1976 Ferrari 308GTB Vetroresina

1976 Ferrari 308 Vetroresina, in excellent condition, 2 owners, and the last one bought the car in 1980 with 4,000 miles and used to work every day in L.A.

No accidents, and all original car, investment grade.

• Superbly restored 308 GTB wearing its original “Vetroresina” fiberglass body.
• One of only 712 fiberglass 308s built.
• Equipped with its numbers-matching body, engine, and gearbox.
• Accompanied by a tool roll, owner’s manual, and service books with a protective leather wallet.

Introduced in 1975, the glamorous 308 GTB, designed by Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti, was the first Ferrari road car with a fiberglass—or “Vetroresina”—body. Only 712 such models were built before production was switched to steel panels, adding over 300 pounds to the car’s curb weight. Tipping the scales at a relatively light 2,315 pounds, the aerodynamic and well-balanced Vetroresina 308s have become an increasingly attractive choice for Ferrari enthusiasts looking for responsive performance and agile road-handling capabilities.

The car is accompanied by a tool roll, an owner’s manual, a service booklet, and a protective leather wallet. This rare, lightweight 308 GTB presents an excellent opportunity to add a spirited prancing horse to your stable.

High potential to grow in price since the model before, the 246 Dino, nowadays worth around $500.000, a rare matching numbers unit.

With the arrival of the Dino 308 GT4, the 246 retired, leaving a gap in the range. Indeed, following this departure, the Italian manufacturer no longer offered two-seater coupes with “small” engines. And not the 308 GT4 with four seats, designed by Bertone, would fill this gap. In short, Ferrari needed a solution, a small Berlinette designed by Pininfarina, and quickly! The answer to this problem was brought in 1975 by the Ferrari 308 GTB, which simultaneously abandoned the Dino emblem to become a full-fledged Ferrari.

Two cars were presented during the 1975 Paris Motor Show (a yellow one (Giallo Fly) at Pozzi and a blue one (Azzurro Metalizzato) at Pininfarina), as Lauda had just won the Formula 1 title, and the Berlinette with features inspired by the 365 GT4 BB was a great success. Furthermore, the (shortened) base of the 308 GT4 was technically good, and the 308 GTB brought all that was expected from a Ferrari. Namely, a powerful and sexy style!

It had a similar mechanical layout to the Bertone-signed 308 GT4 but was equipped with only two seats. The bodywork, beautifully designed by Pininfarina, took visual cues from the fantastic Dino 246 GT. The rapid arrival of the first 308 GTB was also made possible by using polyester for the bodywork (except for the aluminum hood). At the time, this material, in addition to being mastered and light, allowed faster production. It was ideal for a brand hurrying to present a new product. And what a line! Lurking on the ground with its small 1. 10m high, it has a cut as sultry as typical of its time.

The front end is short, with pop-up headlights and air vents, ready to devour the ground. It doesn’t get much more seventies! The profile is well-balanced and very dynamic. The homogeneity of the overhangs helps it. The inclination of the front part, the obliquely truncated rear, the two oversized air intakes, or the black border underlining the body line in the shape of waves while breaking the volumes.

However, only the first 808 examples, called Ferrari 308 GTB “Vetroresina,” were equipped with this polyester shell manufactured by Scaglietti. Then, in June 1977, with the arrival of the GTS (Scoperta) convertible version, the 308s switched to a steel body, 150 kilos heavier.

The V8 engine has nothing small except its modest displacement of 2. 9 liters. On the contrary, the “Tipo F106” is probably one of the major engines of the brand. Depending on its evolution, you will find it under the hood of all the standard V8 cars of the manufacturer (up to the 360 Modena), but also of the 288 GTO, the F40, etc. In short, this 90° V8 with a flat crankshaft is a heavyweight! 16 valves, double overhead camshafts, dry sump, four Weber 40 DCNF carburetors, it’s racing gear! And, of course, the output is excellent for the time with 87 hp/ L, that is, a total of 255 hp obtained at 7700 rpm. These figures could lead one to fear a cruel lack of flexibility at low revs, but this is not the case, thanks to the 284 Nm developed at 5000 rpm.

The 308 GTB (B for Berlinetta) has been a sensation from the start. It is totally integrated into the Ferrari stylistic unit of the time while appearing even more balanced than the BB. Thanks to its polyester bodywork, it remained light (1090 kg) while offering high-level performance: 247 km/ h, 1 000 m from a standing start in 25. 4 seconds, and 0 to 100 km/ h in just 7 seconds. The Porsche 911 is kept at a distance.

A fiberglass car can be differentiated thanks to a few details: it has a minor attachment at the top of the windshield pillar, where it touches the roof. Another difference for the European version: the space for the rear license plate is plain, while the steel cars have a hollow there. The reverse lights are located in the bumper, while on the steel cars, they are located in the center of the turn signals.

Given that the 308 GTB was never officially intended by the Ferrari factory to become a race car, it ended up with a significant competition career. Not so much on race tracks, but more impressively on rally stages. Apart from the famous Michelotto-built Group 4 and Group B cars, many privateers have modified 308s to use them in competition with the success we know!