Ferrari 308 GT4 review

For all its V8 sound and supercar drama, this is the 308 GT4’s USP. Sold as a more attainable Dino back at launch, it’s retained that vibe even as it’s been welcomed into the wider Ferrari family. This has long been one of the very cheapest ways to get a Ferrari on your driveway. So much so, Top Gear Magazine bought one for £17,000 back in the late Nineties. Those of us who’ve joined the team since haven’t found it anywhere in the car park, mind.

That cost translates into about £30k with inflation, proving that these things have gained value in the last couple of decades. You should now reckon paying £50,000 for one – that appears to be the going rate regardless of spec or mileage, but most have below 70,000 miles and very few come in classic red and cream (sorry, Rosso and Crema). This was a classier, more practical Ferrari and so most are blues and blacks. We’d argue it’s aged fabulously in all colours.

Can I buy this one?

The car you see here was provided by Rardley Motors, something of a specialist in the 308 GT4 and more affordable and more leftfield Ferraris as a whole. It was up for a whisker under £55,000 with 39,000 miles but has since sold. It’s a phase two 308 GT4 from 1979, which means it has less power than earlier GT4s, but more Ferrari badges. If you’re looking for a 208 GT4 – out of morbid curiosity, we’d presume – then they were kept for the Italian market where their tax benefits made a modicum of sense.

Wondering if any Ferraris are cheaper? As we write in summer 2021, there’s a handful of examples of the achingly pretty 456 GT in the low to mid 40s for sale – but our hunch is they won’t stay that way for long. There’s also a few Mondials below 50 grand. We suspect they may stay that way.

What should I look out for?

This is a near 50-year-old Ferrari, so listing the areas of the car you ought to poke around would fill the rest of TopGear.com’s allocated internet space. So, buy from a specialist and don’t be afraid to forensically inspect and research any 308 you’ve got your eye on (or find an expert to do it for you). Bills will never be small when they occur so don’t be afraid to be picky when it comes to buying one of these – there’s a decent handful on sale as we write, so it’s a buyer’s market rather than a seller’s.