1976 Ferrari 308 GT4 Dino

This 308 GT4 was first registered in December 1976 and is therefore rightly badged as a Ferrari. Little is known of the first two and a half decades of the car’s life and ownership but it has been in single ownership now for almost 21 years in Kirkliston to the west of Edinburgh, Scotland.

The owner has spent the last half-dozen years diligently and faithfully restoring the GT4 to the immaculate near showroom condition it now presents in. He employed a car restorer in Aberdeenshire and a former mechanic from Graypaul Ferrari in Edinburgh.

It isn’t just a looking-at car - he’s used it for a number of road trips including to Italy to visit Maranello in the early noughties and also to southern France for his honeymoon, and he reports that it has always behaved impeccably.

Lately, health issues have meant that the car is no longer practical, so it is regrettably for sale.

Whilst it is something of a default option or cliché for a Ferrari to be painted in Rosso Corsa (racing red) - it does really suit the GT4 and the car presents very well with just a few slight touches of misapplication during the repaint - although you’re having to look hard to see them.

The chrome brightwork around the windows and bumpers is generally very good with just a little pitting here and there and some light scratches. Again, nothing that spoils the overall near perfect look of a car a few years short of a half-century.

The subject of debate - although many dealer-applied alterations were commonplace in period - this car has Scuderia shields on the front wings, which were not factory options. However, they are good quality items with some depth to them, rather than the cheaper flat stickers. What are appropriate to the model and the period are the Vitaloni California door mirrors, which add a sporting touch to the car.

The Dino sits on 14-inch five-spoke star style wheels, which are painted grey and in good condition with only minimal scuffing, although the centre badges are a little cloudy. The rims are fitted with BF Goodrich tyres dating from 2016 on the front and with Toyo Proxes from 2021 on the rear. One of the rear tyres tends to deflate over a long period of time so we would recommend a replacement.

If the outside is near perfect, then we need another word for near that’s even nearer to perfect for the interior. It is stunningly presented with almost every surface beautifully trimmed in tan leather with no appreciable wear and no damage at all that we could see.

The black dash is also immaculate and the brushed aluminium instrument panel looks incredibly smart behind the Veglia dials and analogue switchgear. Only the original steering wheel is showing some wear to the leather around the rim.

As is common to Italian cars of this era - the driving position is slightly at odds with human anatomy. The pedals are centred to the left of the steering column, which itself is centred slightly left of the seat centre. It doesn’t require too much of a contortion and quickly becomes the norm - as does the heavily sprung clutch pedal.

The centre console has the familiar open gate dog-leg gear shift and also has a later Clarion stereo unit fitted. Should a future owner want to replace it with a more period-looking radio it wouldn’t be a difficult thing to do.

The door seal rubbers are fairly new, which causes the driver's door to stick slightly but this should soon ease with use and age.

The fitted beige wool carpet sections are clean and neatly edge-bound and the headlining is of pleated leather and is nice and taut - although the sun visors are vinyl-covered and appear just a little baggy.

The front compartment has next to no space for any luggage but houses the radiator, battery, washer bottle (bag) and spare wheel. As with many classic and performance cars it is advisable to keep the battery on a trickle charge or smart charger. Such a device comes with the car and the pig-tail leads are already fitted to the battery for ease of application.

The undersides are mostly covered by a completely flat aluminium undertray, which not only keeps the floor pans clean but also aids aerodynamics. Elsewhere there is a good coating of black underseal or stone chip. The steering and suspension components and structures are untreated but only show a little surface rust. The rear subframe looks in very good order and it cradles a stainless exhaust system.

Unlike the regular 308 GTB/GTS, the GT4 has two separate compartments toward the rear. One for access to the mid-mounted engine and the other for luggage.

The engine bay is very well appointed, with high-quality heat shielding applied to the bulkhead to keep the cabin occupants from getting too hot. The engine and ancillaries look very well cared for with many signs of recent renewal. The engine starts well, sometimes needing a bit of choke, and the car is said to run and drive well and without issue.

Please note, while at our Headquarters the fuel filter is leaking due to apparent perishing. It would require replacing before running again.

The rearmost boot compartment has black carpet and linings, which appear clean and in good order - although the section against the engine bulkhead is coming unstuck - probably due to the heat.

A green pull-tag allows the engine cover to be released from inside the boot. A modern-looking powered antenna is mounted in the offside rear wing - rising automatically when powering on the stereo.

Also in the boot are some booster cables, jack, powder fire extinguisher, warning triangle and travel kit and a car cover that can be secured with a padlocked cable.

The Dino’s last MOT expired in October 2017, not many months before the UK Government exempted classic cars from annual testing. At nearly 47 years old, the GT4 doesn’t require an MOT but owners must keep their classics roadworthy and we think that an MOT gives independent proof of this - if ever needed.

There’s not a great deal of paperwork with this car but it comes with an original owner’s manual, user instructions for the Clarion stereo and a tourist guide to Maranello.

The vendor does have some other documentation - digitally covering the restoration bills and otherwise covering the servicing every 3000 miles by Graypaul Ferrari in Edinburgh. Some of it has been mislaid during a recent house move but when found he will of course pass it on to the next owner.

Although the 308 GT4 was styled by Bertone rather than the customary Pininfarina - its angular shape is in keeping with the wedges that most other design studios were serving up in the seventies. Think Triumph TR7 and Lotus Esprit - not to mention the Countach (also by Gandini at Bertone) and even Pininfarina man Leonardo Fioravanti’s Ferrari 365/400/412 family.

Like Fioravanti’s wedges, the GT4 has languished among the least desired Ferrari of that era - and it is only relatively recently that we have seen demand, and therefore values, start to increase, particularly for those cars in good condition and with good histories.

This one certainly ticks the condition box - it is stunningly finished and runs superbly - and with a partial history and low mileage, we think it will sell for between £35,000 and £45,000.

That is a good guide price in itself but it is also being offered with NO RESERVE, so it will sell regardless of the size of the highest bid at the finish. Will it be yours?

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.