1989 Ferrari 328 GTS

The entirely new Ferrari 308 made its debut at the Paris Salon in 1975 and marked a welcome return to Pininfarina styling, with rakish lines and curved haunches. After ten years of huge success, particularly in the United States, Ferrari had grown weary of the 'Federalisation' of their lovingly designed motorcars in America, with mandatory ugly rubber bumpers ruining the Pininfarina-penned lines. With their Italian aesthetics under attack, Ferrari launched the new 328 with body coloured front and rear bumpers which adhered to US guidelines, and for the first time, the design remained unadulterated by bureaucracy. Increasing both bore and stroke, the Quattrovalvole engine'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. Top speed was raised to within a whisker of 160mph with the sprint to 100kph covered in a fraction over 5.5 seconds.

Beneath the skin, the tubular steel chassis remained much as before, with all-round independent suspension by double wishbones, four-wheel servo-assisted disc brakes, and aluminium-alloy wheels, though the latter were increased in size. The interior too had come in for subtle revision and now featured improved instruments, switchgear and heating. Pininfarina built two variants of this mid-engine sportscar, the Gran Turismo Berlinetta Coupe and the Gran Turismo Spider (GTS) featuring 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 Ferrari V8. Production ended in 1989 and by then some 7,412 GTS and GTB variants had rolled out of Maranello, with just 543 GTS cars supplied to the UK in right-hand drive.

This car was supplied by the earliest Ferrari dealer in the country, Maranello Sales of Egham, to a Mr Reynolds of London on the 8th August 1989 in Rosso Corsa with a tan leather interior and Rosso carpeting, a lovely combination. The Art Deco showroom of Maranello Sales displayed the car a further three times over the next decade, catching the eye of Mr Colin Goddard on 26th July 1999 and ten years later on 17th July 2019 the car was registered to his son, its current keeper. It's presented to auction with a Kenwood sound system, tool roll, jack and car cover, together with the original Ferrari leather wallet that holds the Owner’s Manual, warranty card and service book. The history file contains historic receipts and previous MOT Certificates, the most recent of which was issued without advisories and is valid until 23rd August 2023. It  had a full cambelt service by a specialist workshop in 2022 and the odometer reading, at the time of cataloguing, was 40,593 miles.

In today’s collector market, very few cars offer the same stylish road presence, relatively modern driving experience and performance of the 328 and with the ability to pop the top off and listen to that glorious V8 howl, these have become very desirable classic Ferraris.