The Ferrari 308 GT4 Committed A Major Sin.. Is It Time To Forgive?

[Music] hello everybody welcome to number 27 i'm jack and today i'm here to talk to you about a much misunderstood car the ferrari dino 308 gt4 now many people for years and years have said that this is not a real ferrari they've said that because of issues with the badge because of the engine most most importantly perhaps because of the way it looks is that justified at all i'm going to take it out and then we'll find out [Music] so the 308 gt4 was launched at the 1973 paris motor show and for ferrari it was actually a car of firsts because it's the first time they left pininfarina and they went with bertone which is one of the most controversial things we'll come back to that in a minute but also it was ferrari's first v8 not just that but it was also but it was also actually ferrari's first mid engine two plus two and one of the only if you think about it one of the only mid engine two plus twos i think ever made i can think of one other which is the aurora i'm sure there are many more that you will point out in your comments please do but certainly is a very rare breed and it is amazing because from the dino which is the two-seater that everybody loves they made this car with just 21 extra centimeters of length and they did that by having that engine transverse with the gearbox mounted underneath it this engine the v8 flat plane really set a trend for ferrari almost every other sort of small ferrari that followed used this configuration so a hugely significant car from those aspects as well the second controversial point i suppose is that when these first came out they weren't even badged as ferraris as an homage to enzo sandino they were called dinos because they were supposed to be sort of ferrari's junior cars so that in itself did put a lot of people off and for many years people said it wasn't a real ferrari but by the end of the production run so i think by 1975 or 76 ferrari had started badging them as ferraris anyway so to be honest the dino thing is a bit of a curiosity but it's no more than that if anything to me it adds a bit more appeal the most controversial part though is that the design was done by bertone it was actually gandini marcelo gandini who also did the tash and also did the slattos that designed this car and indeed you can absolutely see echoes of the stratos all over it and at the time people said well it doesn't look like a ferrari it's a wedge shape it's too much like a lamborghini it was done by a lamborghini designer it's a junior ferrari it doesn't have a v12 and so it was kind of pillory the dino also only had a six cylinder rather than a 12 but i think because of its beauty it was somewhat saved another controversial thing about these are the looks and i don't know what i don't understand why because i think they look absolutely brilliant but a lot of people just don't like them and say they are the ugliest thing since forever as i said i don't get that there are a couple of angles so the rear lights for example for me don't quite work the straight ahead probably isn't the best angle so there are a couple of angles that aren't absolutely brilliant but they are still to me fantastic looking cars and absolutely brilliant embodiments of sort of 17 70s wedge design not just that but you've got to realize this is a mid engine 2 plus 2 so if there are some angles where it looks a little bit touch ungainly maybe well if you consider what they had to work with and how they i think it's an absolute design icon i think the design is absolutely brilliant so these were designed as gt cars really so how does it work in those ways well the interior is lovely it's airy you get an incredible view out there's loads of space certainly more space than my avora in the back so quite good you sit quite far forward in the car you can literally only see just the very start of the bonnet which makes you feel like you're sort of quite on top of it and quite in command of the way it's going to turn the pedals are really offset to the center but it doesn't feel to me unnatural at all it sort of pivots you a little bit towards the center line of the car when you're driving which actually works pretty well the dash layout is amazing it's one of my favorite all-time dashes the way it sort of comes around all the switches there all the instrumentation everything you need is from front of you all you've got here are the window switches where you have to look down i think a de-mister and something oh and the choke which you don't need to worry about when you're driving so in terms of layout also some ventilation controls to be fair but in terms of layout and ergonomically miles better than my 308 it also seemed to drive a little bit more naturally it could be because this is obviously not an open top car like mine so it's got a little bit more structural rigidity but it turns with a little bit more of a natural feel it doesn't load up in the corners quite as much as my car does so once you're running although it's not assisted the steering is really lovely delicate absolutely perfect the gearbox is that fantastic gated box that the ferraris have it's a little it's a touch heavier and notchier than the one on my 308 i don't know why but they're all different every ferrari i've driven whether it's 308 328 same car not the same car with these gearboxes feel slightly different on my 308 that is an area where that is just a brilliant box and this is very close it's very good um but it's a little bit stiffer than mine to operate also the clutch is a real handful on this i have to say it is uh it's very stiff uh probably one of the heaviest cultures i've experienced but you kind of get used to it and it works with this type of car 30 miles an hour dude and then he's going to speed up just when i want to overtake him just touching the grass verge can't drive right power wise let's go for an overtake thank you 250 horsepower these sort of flat plane v8s developed which doesn't sound a lot today but at the time was pretty respectable it's enough to get this from not to 60 in under seven seconds and a top speed 158 miles an hour so that's that's not bad the ride is good this car is so much better on this road than i was anticipating it's it just works really well and although it's a little bit longer than a 308 i have to say it actually to me it feels like it drives a little bit better it's a little bit vague maybe at times with the suspension moves but it's really good really is i think because you're sitting so far forward as well it gives it a little bit of a go-carty feel although it's a longer car the brakes have loads of progression they're just drive a modern car it's like a switch drive these and it's there's so much worse progressions the only way i could say it but it's brilliant lovely lovely thing to drive this i have to say really is very nice now the engine i think that there's a pipe which isn't connected to the outside so in terms of the air intake noise it's a bit more muted obviously it's not convertible as well so the engine does lose out in those terms but otherwise very very similar to my own 308 engine and the way it feels the flat plane crank means it's really willing to rev and it's a lovely engine it has sort of torque it has progression it turns very nicely this it really does lovely thing so much feel from the front end when you throw it in lovely car just gone past the owner there give him another thumbs up is this a real ferrari yes this is better than a lot of ferraris so the 308 okay mine isn't in full health yet so i can't comment in those ways but do you know what i would almost rather have this than the 308 i don't know about 308 coupe but it's just more usable it's easier to sort of to live with and if you don't dislike the looks like some people seem to and i don't i think it drives very very well if you're looking for a ferrari don't let anybody tell you that this isn't a real ferrari because that is an of absolute it absolutely is every inch of ferrari not just that i think it's a very very good one in terms of prices now you used to be able to buy these for nothing like sort of 14 15 000 pounds i think that's what the owner paid for this one or sixteen thousand who paid in 2000 that is no longer the case and deservedly so they are still amongst the cheapest ferraris you can get though i think the only cheaper thing you can get is like the sort of mondial the early mondials which really are quite ungainly and not very good to drive this is definitely better than an early mondale not a 3.2 to drive so i would wholeheartedly recommend that you look into a gt4 because they are absolutely awesome they really are i think still massively underrated although people like them a lot more thank you so much for watching it is hugely appreciated if you can please do subscribe it really helps the channel if you want to support the channel then go on patreon and if you want to contact me because you've got a car that i you know you want me to look at to do a video on potentially then instagram is the best way thank you so much and see you for the next video

Channel: Number 27

Views: 124,261

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Id: iCmVCkaBW2Q

Length: 11min 30sec (690 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 12 2022