Description
Details:
Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale an Australian delivered, factory right hand drive Ferrari 328 GTS.
The service book confirms this car was sold through John Cant Ferrari in Brisbane, Queensland and it was delivered new on 29th October 1987. The first owner is noted as a company based in Bundaburg, Queensland. The service book notes the VIN as well as the engine number and therefore we can confirm that this car retains its original ‘matching numbers’ engine.
The first entry in the service book is dated 22nd December 1987 stamped by John Cant Ferrari. The car did not stay in Queensland for long. It found its way down to Victoria in either late 1988 or early 1989. There is an entry in the service book for the 10, 000 km service dated 15th February 1989 and that service was executed by Lance Dixon Saab-Ferrari in Melbourne. The subsequent 20, 000 km service was executed by Lance Dixon on the 4th January 1990. This was an annual service based on time passed, not mileage.
This Ferrari 328 GTS then found its way to Sydney, NSW and to the suburb of Narrabeen on the northern beaches. The car was registered in NSW as JH326. The car was subsequently serviced by Scuderia Veloce Motors with numerous entries in the service book through until 2005. Italia Motori serviced the car in 2006 and again 2008. From 2009 through until 2022 the car was maintained by Cavallino Motorsport in Brookvale, Sydney.
The car changed hands in mid to late 2022 and its next owner used the car sparingly. As a result of a health issue he sold the car to Oldtimer Australia in June 2023. We had the car checked over and serviced. The work included a general service, timing belt service, the radiator was recored and overflow tank repaired. The car was quickly sold to one of our long standing clients based on the Gold Coast.
Today the odometer reads 60, 459 km. This car has an impeccable service history which unequivocally confirms the mileage to be genuine.
The 308 GTB/ GTS and 328 GTB/ GTS is one of Ferrari’s most successful and recognisable models. There are lots of ‘nice cars’ out there, but this is one is particularly good and it ticks ‘all the boxes’.
First impressions of this car are really good. This car has a real presence about it and everything is just so crisp and clean. The ‘rosso corsa’ paint on the car is in very good condition. It may have had the odd touch up here and there, but it looks to be essentially original and beautifully preserved. It has retained a strong depth of colour and nice gloss finish. If you look underneath the car you will see the bottom of the front spoiler has a few chips and there are a few scrapes from unfriendly speed bumps! Even the underside is well presented for a 37 year old car. The prancing horse shields were added by us at the request of the current owner at the time of sale.
All of the external trim is similarly well presented. The iconic Ferrari and 328 badges are particularly well presented. The targa roof often shows wear on the GTS Ferraris, however, on this car is in excellent condition. There are no scratches, wear marks or any signs of discoloration. The glass is also in excellent condition. The rear window and the side windows appear to be all original. The front windscreen has probably been replaced at some stage. The round tail lights on a Ferrari 308/ 328 are a real feature and the lenses on this car are in very good condition. The same can be said of the headlights. The parking lights/ indicator lenses are often cracked and/ or show stone chips but on this car they are also in very good condition.
The original wheels are shod with Bridgestone Potenza tyres all around. The fronts are 205/ 55 ZR 16, date stamped 0523 (week 5, 2023) and the rears are 225/ 50 R16, date stamped 1323 (week 13, 2023). The tyres were fitted when the current owner acquired the car and have only travelled 1, 000 km. The wheels are in excellent condition with no signs of any curb rash or damage.
With the targa top removed, you are able see inside the cabin and like the exterior of this car first impressions of the interior are very positive. Open the door and you are welcomed by a very inviting interior. It is immediately obvious this is a very well cared for example. The seats are in very good condition and there are no cracks/ tears in the leather or any obvious wear to the seat bolsters. The door cards, centre console and the dash all present beautifully. Even the carpets are in very good condition. Another indictor on how well an eighties Ferrari has been cared for is the condition and presentation of the switches on the centre console and in the doors. More often than not, including low mileage examples, you will often see that the symbols show signs of wear. Fortunately, on this car this is not the case. They present like new and appear to have hardly been used.
The front compartment is in excellent original condition. Most notably, the original plastic liner is not cracked or damaged as you often see on these cars. The spare wheel looks to have been sparingly used, if at all. The engine bay is also very original and very well presented. The devil is in the detail and all the finishes all look to be correct, the ‘rosso corsa’ paint sticker on the underside of the engine cover is like new and the boot cover is in excellent condition with a working zipper.
With a car like this it is all about the drive and we cannot wait to take this 328 GTS out for our test drive. The car starts easily even from cold and quickly settles into a smooth idle. The engine sounds fabulous with a lovely exhaust note. Just sitting in the car waiting for the engine to warm up puts a smile on your face. Once the engine warms up and the temperature gauge starts to move, it is time to ‘hit the road’. The first task and a rather enjoyable one at that, is to select first gear in ‘that’ shift gate. The clutch is light and ‘notch’ . . . you are in gear and quickly away. Even if you could see nothing else you immediately know you are in a Ferrari!
Out on the road this car is a real pleasure to drive. Like all Ferrari’s of this period the gear change improves considerably as the car warms up to operating temperature. It is actually fine when cold, but it is an absolute delight once warm and the gear changes are smooth and precise. The engine revs willingly and there is loads of power on tap. The steering is direct and surprisingly light. The brakes stop the car quickly and in a straight line when needed. All the instruments in the car appear to be in good working order and the air conditioning has recently been regassed and it blows cold air.
All too soon our test drive comes to an end and we return the car to our showroom where it sits peacefully, eagerly awaiting its next owner.
This car has a complete book set, including a fully stamped service book, in its original pouch, a spare wheel, a tool kit (which still looks like new), a jack, the often missing courtesy light and the almost always missing targa top cover.
The current owner acquired this car back in August 2023, however, as a result of him losing his available storage space he has made the difficult decision to sell.
This car was last serviced less than 12 months ago, new Bridgestone tyres were recently fitted and this ‘just stunning’ Ferrari 328 GTS is ready for its next owner to use and enjoy.
The Queensland private number plate 328 GTS is available to be purchased either separately or with the car.
Highlights:
- Australian delivered, factory right-hand drive, matching numbers example.
- Beautifully presented in the ‘right’ colour scheme.
- Low mileage, with only c60, 000km.
- Books, including a stamped service book, history file, spare wheel, tools, jack, courtesy light and targa top cover.
- All tags and stickers in place.
- Recently serviced and new tyres fitted.
- Beautifully presented and drives superbly.
Price AUD $209, 950
Background:
Apple, Coca-Cola, McDonalds and Nike are brands recognisable the world over. So is Ferrari and interestingly the iconic Italian luxury sports car manufacturer was named ‘The World’s Strongest Brand’ in the 2019 Brand Finance Global 500 Report.
Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1939 out of Alfa Romeo’s race division as Auto Avio Costruzioni the company built its first car in 1940. The Second World War halted Ferrari’s dream, which was finally realised in 1947, when the first car bearing his name, the Ferrari 125 S, was built. From that day on Ferrari race cars dominated the world over, winning race after race and many world championships in Formula One, sports car racing and endurance racing. Ferrari built exclusive sports cars for the road too, but in the early days, this was primarily to fund his motor racing!
The Cavallino Rampate or ‘prancing horse’ was the symbol chosen by Ferrari and like the ‘golden arches’ it is recognised by just about every man, woman and child on the planet!
The Ferrari road cars from the 1940’s and early to mid-1950’s were built in very small numbers and it was not until the introduction of the 250 series cars that production numbers increased. Almost 1, 000 Ferrari 250 GTE’s were built from 1959 – 1963. The 250 series also produced some of the most special Ferraris ever built, including the Ferrari 250 LM, 250 SWB, 250 California Spider and of course the 250 GTO. The 250 series cars were superseded by the 275 series cars, the 330 series cars and later the 365 series cars. The nomenclature designated the cubic capacity of each cylinder. So a Ferrari 330 was powered by a 12 cylinder engine of 3967cc capacity.
Ferrari’s iconic Dino was first shown to the world as a prototype at the 1965 Paris Motor Show. The car morphed into the 206 GT of which only 150 cars were built from 1967 to 1969. In 1969 the 246 GT was released, which whilst a similar looking car in many ways was actually quite different. The car sat 3” taller than its predecessor and the body was now built from steel. Mechanically the ‘new car’ was powered by a 2418cc V6 engine. Enzo was keen to tackle Porsche head on and to do this he needed to increase production. The Dino was a hit and circa 4, 000 of these cars (both the 246 GT and 246 GTS) were built from 1969 to 1974.
The Ferrari 308 GTB was introduced at the 1975 Paris Motor Show, essentially to replace the 246 Dino GT. The car was designed to fit between the top of the range 365 GT/ 4 Berlinetta Boxer and 2+2 308 GT/ 4. The car was released to critical acclaim and its sweeping Pininfarina design was admired by everyone who laid eyes on it. Originally the car was manufactured with a glass reinforced plastic (fibreglass) body to keep the weight down and it was powered by a three litre V8 engine with a dry sump. Only circa 800 fibreglass cars were built before Ferrari reverted to a more conventional steel body construction in 1977. Most markets also reverted to having a wet sump engine. In 1977 Ferrari introduced the 308 GTS, which was essentially the same car with a targa roof. The car was made famous through its appearance on the TV show Magnum PI. The model evolved into the 308 GTBi / 308 GTSi in 1980 when Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical fuel injection replaced the traditional Weber carburettors. Two years later the four valves per cylinder “Quattrovalvole” or “QV” was introduced. The 308 was an incredible success and circa 12, 000 cars were built from 1975 to 1985 before the 328 was introduced.
The 328 GTB / GTS was essentially an updated version of the 308 with the same engine as its predecessor, but with an increased capacity of 3, 185 cc. The styling remained similar though its overall profile was somewhat ‘softer’ and the car featured colour coded front and rear bumpers. By mid-1988 ABS brakes were available and these cars were fitted with convex shaped wheels. Interestingly 328 GTS production out numbered 328 GTB production by a factor of five to one.
In total Ferrari built 7, 412 328’s, comprising 6, 068 328 GTS’ and 1, 344 328 GTB’s throughout 4 years of production.
