1989 Ferrari 328 GTS

The Ferrari 328 GTS and GTB made their worldwide debut at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show and its styling was an obvious evolution of the Ferrari 308 Series, however, Pininfarina's Leonardo Fioravanti had softened his previous design and it still remained a popular choice with Ferrari aficionados. Two variants of this mid-engine sportscar were offered, the Gran Turismo Berlinetta Coupé and the Gran Turismo Spider which featured a removable Targa top, offering an exhilarating open-air driving experience and affording the driver and their fortunate passenger unbridled access to the unmistakable howl of the dry-sump Ferrari V8.

Under the engine cover is the same transversely-mounted, fuel-injected V8 from the Ferrari 308 Quattrovalvole, with an increase in displacement. By increasing both bore and stroke, the quattrovalvole's capacity was raised to 3,186cc which, together with a higher compression ratio, revised pistons and an improved Marelli engine management system, lifted maximum power to 270bhp at 7,000rpm. Top speed was raised to within a whisker of 160mph (258km/h) and 60mph arrived from a standing start in 5.5 seconds.

This superb, right-hand drive 328GTS Targa-topped convertible was supplied by Nigel Mansell Sports Cars in the Isle of Man to a Mr Roy Dowle in March 1990 at a cost of £97,500, which included £1,995 worth of Ferrari luggage, and the original invoice is in the car's history file. Initially registered, G328 AJT, its Manx registration was GMN 328 for 19 years before subsequently returning to its UK registration in July 2011 when it was purchased by our vendor. Having been dry stored for a considerable number of years, it has covered a mere 2,670 miles from new and is described as in generally good condition, although in need of mechanical recommissioning simply because it's spent some time off the road. This classic Ferrari V8-engined sports car has an understandably small history file, containing Isle of Man registration and export documents, its Ferrari leather-bound book pack containing Ferrari pre-owned booklets, owners manual, service booklet and dealership network booklet.

A UK-supplied, right-hand drive, GTS is a rare find at this tiny mileage and has been guided to allow for the appropriate engine service to return to manufacturers parameters.