This is a Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 from 1979, this was a significant model from the Italian automaker – it would be the first production Ferrari with a mid-engined V8, the first production Ferrari designed at Bertone, and the first mid-engined Ferrari with 2+2 seating.
The Dino 308 GT4 had been developed to compete with cars like the Porsche 911 and not to cannibalize sales from Ferrari’s larger V12 models. Over 3,600 would be sold in total, vastly more than the sales figures of the V12s.
Fast Facts – The Ferrari Dino 308 GT4
- The Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 was Ferrari’s first production car with a mid-engined V8, the first designed by Bertone, and the first to feature 2+2 seating. It was developed to compete with the Porsche 911 and sold in higher numbers than Ferrari’s larger V12 models.
- The Dino 308 GT4 was powered by a V8 producing 255 bhp in Europe and 240 bhp in the U.S. Its name was derived from its (nearly) 3.0 liter V8 engine and 4-seat configuration. The car’s compact design included a transversely-mounted V8 integrated with a 5-speed transaxle.
- Designed by Marcello Gandini, known for his work on Lamborghini and other iconic cars, the Dino 308 GT4 featured a wedge-shaped body with a 2+2 seating layout. It was the only Ferrari imported to the U.S. at the time due to emissions regulations affecting Ferrari’s V12 models.
- The 1979 Dino 308 GT4 shown here has 40,955 miles and is powered by the correct V8 with Weber carburetors. It has been well-maintained with annual services and recent cambelt replacement. The car will be auctioned by Iconic Auctioneers on February 22, with an estimated price range of $49,800 to $62,200 USD.
The Dino 308 GT4 Arrives
The Dino family of Ferrari designed and built sports cars debuted in 1967 with the Dino 206 GT, an impossibly elegant car penned by Aldo Brovarone at Pininfarina, and powered by a mid-mounted 2.0 liter Dino V6 engine. The Fiat Dinos of the same time period used the same engine, doing absolutely no harm to their sales figures.
This is one of the early design sketches of the Dino 308 GT4. Unusually for Ferrari, they sent the design brief for what was to be the new Dino, the Dino 308 GT4, to Bertone rather than Pininfarina. Image courtesy of Ferrari.
The Dino 206 GT would be replaced by the Dino 246 GT and the targa-topped 246 GTS model in 1969. These earlier Dinos were all strict two-seater sports cars, but it was becoming clearer that to really compete with the Porsche 911, a 2+2, the Dino was going to have to become a 2+2 as well.
Unusually for Ferrari, they sent the design brief for what was to be the new Dino, the Dino 308 GT4, to Bertone rather than Pininfarina. This caused quite a stir at the time as Pininfarina has designed all of the Ferrari production cars up until this point with very few exceptions.
Designing A Four-Seat Dino
The design job was tasked to Marcello Gandini, the designer of the Lamborghini Miura, Lancia Stratos, Lamborghini Countach, Alfa Romeo 33 Carabo, and countless others. He was an early proponent of wedge car design, and he applied this school of thought to the new 308 GT4.
Remarkably, he managed to fit the 2+2 seating arrangement plus the transversely-mounted V8 within a 2,550mm wheelbase – quite the achievement. The car even had some modest space for luggage front and back. The chassis was essentially the same one used on the earlier 246 GT, but lengthened slightly.
Marcello Gandini, the designer, managed to fit the 2+2 seating arrangement plus the transversely-mounted V8 within a 2,550mm wheelbase – quite the achievement. Image courtesy of Ferrari.
The wedge-style design was a complete departure from the earlier Dino designs, but the practicality of the car helped its sales figures. These figures were also helped along by the fact that the Dino 308 GT4 was the only Ferrari being imported into the United States at the time due to the V12s not meeting emissions regulations.
The car was powered by a new, all-alloy V8 with double overhead cams per bank and two valves per cylinder. It was fitted with four Weber 40 DCNF carburetors and had an output (in Europe) of 255 bhp, with the US cars turning out 240 bhp.
Interestingly, the engine was integrally joined with the 5-speed transaxle transmission sending power the rear wheels. This helped keep the packaging as tight as possible, and it would be used in this same configuration on a number of future mid-engined Ferrari V8s, including the Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS.
Why Was It Called The “308 GT4?”
The Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 was given a logical model name, as with most Ferraris, where the name simply tells you that it’s a 3.0 liter V8 GT car with 4 seats – 308 GT4. The only problem with this is that the engine has a displacement of 2927cc, technically making it a 2.9 liter.
The interior is beautifully laid out, with two bucket seats up front, two smaller seats in the rear, a gated manual transmission, and all the gauges you need right in front of you.
The name actually did change over the course of the production run, it was originally named the Dino 308 GT4 as “Dino” had been established as a sub-marque to help the company take the fight to Porsche. Customer demand for proper Ferrari branding was such that in 1975 the name switched over to Ferrari Dino 308 GT4, or simply Ferrari 308 GT4 in some cases.
Between 1973 and 1980 Ferrari would sell 2,826 examples of the 308 GT and 840 examples of the smaller-engined 2.0 liter version named the 208 GT4, which was only available in the Italian market to take advantage of engine displacement-based road tax concessions.
The V8 engine would become a bread and butter engine architecture for Ferrari, slowly replacing their V12 and flat-12s, and powering many of the most significant cars to carry the Ferrari name in the latter stages of the 20th century and into the 21st.
The Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 Shown Here
The car you see here is a 1979 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 with 40,955 miles on the odometer, it was originally UK-supplied in right-hand drive by Maranello Concessionaires.
The engine is a 2.9 liter V8 with double overhead cams, two valves per cylinder, and four Weber 40 DCNF carburetors.
It’s been with its current owner, now seller, for 11 years and in this time it’s been serviced by the respected team at QV London and serviced annually as required. The last service was carried out at 40,652 miles – the cambelt, tensioner and cambelt pulley were replaced.
It’s now due to roll across the auction block with Iconic Auctioneers on the 22nd of February with a price guide of approximately $49,800 to $62,200 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Iconic Auctioneers
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
