Photography by Tim Suddard
Owning a Ferrari is the dream, right?
Over the years, we have worked our way through many of the marques, from Alfa Romeo to Volkswagen.
But we have never owned a Ferrari.
A trip last year to Modena Italy and the Ferrari factory and museum was like a light switch. We finally understood the magic and the appeal and went Ferrari shopping upon our return home.
But which Ferrari would we buy? With prices ranging from less than $50,000 to more than $50 million, along with a history dating back to the late ’40s, we had a lot of choices.
We also wanted a manual transmission with the brand’s iconic gated shifter.
To narrow it down further, we wanted a project that had some needs–but, at the same time, we didn’t want to do a total restoration.
It has been said, and rightfully so, that the most expensive Ferrari is a cheap Ferrari. Avoid a car that has a lot of needs.
One final and rather constricting caveat: We wanted this Ferrari to cost less than $50,000. That is going to make this a bit tough as, for better or for worse, we decided that we were introductory Ferrari buyers.
The search was on.
Our budget actually made the search a bit easier: We were more or less limited to a Mondial, 400i or 308 GT4.
And we had better hurry, as Ferrari prices do nothing but go up. We didn’t really like the styling of the 400i and, while the 12-cylinder engine was whispering into our collective ears, finding a good example in our price range with a manual box would be tough.
We drove the rather unloved Mondial and found it to be quite useable and a rather pleasant driver. Not lightning-fast, though.
As we have two media friends from Hagerty who own and love their 308 GT4–Jason Cammisa and Larry Webster–we decided to look in that direction.
While a bit unloved and misunderstood by the collector car world in general, and the Ferrari world in particular, those who really know Ferraris say that the 308 GT4 offers terrific performance along with head-turning looks.
Looks? Those used to the svelte, rounded lines of most Pininfarina-designed Ferraris seem to struggle with the sharp, wedge shape of the 308 GT4.
We have never owned a Ferrari, though, and don’t have this prejudice. We think that the Bertone-designed GT4 looks cool as heck.
Other plusses include it being the first V8-powered Ferrari road car, the first Bertone-styled Ferrari and some–well, a tiny–bit of room for two back seats. Out on a tour, the more room you have, the better.
So, the search for our budget Ferrari would begin.
There's some good 308 GT4s out there, but it's pretty hard to find a good one for under $50,000. Good luck!
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