The Ferrari 308 is a classic in more ways than one. Yes, it's a design that automatically screams Ferrari, but it's also a touchstone of the 1980s. It was so moving for Gian Luca Maggiore that he's built his own radical and yet tasteful line of 308s. At L'Automobile Show 2021, Maggiore gave autoevolution a personal tour of his masterpiece.
We've featured the Maggiore 308 recently. It was one of the main attractions at L'Automobile because of just how completely it's been modified. If it flew past you in traffic though, you might not notice. That's because Gian Luca Maggiore and his team managed to maintain a sense of restraint and respect for the iconic automobile.
Here's a deep dive into the car through his eyes into the car that he's literally torn down and then built back up.
autoevolution: Tell us a little bit about what inspired you as a young person.
Gian Luca Maggiore: "Actually when I was a kid I used to look at Magnum P.I. and I was dreaming to be like Tom Selleck..." he says with a grin on his face...
"Now that I am a bit older I'm trying to do something a bit similar...leave this 80s' style but with a modern touch... so that's why I decided to bring back the 308... It's an iconic car and it's a special design for Ferrari. So we took a normal 308 and transformed it into something special."
Photo: Maggiore
AE: When was the first time that you realized that you might be able to actually create this series of cars?
GLM: "Actually, I started thinking about this project four years ago. It was a long process. I studied the market and what other people were doing... and then about two years ago I decided to launch.
I had just launched the project and then three months later Covid stopped everything. It was not easy to go on but we did it. I think because we wanted it (that badly)."
GLM: "We redesigned the whole body with carbon fiber... so all the panels are carbon fiber... we widened it a little bit. The 80s was nice but it was a little bit flat, especially on the sides... and that was the point... to redesign something very close to the original but with a modern touch.... with a new soul."
Photo: RiversCars
AE: To give it a new soul they went way further than just skin deep too.
GLM: "We redesigned the body but also the mechanics. We have new bigger wheels, we have Brembo brakes, an aluminum suspension, and also the engine we have completely redesigned internally... pistons, valves, injection...and we offer different specs for the engine up to 400 horsepower.
We've also put glass on the engine like more modern Ferrari's and also the spoiler in carbon fiber is more functional than the original one...
And then we added a diffuser and a new stainless steel exhaust that really sounds like an orchestra when it arrives at 8,500 RPM. It's a really analog driving experience."
AE: Tell us more about the technical specs...
Photo: RiversCars
GLM: "Now it weighs about 1,200kg (2,645 lbs) ... we cut some 150-200kg out of it... it was a hard job but we did it. That's why 400-horsepower is quite enough to enjoy".
AE: This one with 300-horsepower runs about 60 more than stock. The Maggiore 308 isn't a one size fits all package either. Each of the 40 examples will be as unique as buyers could possibly want them to be.
GLM: "We have luggage that matches the interiors... this is a custom-made product so you can decide everything about this car. This color (for example) is called "Sunset at Forte dei Marmi".... Forte dei Marmi is the city where we are... and it's a touch of the Rosso Dino but with a touch of power...so it's a bit more powerful (looking). "
Gian Luca opens the door to reveal the interior and then talks us through the painstaking work that's been done inside.
Photo: RiversCars
GLM: "We've redone the interiors completely. We put the gear knob in marble because we come from the marble city in Italy. We redesigned the door panel and then we redesigned all of the aluminum stuff... (even the switchgear) is in anodized aluminum."
AE: Customers can spec a modern digital dash too...
GLM: "We have another dash that is a bit more modern with a digital dashboard and more modern features. We have also redesigned the front compartment with luggage."
AE: Tell us about the biggest challenge during the design process.
GLM: "I think the hardest thing was the front of the vehicle because we decided to take out the pop out lights. One reason for that was homologation but also the weight because the weight was crazy.
Photo: Maggiore
So it was not easy to redesign this bumper without changing the character of the car but ultimately I think we did a quite nice job...
We put LED DRLs and then we hide the real lights so if you look from the front it's quite more aggressive now and it has some reminders of the 280 GTO and then we added some 250 GTO in the tail with this shape...."
AE: We noticed that there's this blue accent color throughout the car. How did you come up with that?
GLM: "We were looking for something really special...so we involved a design studio from Amsterdam... when they told us "we can do red orange (for the main paint color) with a light blue" we said "oh come on... this is a Ferrari... how can it be possible?"...
Actually, the result is crazy because it's something rare... it's something unique... and that's what we want to transmit to the people... we're going to do 40... totally custom made so it will be 40 totally unique pieces all over the world. The client can work with us to create something special."
Photo: RiversCars
AE: As you were putting the design together did you finalize it and then start building or did you design as you built?
GLM: "It was a strange process because when you touch this type of car that is an iconic car and has this history and heritage... it's very easy to ruin the shape...to change too much.. to be excessive...
So the process went back and forward many times because sometimes we decided to do something and then we realized it was too much... so it was a continual design process... actually we are still working on some details... that we can propose to the client as an option."
It's pretty rare to see a Ferrari restomod and perhaps that's because it's so hard to respectfully improve on the original. Having spent time with Senior Maggiore and his creation, it's now clear to us that he's done it right.
Photo: RiversCars
It's hard to avoid comparing the Maggiore 308 to the new Ferrari SP3 that's just been released.
Sure, the Icona is stunning, fast, and rare... but what Maggiore has built is rarer, even more beautiful in our eyes, and certainly far more engaging behind the wheel. Oh yea, and it only costs a quarter of the new Ferrari. We know how we'd spend our money.
Below is a tour of the 308 with its designer during the L'Automobile event.
Google News