Project Car For Sale: “The Last Analog Ferrari” – A 1989 Ferrari 328 GTS

The Ferrari 328 GTS, and its fixed-roof sibling the GTB, have been called the “Last Analog Ferrari” and not without good reason. When released these cars had no traction control, stability control, or even ABS, much like the F40 that sold alongside it.

The 328 offered a truly analog driving experience that would disappear with the next generation of Ferraris. Today the cars remain popular with Ferrari enthusiasts for this very reason, coupled to the fact that they can tend to be cheaper to maintain than most other prancing horses.

Fast Facts – The Ferrari 328 GTS

• The targa-topped Ferrari 328 GTS, and its fixed-roof sibling the GTB, were released at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show alongside the new Ferrari Mondial 3.2. Both models families were essentially significantly refreshed versions of their predecessors for the mid-1980s.
• The Ferrari 328 GTS/GTB was based closely on the outgoing Ferrari 308 GTS/GTB model series. The 328 used a modified version of the same chassis, an updated body, and a larger more powerful version of the same V8 engine.
• The 308 and the later 328 became a darling of Hollywood, this series of Ferraris featured prominently in the popular TV series Magnum, P.I. starring Tom Selleck, it also appeared in Dallas, Falcon Crest, Beverley Hills Cop II, Nikita, and LA Story.
• The Ferrari 328 GTS you see in this article is a 1989 model, meaning it benefits from the model’s updates in 1988. This car was partially disassembled for a restoration which has now stalled, and it’s being offered for sale in the hopes that the new owner will finish the job.

The Ferrari 328 Series: “The Last Analog Ferrari”

The Ferrari 328 was released in two body styles, the GTB or Gran Turismo Berlinetta (hardtop coupe), and the popular GTS or Gran Turismo Spider (targa top). Interestingly, the car was almost offered as a full convertible, however some at Ferrari worried that this model would cannibalize sales from the Mondial Cabriolet which sold in parallel with the 328.

The 328 wasn’t so much an all-new Ferrari as it was a series of improvements over the earlier Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS series that had been introduced in 1975 and sold until 1985. The 328 used a modified version of the tubular steel chassis of the 308, the Pininfarina body was completely updated (and improved according to many).

The car was powered by the Dino 90º V8 that was similar in design to the Dino V6 that had initially been conceived by Enzo Ferrari’s son Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari in the 1950s before his untimely death from muscular dystrophy. This engine uses an alloy block and heads with a single overhead cam per bank, and later versions from the 308 Quattrovalvole onwards were fitted with double overhead cams per bank operating four valves per cylinder.

Now with a displacement of 3.2 liters or 3,185cc, in Euro-specification the engine produced 270 bhp and 231 lb ft of torque giving the car a top speed of 166 mph (267 km/h) and a 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of 5.5 seconds. These were notable improvements over the 240 hp and 192 lb ft of the earlier 3.0 liter Ferrari 308.

The 328 inherited the improved four-valve Quattrovalvole engine, with its double overhead cams operated by a toothed belt. Power was sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission, there was no automatic option available, and the car rode on independent double wishbones front and back, with fore and aft anti-sway bars, and four wheel disc brakes.

Above Video: I doubt an article has ever been written about the Ferrari 308 GTS (or the later 328 GTS) without mentioning at least once that it was Tom Selleck’s car in the popular TV series Magnum, P.I.

As mentioned further up there was no option for any electronic assistance systems on the 328 series, no traction control, stability control, or ABS at the time of release. This results in what has been described as a pure driving experience, though with no safety net should the driver happen to get it wrong. Ferrari did add ABS for cars from 1988 onwards, with the model series leaving production after 1989 to make way for the new Ferrari 348.

The 1988 upgrades also included revised steering rack positioning, suspension geometry changes, and upgraded 16″ convex hub alloy wheels.

Between 1985 and 1989 Ferrari produced 1,344 GTBs and 6,068 GTSs, the latter targa-topped models proving significantly more popular, possibly because of their close association with the 308 GTS model and the hit TV series Magnum, P.I. starring Tom Selleck.

The Ferrari 328 GTS Project Car Shown Here

The car you see here one of just 543 right hand drive examples of the 328 GTS that were ever made, and one of just 283 with ABS fitted from the factory.

There are only 4,798 miles on the odometer, a number that’s believed to be genuine partly because the car has been in its currently semi-disassembled state for many years.

Though the listing is pending an update with more information, it’s clear from the images that the car is either complete or almost complete. The major items including the chassis, body, engine, and gearbox are all present and accounted for.

The interior also appears to be either all or mostly present, though the only way to know for sure will be a full stocktake of every part – a critical move before acquiring any project car.

Given the increasing popularity of the Ferrari 328 GTS and the relative rarity of this right hand drive model it’ll be interesting to see what it sells for when it crosses the auction block with H&H Classics on the 20th of September.

The car has been given a price guide of £38,000 – £45,000 which works out to approximately $47,563 – $56,325 USD.

It could make a rewarding project for an experienced home mechanic, or for a buyer who wants to send it all off to a marque expert for an expert restoration back to original condition.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of H&H Classics