Ferrari 308 GTB / GTS
1975–1985 · Ferrari 308 GTB / GTS — Sports Car, V8, designed by Leonardo Fioravanti.
The Story
The 308 GTB arrived at the 1975 Paris Motor Show as the car that put a true two-seat Ferrari V8 within reach. It directly replaced the Dino 246 and supplemented the 2+2 Dino 308 GT4, wrapping a transversely mid-mounted 2,927cc V8 in a body penned by Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti — the designer already responsible for the Daytona, Dino and Berlinetta Boxer. The shape, all scalloped side intakes and concave rear, has aged into one of the definitive Ferrari silhouettes. Bodies were built by Scaglietti, and the targa-topped 308 GTS followed in 1977.
The 308 became a pop-culture icon almost by accident: from 1980 Tom Selleck’s Thomas Magnum drove a red 308 GTS (plate ‘ROBIN 1’) through eight seasons of Magnum, P.I., burning the car into a generation’s memory. Mechanically it evolved in three clear chapters. The earliest GTBs wore lightweight fibreglass (‘vetroresina’) bodies before the switch to steel from late 1976; carburetted Euro cars made a healthy 255 PS. In 1980 Bosch K-Jetronic injection arrived (308 GTBi/GTSi) and, hobbled by emissions gear, power slumped to ~214 PS. Ferrari answered in 1982 with the four-valve Quattrovalvole (QV), clawing output back to 240 PS.
Why it matters: with more than 12,000 built across all variants (1975–1985), the 308 is the most accessible classic mid-engined V8 Ferrari — the bridge between the Dino era and the modern V8 line. It made the Prancing Horse attainable without diluting the experience, and the targa GTS outsold the GTB coupe in every generation, confirming exactly what buyers wanted.
The Numbers
Benchmarked against its class
Each dial ranks this car within its Sports Car class — fuller means higher, and the tick marks the class midpoint.
Signature Colors
The Designer
Leonardo Fioravanti
Engineer-turned-stylist; rose to MD of Pininfarina Studi e Ricerche. The defining hand behind Ferrari road shapes from the late-1960s to mid-1980s.
Studio Motors POV
The 308 is the smartest way into a ‘real’ mid-engined Ferrari — Fioravanti lines, a charismatic V8 and a manual gate, at a fraction of the price of its ancestors. Buy a vetroresina if your budget stretches and your nerves can handle the belt schedule; buy a sorted QV if you actually want to drive it.
The Engine
Ferrari V8 (308–360)
Lineage
Where it sits in the bloodline
Market & Value
Values on cars like this move monthly. Our brokers price from real transactions.
What Reviewers Said About 308 GTB / GTS
Worth Knowing About the 308 GTB / GTS
3 Things You Didn’t Know
- • The earliest 308 GTBs had fibreglass ('vetroresina') bodies, ~80 kg lighter than the later steel cars and the highest-output 255 hp Euro spec — today the most valuable and desirable 308 of all (production disputed: Ferrari/Wikipedia ~808, RM/Ferrari.com cite 712).
- • Tom Selleck never owned the Magnum, P.I. cars — they were show vehicles; roughly 15 different 308s were used across the run (carb GTS in season one, GTSi for seasons two–six, QV for the final two).
- • The open-top GTS outsold the GTB coupe in EVERY generation — e.g. 3,042 GTS QV vs just 748 GTB QV — making the targa, not the coupe, the people's choice.
5 Fast Facts
- • More than 12,000 built across all variants, 1975–1985 (incl. 208 tax-special models).
- • 2,927cc 90° transversely mid-mounted V8, four belt-driven overhead cams.
- • Carburetted Euro cars: 255 PS; US carb cars: ~240 PS at 6,600 rpm.
- • Fuel injection (GTBi/GTSi, 1980) dropped power to ~214 PS; the QV (1982) restored it to 240 PS.
- • Designed by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina; bodies built by Scaglietti.
Provenance
Owners & what to look for
Famous Owners
Tom Selleck drove a 308 GTS as Thomas Magnum on Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988) — but these were production/show cars, not his personal property; he did not own them. This is a screen association, not documented private ownership. No other celebrity private owner was verified in research → none asserted beyond the Magnum, P.I. screen fame.
Studio Buyer’s Brief
Variant first: vetroresina (fibreglass, ~1975–77) is the rare, light, top-spec collector’s prize; then steel carb cars; then GTBi/GTSi injection; then the QV (the strongest-driving injected car). Confirm the gated manual is healthy. Values (Hagerty 2025): an excellent vetroresina ~$250,000, good ~$190,000; later steel cars sit roughly $120k below — broadly the $50k–$150k+ band for steel/injection/QV. Service is critical: the cam belts must be changed every ~2 years regardless of mileage (a snapped belt means a rebuild). Check rust (sills, lower doors, arches; on vetroresina, water trapped between body and frame). European dry-sump carb cars command a premium; seek Ferrari Classiche and matching numbers.
Full Specifications
- Make / Model
- Ferrari 308 GTB / GTS
- Class
- Sports Car
- Production years
- 1975–1985
- Units built
- ~12,004 all variants (carb GTB 2,897 + GTS 3,219; +GTBi/GTSi +QV)
- Variants
- 308 GTSi, 308 GTB QV / GTS QV
- Engine layout
- Mid
- Engine
- V8
- Engine family
- Ferrari V8 (308–360)
- Displacement
- 2927 cc (2.9 L)
- Power
- 252 hp
- Torque
- 210 lb-ft
- 0–60 mph
- 6.5 s
- Top speed
- 156 mph
- Power-to-weight
- 199 hp/tonne · 11.1 lb/hp
- Transmission
- 5-speed manual transaxle
- Drivetrain
- RWD (transverse mid V8) · Petrol
- Curb weight
- 2789 lb
Questions
308 GTB / GTS FAQ
What does 308 mean in the Ferrari 308 GTB and GTS, and what are the key specifications?
The 308 designation encodes 3.0 litres and 8 cylinders — the mid-mounted quad-cam V8 displaces 2,926cc, giving approximately 3.0 litres. GTB stands for Gran Turismo Berlinetta (closed coupe) and GTS for Gran Turismo Spider (targa with a removable roof panel). The V8 produces approximately 255 hp at 7,700 rpm in European carbureted specification, with 0-62 mph in approximately 6.5 seconds.
How did the Ferrari 308 GTS become famous beyond the automotive world?
The 308 GTS appeared as the car driven by Thomas Magnum in the television series Magnum P.I. (1980-1988), giving the model unparalleled public exposure across eight series. Ferrari of America supplied the cars to the production, and the association with Tom Selleck’s character is widely credited with significantly increasing 308 GTS demand in the United States during the 1980s.
How does the Ferrari 308 GTB compare to the Dino 246 GT it effectively replaced?
The 308 GTB raised engine displacement from 2.4 litres to 3.0 litres, switched from a V6 to a V8, and increased output from approximately 195 hp to approximately 255 hp. Where the Dino carried no Ferrari badging, the 308 was sold as a full Ferrari from launch in 1975 — the first V8 to wear the prancing horse badge on production cars.
What is a Ferrari 308 GTB or GTS worth today?
308 market: Hagerty shows a good 1976 308 GTB around $138,500 (vetroresina bodies command significant premium). Classic.com shows standard 308 GTB/GTS in a broader range with QV variants and low-mileage cars trading higher than the $65K-$120K bands often quoted. Fibreglass early GTBs are the strongest collectible sub-segment.
Can you source a Ferrari 308 GTB or GTS through Studio Motors?
Yes. The 308 GTB and GTS are among the most accessible classic Ferraris, offering mid-engine V8 performance in a timeless Pininfarina body — and the GTS remains one of the most culturally recognisable Ferraris of the 1980s.
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