‘The 308 GT4, a groundbreaking model for Ferrari in several ways, was Ferrari’s first V-8 production automobile; its mid-engined V8 layout would become the bulk of the company’s business in the succeeding decades. Considering all the designs they had provided for Ferrari, Pininfarina was distressed by the decision to give their cross-town rival Bertone the design of what became the 308 GT4. But with this Bertone design, in which Enzo Ferrari took a personal role in the look of the car, the 308’s distinctive angular wedge shape was unsurprisingly decidedly different from the Pininfarina-designed 206/246 from which it was derived.
‘From the cockpit of the 308 GT4, for example, the driver sees only the road: Enzo Ferrari had had a mock-up made where he could sit in the car to test different steering, pedals and cockpit seating positioning. In fact, Bertone’s single production Ferrari, the 308 GT4, was quite sober and restrained, although indubitably futuristic.
‘But don’t misjudge it – it’s still a bewitching car. Moreover, the styling has aged beautifully: it feels like an authentic 1970s’ supercar experience.
‘And the Ferrari 308 GT4 Dino takes a sense of occasion with it everywhere it goes.