Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an absolutely stunning
example of this increasingly collectible 1975 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4
2+2 V8 5spd Coupe in the beautiful and highly desirable color
combination of original factory 'Rosso Corsa' (Racing Red) exterior
paint with its all original Black leather seats with red piping
interior and factory 14" Silver finished Campagnolo 5 spoke wheels
with only some 60K original miles and 1 of only 2,826 DINO 308GT
2+2 models built between 1974-79! This 1975 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 is
powered by its matching #'s 2.9-liter V8 producing 252hp, mated to
the legendary 5-speed gated manual transmission. Finished in the
classic 'Rosso Corsa' over Black with Red piping leather, this
example is equipped with factory power windows, air conditioning,
power brakes, power steering and a factory cassette player. After
20 years of exclusive collaboration with Pininfarina, at the Paris
Motor Show in 1973, Ferrari unveiled the Dino 308 GT4, a V8-engined
2+2 model designed by Pininfarina's local rivals, Bertone and to be
marketed and sold as a 'Dino'. The Turin-based designer created an
attractive model which was to be the marques first car with a
mid-engine V-8 layout in a 2+2 body only some 4.3 metres long, an
outstanding achievement.This was to be the first Ferrari with a
Bertone-designed body with 255 horsepower 3.0-litre V-8 engine,
with gears shifted via the legendary gate shifted Ferrari
five-speed manual transmission. The sharp lines and wedge-like
shape contrasted with the curves of the earlier Dino-badged 246 GT,
providing Ferrari with an angular 2+2 coupe to face off against the
Lamborghini Urracoone, Ferrari's main competitor of its day and
incidentally, another mid-engine V-8 sports car designed by
Bertone. This first production Dino 308 GT4 was displayed by
Ferrari at the 1973 Paris Motor Show and delivered to its first
French owner later that year in the dazzling colour combination of
Marrone Metallizzato over a Beige leather and cloth interior. The
car sold at Pebble Beach in 2023 for $450,500. This was the first
Ferrari to be designed by Bertone, it was also the first production
Ferrari to use a V8 engine, a 2.9-litre 90-degree V8 being
transversely mounted behind the cabin producing some 250bhp (at
7,700rpm) and 210lb ft (at 5,000rpm), or with the 2.0-litre V8
version, the imported 208 GT4 from 1975, in a response to stringent
Italian tax laws, producing a little less at just over 170bhp.
Ferrari's engineers squeezed an extra pair of seats into a
wheelbase only some 21cm longer than the Dino 246, quite the
achievement when that Ferrari V8 is mounted between the wheels,
along with very impressive headroom for such a body style with the
roof stretching over the rear seats easily before sloping back
down. The Bertone designers excelled even themselves here. Weighing
little more than a tonne, 0-62mph is reportedly only a touch under
7 seconds and the car boasts a 158mph top speed. The driving
position impressively and effectively points you at the centre of
its goldfish-bowl windscreen, with the GT4 proving to have
excellent visibility and handling as a result a simply fascinating
and bewitching car to drive, a real drivers car that needs to be
driven to be fully appreciated. The 308 GT4 is one of the few
classic Ferrari models that can claim credit for still being
somewhat affordable and certainly should prove to be a very smart
investment. Not least because these models both look and feel as
the closest one can get to driving a Seventies supercar and one
that boasts the 2+2 back seats with comfortable headroom too. The
Dino 308 GT4 was introduced in 1973 and supplemented by the 208 GT4
in 1975. The cars were sold with DINO badging (continuing the Dino
brand to differentiate non-V12 Ferrari) until May 1976, when they
received Ferrari badging. The GT4 was replaced by the Mondial 8 in
1980 after a production run of 2,826 308s and 840 208s. From the
cockpit the driver sees only the road, a simply extraordinary
driving experience with only the most necessary of luxurious
additions of air conditioning, power brakes, power windows and
steering.Enzo Ferrari himself took a major role in its design, even
having a mock-up made where he could sit in the car to test
different steering, pedals and cockpit seating positioning. The 308
GT4 gained the "Prancing Horse" badge in May 1976, which replaced
the Dino badges on the hood, wheels, rear panel and the steering
wheel while retaining the Dino 308GT4 logo on the rear boot lid.
This has caused some confusion over the years with many prospective
owners reportedly hesitant to buy such an expensive automobile not
badged "Ferrari", and being confused at the now very collectible
and significance of the Dino name.Dino was Enzo Ferrari's son who
died in 1956, and his name was to honor his memory on the models it
was placed. In an effort to improve sales until the 1976 official
re-badging, Ferrari sent out factory update on July 1, 1975 with
technical and cosmetic revisions in many areas. Some of these
revisions were implemented piecemeal by dealers. Some made all the
revisions while some just made a few. This leaves many 1975 GT4's
with a variety of modifications which are hard to document as
"correct" to aficionados who may not understand the complicated
series of events surrounding this model year. Some of the revisions
included adding Prancing Horse badges, such as this particular
model, repainting in the two-tone scheme (lower half painted matte
black), air conditioning fixes, etc. It also included bumper
modification and exhaust changes for North American versions. The
Dino 308 GT4 was the only Ferrari legally imported to the US in
1975, and it was also the year Niki Lauda won the Formula One
drivers championship and Ferrari won the constructors title with
the GT4 being the only 2+2 Ferrari ever raced with factory support.
There were two series of GT4; the earlier cars featured a twin
distributor engine and foglamps mounted in the front valance. Later
cars had a single distributor engine, with foglamps mounted behind
the front grille. Introduced at the Geneva motor Show in 1975 the
208 GT4 was a low-displacement version of the V8 produced for the
Italian market, where cars with engines larger than two litres were
subjected to more than double VAT (38%). The engine was de-bored to
(66.8 by 71 mm) 2.0 L (1991 cc) V8, resulting in the smallest
production V8 in history for a road car. Power output is 170 hp at
7700 rpm for a top speed of 220 km/h (137 mph). Smaller Weber 34
DCNF carburetors, a lower final drive ratio and skinnier tires
completed the technical changes for the 208. Chrome (rather than
black) accents outside and the lack of fog lights were external
visual indicators of the smaller-engined GT4. Inside the 208 GT4
featured a black rather than silver dash facing. The 208 GT
replaced the 208 GT4 in 1980, after only 840 cars had been built.
This particular 1975 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 2+2 should be considered
an extraordinarily rare example with an all original interior and
no signs of any body damage or accidents in maybe the most classic
and striking of color combinations! Although Ferrari badges crept
onto the cars after 1975, unlike the Dino 246, this particular
model remains one of the most affordable ways into real classic
Ferrari Cavallino Rampante (or Prancing Horse) 5 spd gate shifter
V8 ownership, and will surely prove to be an incredible investment
for the astute classic car collector or indeed Ferrari enthusiast
in the years to come, and already now an icon of its era and a car
of many firsts.
