The Sweet Oddball - The Ferrari 208 | Sports Cars | Flamboyance GT


Its the year 1973. Pininfarina, the famous Italian design house was upset. Its longtime partner, Ferrari had gotten rival studio, Bertone to design one of its most iconic models, the 308. Why was it iconic? It was the first rear mid engined Ferrari with a 3 litre V8 engine. But that is for another story. I'm here to talk about the 308's sweet sidekick, the 208.

Unveiled at Geneva in 1975, the 208 GT4 was... well, different. Who could have guessed a V8 engined sports car displacing a puny 2 litres would ever be made? That too, by Ferrari? Well, its the world's smallest V8 engine put in a production car till now. Everyone who drove it obviously couldn't resist comparing it with its more powerful cousin, the 308. While it was obviously packing much lesser power, it turns out that the tiny 2 litre engine was actually better.

Apparently, the baby powerplant sounded much more alive and sweeter than its larger sibling and as a whole, it was much more of a satisfying experience. That's what we true petrolheads want. Satisfaction when we drive a car, regardless its displacement or power. The best part was that all of this was born in an effort to try to avoid a tax the Italian government levied on cars with engines more than 2000 cc. Marvellous! This goes to show how there is a positive side to anything which isn't considered to be so.

Fun fact. The 308s and the 208s came with "Dino" badges rather than Ferrari ones. Why? The entire lineup from the 246 was dedicated to Enzo Ferrari's son Alfredino who passed tragically, but left behind a lasting legacy. Its because of him that not all Ferraris are V12s. Its because of him we have the 246, 208, 308, 328, 348, 355, 360, 458, 488 and my personal favourite Ferrari, the 430. So Grazie, Alfredo.

Remember the Dino badges I mentioned? Something funny here. Dealers at that time removed them and put Ferrari badges to just be able to sell the cars. But now, all purists and collectors only want the Dino badges because they now understand truly what they stand for.

With the beautiful Bertone wedge shape, iconic status and an unforgettable history, the 208 and 308 will go down in history books, often being joked about at how cheap they once were used, but how valuable they have become now.

                                             - Abhyjith Ashokan


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