1977 FERRARI 308
GAVIN CULSHAW, LINCOLNSHIRE
‘I decided to part-exchange my Porsche 944 Turbo for a Ferrari 308 GT4 that was for sale at a local garage in 1995. It was described as being in need of attention, which made it that much cheaper; my key priority was to ensure that the engine and gearbox were in good condition. I didn’t mind tackling some bodywork, but I wanted to make repair sections rather than entire panels.
‘Parts availability was quite poor back then but things have improved enormously in the intervening 25 years with a lot more pattern bits now offered, which helps to cut costs significantly. An example of this is the distributor cap; a branded part cost me £200 five years ago but now you can buy a highquality pattern equivalent for just £80.
‘I’ve owned various Triumphs, Fords, Minis and Saabs over the years and I worked on those to keep costs down. As a result I wasn’t fazed by the Ferrari because the GT4 is very simple with its carburetted engine and no ECUs or complicated electronics. I knew that the parts would be expensive, but shopping around has always paid off, with
companies such as Superformance (superformance. co.uk) in the UK and Carobu (carobu.com) in the US usually able to help. I’ve also got quite a few friends who I can rely upon to help me if I get stuck, and while they’ve been invaluable in keeping costs down, I’ve also improved my welding skills to keep on top of the bodywork. The online forum ferrarichat.com is also very useful because there’s a huge amount of knowledge there, especially among GT4 owners living in the US.
‘ The bottom of the engine is original but I re-built the top end using Volkswagen Golf valve guides that I machined myself; they were less than half the cost of the Ferrari items. Fitting electronic ignition cost me £350 but a failed alternator rectifier cost £1800 to fix because it wrecked not just the alternator but the ignition system as well…
‘Investing £3000 in a four-post ramp means that I can do things much more easily now. A full service costs just £250 and I can replace both cambelts for less than £20 whereas specialists charge £300-£350. I also fitted new Alfa Romeo 5¾in headlights at £20 apiece when identical Ferrari items were £58 each. A new starter motor turned out to be £750, so I fitted a high-torque alternative that cost little more than a third of the price.’ TOTAL MILEAGE 82,500 ANNUAL MILEAGE 10,000 ESTIMATED ANNUAL MAINTENANCE COSTS £1000 RECENT EXPENSES HEADER TANK (£285), TWO CAMBELTS (£15.72), FULL SET OF SUSPENSION BUSHES (£500) ENGINE 2926cc/V8/DOHC POWER 255bhp@7700rpm TORQUE 210lb ft@5000rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 152mph 0-60MPH 6.4sec FUEL CONSUMPTION 20-25mpg TRANSMISSION RWD, five-speed manual