The Car Magnum Drove

            Perhaps one of the most widely recognized Ferrari’s of all time didn’t actually begin life as a member of that famed stable. Originally this car was a completely new design to replace the Dino 246 (see this entry for background on the Dino and why it “technically” wasn’t a Ferrari: http://turnerbudds-carblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/ferrari-by-any-other-name.html).

            In 1973 Ferrari had decided that the Dinos, first the 206 and its replacement the 246, with their transverse mounted straight six cylinder engines, needed to be replaces. And so the company turned to Pininfarina, who was the original impetus behind the Dinos, to design an upgrade. Built by Scaglietti and powered by a 2.9 liter 240 horsepower V8 mounted amid ship, that could hit a top speed of 155 miles per hour and get from zero to 60 in just over seven seconds, the company soon realized that this was a machine worthy of bearing the Ferrari name. That change came with the introduction of the car as a Ferrari at the 1975 Paris Car Show.

            Officially named the 308 GTB, for Gran Turismo Berlinetta, such as the one shown here, this car became the most popular and widely sold Ferrari up to that time. In fact, it would sell more than all other models produced in the company’s first two decades combined.

            The car was exceedingly popular, partly due to a surprisingly “affordable” price tag, for a Ferrari that is. When the car debuted it could be had for under $30,000. Other models such as a Spyder version and later roll outs would ultimately bring the price up to over double that original figure. Still, the car continued to see throughout its life at a very crisp clip.

            Even though sales for the first half decade were solid, and perhaps because of this, the car gained a whole new notoriety in 1980. That is when the show Magnum P.I. debuted. Starring Tom Sellick as a Hawaiian private detective, the show had beautiful women in beautiful locations filled with beautiful scenery. And so the producers must have decided that they needed an equally beautiful car. They chose the 308.

            While that car sported a classic Ferrari rosso paint job, the 1981 308 shown here also has one of the official Ferrari colors that could be had on this model for a decade.

            In 1985 Ferrari decided to make the biggest change to this car since giving it the company’s famous name. The engine was enlarged to 3.185 cc with power enough to churn out 270 horse power. As was always the case with Ferrari, this prompted a name change to the 328 GTB or GTS (for the Spyder version). The car continued to sell through the four years of its reign. By the time it was done, this model family had sold over 23,000 cars, unheard of for a specialty car maker like Ferrari. But what can you expect when a popular television detective drove one around Hawaii every week for nine seasons.