There’s a lot of negative talk about the Ferrari Dino 308 GT4. Some people believe it’s not a proper Ferrari. But if we’ve learned anything about people’s opinions – it should never be taken for gospel truth.
From as early as the 70s, the Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 has been the easiest route into prancing horse territory. It was a cheap (by Ferrari standards) 2+2 coupe that came with a mid-engine V8.
The Ferrari Dino got its name after Ferrari Enzo’s son, who unfortunately died at 24 after suffering from a life-long illness. This production was in his honor, and it’s believed that the young engineer had been working on the engine that came with this car.
Jack of Number 27 YouTube channel got the chance to drive this classic car debunking its age-long controversy.
“Many people for years and years have said that this is not a real Ferrari. They’ve said that because of issues with the badge, because of the engine, most importantly perhaps because of the way it looks,” Jack revealed in a recently posted video.
So, really what’s all the controversy with the Dino 308 GT4?
The 308 GT4 was a replacement for the Dino 246. It’s important to note that the GT4 2+2 was a revolutionary model for the Italian manufacturer since it featured a 2.9-liter 90-degree transversely mounted mid-engine V8 (non-V12). It was good for 251 hp (255 ps) and 209 lb-ft (283 Nm) of torque. U.S. imports had a little less horsepower.
The company would also shift from Pininfarina (for the first time) to Bertone, a Lamborghini oriented designer, which meant the design took a departure from curvy (as featured on the Dino 246) to angular with the 308 GT4.
Critics said it resembled other Bertone designs such as the Lamborghini Urraco and Lancia Stratos.
Also, since it was meant to pay homage to Enzo’s son, its release didn’t come with Ferrari badging. Jack says the Dino was supposed to be sort of Ferrari’s junior car – this wasn’t well received, and hence the notion it wasn’t a real Ferrari.
However, the Dino eventually got the Ferrari badge at the end of its production run between 1975 and 1976.
Despite failing to achieve the kind of legend status the 246 gets, I must admit the 308 GT4 has aged gracefully. It dons the embodiment of the 70s era supercars cars, which is quite appealing to the eyes in 2022.
“The ride is good. This car is so much better on this road than I was anticipating. It just works really well, and although it’s a little bit longer than a 308, I have to say it actually to me it feels like it drives a little bit better,” Jack confessed.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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