Ferrari 308 GT4 review

So, confidence and positivity are what the 308 craves. But you’ll know that as soon as you’ve climbed in and realised all those cliches about offset pedals in Seventies supercars are justified. Man, this thing makes you contort your body to operate it properly.

But the upside is you could be driving a single seater, your legs being canted so far towards the middle of the car that your torso seems to follow suit and give you an unrivalled view down the road. You feel right at the front of the car, too, enhancing the sensation of speed far beyond what you’d expect of its six-and-a-bit-second 0-62mph time.

So it feels quick?

More than quick enough to be exciting, and that’s helped by the fact you can feasibly rev out a few of its gears (freeing a fully mechanical V8 symphony in the process). That’s still possible in a modern Ferrari, but your nerves are just a bit less frazzled here. And your licence considerably safer.

The gearshift isn’t the work of a moment, the non-assisted steering is heavy at most speeds and even with the optional air con pumping, this is a fairly stuffy environment in which to do business. Long story short, though, that makes the experience. Any fears about one of the cheapest used Ferraris being one of the least intense are allayed immediately. You’ll be huffing and puffing but wearing a smile on your face by the first corner.

Is it scary in that corner?

Not in the least. This is a Ferrari (sorry, Dino) conceived long before a suite of initialisms and the sheer witchcraft of Side-Slip Angle Control, but relatively modest torque ensures you’re not dealing with armfuls of oversteer without computer help. The joy of the 308 is that it feels alive and up on its toes without you having to throw it around – a trick Ferrari has continued to this day – and it’s light and agile enough that older-gen brakes and tyres are more than up to the job of keeping your tummy settled when you do. Phew.