Ferrari 328 GTB Review

The 328 was the 308 grown up. Shown at the 1985 Frankfurt show alongside the Mondial 3.2, it kept Pininfarina's shape but rounded the nose and tail, fitted body-colored bumpers styled to match the Mondial's, dropped the louvers behind the headlights and brought new seats, door trim and switchgear, with orange-on-black instruments borrowed from the 288 GTO. Ferrari calls the 328 GTB and GTS the final development of its transverse V8 two-seaters; the 348 that replaced them in the autumn of 1989 turned the engine lengthwise. Buyers overwhelmingly chose the targa, and Ferrari built 1,344 GTBs to 6,068 GTSs.

The V8 is the 308 Quattrovalvole's, enlarged to 3,185 cc and still fed by Bosch K-Jetronic injection but with Marelli electronic ignition, and it makes 266 hp at 7,000 rpm and 224 lb-ft at 5,500 rpm. Ferrari quotes 1,263 kg dry, 6.4 seconds to 62 mph and 163 mph. The five-speed gearbox still works through an open metal gate, and the steering is still unassisted, at 3.25 turns lock to lock. In 1988 Ferrari revised the suspension geometry to take anti-lock brakes, optional in Europe and standard on every American 1989 car, and the later cars wear convex wheels whether or not ABS is fitted.

It is the classic Ferrari owners fear least. Much of its maintenance, including the cam belts, can be done without lowering the engine, galvanized steel slowed the rust that plagues the 308, and the engine stands up well to hard use if it is looked after. The known faults are modest by the standards of the era: cam cover gaskets and seals weep oil, and the hose to the oil cooler was cut too short, so it can pull away and crack the cooler unless it has been rerouted.

The EPA rated it at 13 mpg combined. Its American price started at about $58,400 in 1985, gas guzzler tax included. The Classic Valuer's median result for a GTB since 2020 is about £93,000, a clear premium over the far more common GTS.

Its overall mark sits above the average of its category scores because of how well it works as a whole. The 308 GTB is the purer shape and the more romantic car; the 328 has the stronger engine, the better cabin and a reputation for reliability that few Ferraris of any age can match. Its technology was a decade old at launch, and its innovation mark reflects that, but as a classic Ferrari to drive regularly it is hard to beat.