The Ferrari 308 May Be the Most Iconic Automotive Design of the 1970s

If Ferrari hadn’t already been known outside automotive-enthusiast circles, Hollywood cemented the Italian marque as a household name when Ferrari’s 308 became a costar in Magnum, PI. For eight years, a then-fashionably mustached Thomas Magnum, played by Tom Selleck, drove his red sidekick through 162 episodes, ensuring that the Prancing Horse was top of mind everywhere from New York penthouses to double-wide mobile homes across America. The impression on public consciousness stuck, and today, for reasons far beyond Hollywood (Formula 1, primarily) Ferrari has become—indisputably—the most prestigious automotive brand in history.

Actually, the reason the 308 ”stuck” is that this Ferrari may be the most iconic automotive design of the 1970s. Sure, the Lamborghini Countach was groundbreaking, but Maranello’s model was actually usable and ubiquitous by comparison, while cutting as unimprovable a profile as Botticelli’s Portrait of a Young Woman. The artist behind the car was Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti, among the most prolific Italian car designers of his age, and whose signature is on Ferrari’s Daytona, 512, Testarossa, and so many other benchmark designs. The 308 began life in 1975 and soldiered on through 1985, morphing into the similar looking 328 in various forms until 1989. It’s no coincidence that Ferrari’s supercar, the 288 GTO—also by Fioravanti—shares the same shape.

Ferraris have never been inexpensive cars, and some of them routinely set auction records into the eight figures. Yet the Ferrari 308 is surprisingly approachable in price point. What owners get for the cost of a new, well-appointed midsize German sedan is a quintessential Italian sports car powered by a fantastic DOHC V-8 engine mounted transversely behind the driver and mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. Four-wheel independent suspension, disc brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, and an approximate 3,300-pound weight promise an intimate and responsive driving experience.

For the first two years of 308 production, the cars featured fiberglass bodies on tube frames, replaced by steel bodies in 1977, when the targa-topped GTS model was made available. Fiberglass cars are for committed collectors willing to pay double the price for the original 308 concept. Across the board, purists (unlike investigator Magnum) will prefer a proper berlinetta—the GTB—over the fun-in-the-sun GTS.

Fuel injection came in 1980, and the Quattrovalvole (four-valve) engine arrived in 1982. More than 12,000 examples of the 308 were made in total through 1985, a record for the manufacturer at the time. That’s good news for aspiring owners, who are advised to search with discretion, as they will encounter everything from concours-quality specimens to rag-tag cars more fit for the salvage yard than a garage. The price of admission is dependent on the model variant and, ultimately, condition. Plan to pay from $70,000 for an early driver in good condition to around $150,000 for a concours-level, fuel-injected example. Maintenance records and provenance are key.

As with every old classic, whether it’s a Ferrari, Porsche, or American muscle car, top performers way-back-when don’t seem quite that quick today. A then-fast 308 will get whipped by a modern Honda, so what’s really important is to buy a well-sorted example that can deliver the best driving experience in the spirit of its age. The 308 is a brilliant car, with an engine that delivers more than 230 hp and whose inimitable voice—like a Caruso or Callas recording—projects as if from a time machine. Because that’s what the Ferrari 308 really is.

Click here for more photos of this 1978 Ferrari 308 GTB.