the second-gen Goat is a nuanced one, and values can range from barely above entry-level to well over half a million dollars.
GM completely refreshed the A-Body platform on which the GTO rides for 1968. It was a welcome change, leaving behind the boxiness of the 1964-1967 models in favor of the softer, curvier “Coke bottle” style popularized in the later part of the 1960s. Pontiac’s styling department also went to town on the GTO setting it far apart from the competition. The biggest innovation to the GTO’s look was the introduction of the revolutionary “Endura Bumper”, a GTO exclusive. In short, the bumper shook up the industry by eliminating the traditional chrome front bumper and instead replaced it with a painted, impact-resistant piece made of a rubberized material, which could be molded to any shape and withstand minor impacts with minimal damage.
