FERRARI

308 GTS

The Ferrari 308 GTS was introduced at the 1977 Frankfurt Motor Show as the open-top, targa-roofed sibling of the closed 308 GTB, and it would go on to become one of the most famous Ferraris of all time thanks to its starring role on television. Like the coupe, the Ferrari 308 GTS wore a sensational Pininfarina body styled by Leonardo Fioravanti, with concave side scoops, pop-up headlamps and pronounced rear haunches that defined the look of Ferrari for a generation. Beneath the engine cover sat a transversely mounted 3.0-litre V8, the F106 unit, fed by four Weber carburettors and producing around 255 horsepower, mounted amidships to give the car superb balance. Unlike the early fibreglass GTB, every Ferrari 308 GTS used a steel body, and the removable black roof panel that stowed behind the seats made it the glamorous open-air choice. The model leapt to global fame from 1980 when Tom Selleck drove a red Ferrari 308 GTS in the hit series Magnum, P.I., cementing the car as a pop-culture icon. The carburetted cars ran until 1980, when fuel injection arrived with the 308 GTSi, followed by the four-valve Quattrovalvole in 1982. With 3,219 of these early carburetted Ferrari 308 GTS built, they are today among the most sought-after of the 308 family, prized for their pure styling, raw V8 soundtrack and timeless screen-star appeal.