Ferraris made 1743 308GTSi cars, over the period 1980, 1981 and 1982. The chassis numbers started at 31327 and should, therefore, have finished at 33070. I think the last element of the VIN is the chassis number which, at 35715 seems too high for a genuine 308GTSi. Mind you I could be wrong about the last part of the VIN number identifying the chassis.Originally Posted by misterdecibel
Ken.
Last edited by Ken; 05-23-2010 at 06:09 AM.
Die dulci fruimini!
Ken.
Wolds Bikers, Lincolnshire, England.
You mean the GM V-6?
Two things that scream at me are the data plates. The VIN plate is not attached with factory rivets. It's been removed at some time. The same goes for the adhesive mounted coach work sticker. It looks to have been removed and replaced. This might be a rather rough Ferrari or it might be a clone. I've seen kit cars like this before. I looked at one car for shipment to Australia that was a 429 Shelby Cobra. It was a kit car being passed as original. At an original cars price by the way.
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Your comment on the non-factory rivets could well tie in with my chassis number anomaly, Grouch. I also agree with the fact that the sticker certainly seems to have been removed (from somehwere else?) and stuck onto the coachwork. Coupled with the non-standard engine this could well be a kit car.
Ken.
Last edited by Ken; 05-23-2010 at 07:58 AM.
Die dulci fruimini!
Ken.
Wolds Bikers, Lincolnshire, England.
Guys, just look at the engine!
It's a GM V-6 with a Holley carb!
Hence, it has to be a kit car. No one - no sane person - puts a shitty GM V-6 into a real Ferrari.
Oh, I dunno. It could just be an idiot who was told it was a good conversion. I looked at a Jaguar XJS that looked really good and was touted as all original. The original engine was a V-12 and it was good for 150 mph. Except this one didn't and wouldn't. When I popped the hood, there was a Chevy 350 all shined up. It ran like crap too. I've got a Mercedes 380SL roadster. There was one near here that had a 454 stuffed under the hood. While mine has a solid and straight body, I wouldn't have bothered with even looking at it with a non-M-B engine in it.
That said, I smell a rat on the Ferrari.
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Yeah, guess so!
Still, if it's a real Ferrari, the value's probably half or less what it was when it had its original engine.
I've just done a VIN Check on the plate which comes up as genuine - so at least the plate is valid.
Ken.
Vehicle Summary
- VIN: ZFFAA02A0B0035715
- Year: 1981
- Make: Ferrari
- Style / Body: Convertible 2D
- Engine: 2.9L 8 Cyl Unleaded Gas
- Country of Assembly: Italy
- Model: 308 GTSi
Die dulci fruimini!
Ken.
Wolds Bikers, Lincolnshire, England.
I doubt if anyone thought the conversion was "a good idea", just the cheapest way to get the car back on the road. I'd guess someone lunched the engine or tranny and then looked at the price of a rebuild.
Yeah, well, the fact is that this "Ferrari" is just a shell now - with a near-worthless GM V-6 under the hood.
Which makes the car nearly worthless. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to take this thing to a car show and have to admit it has a 2.8 V-6?
I'd rather have an unmolested Fiero GT!
I don't think this is the kind of car you take to a car show.
I'd rather have a Yugo with a Briggs & Stratton engine swap than a Fiero.
The later GTs with the V-6 and 5-speed are pretty neat little cars - and most of the bugs have been dealt with, too.
Even better, the early models are antiques now - so you can gut the factory computer/emissions crap (source of all major problems) and fit a stand-alone (and hopped-up to your specs) four or V-6/5-speed combo for around $3,000 or so and have a helluva good time!
But the later GTs are so plastic-y. The factory version looks like a bad kit car.
All modern cars are plasticky.
They have rubberized front and rear ends, cladding and so on.
I personally think the Fiero is a much better-looking car than, say, a new Lexus SC430 or BMW Z4 (the latter resembles a gynecological instrument).
Just about everything looks better than a SC430, and most even looks better than a Z4.
That's what I like about driving an older car, you can park it in a full parking lot and never have trouble finding it. Driving an older car also means not having to worry about the next generation model coming out and spoiling the looks/value of your car. My car will only go up in value.
And it will always look good!
Older Benzes and Jaguars and BMWs (example, the 635 CSi) were immediately recognizable, distinctively styled cars.
The modern iterations all look the same. I weep for Jaguar especially. The character is completely lost.
I was over at the dealer the other day and a guy was looking at a new SL550. Mine was sitting just across from it. He had gone over to look at my car and then saw the new one. I asked the salesman if I would get something out of him buying the car. All I got was a grin from the dealer. Darn.
Last edited by grouch; 06-01-2010 at 11:34 PM. Reason: Eye kant spel wurth a durn!
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Text if you want to meet him.
Very nice Mercedes!What year and model is it?(looks to be post-'80)...
Sure beats the piss outta any new Mercedes....with all that chrome, steel, and class.
Gorgeous car!
There isn't a singe new MB I would keep if MB gave it to me for free.
I'd much rather have something with class and style, such as your MB!
Ditto the old Jags.
The new stuff is atrocious.
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