This red and tan Ferrari 308 GTS is the perfect example of what the 1980s were all about. The same person owned the car for 37 years, and it has only 12,000 miles on it. The last day of this Bring a Trailer auction is February 9. In the 1980s, high-end sports cars were trendy, and the Ferrari 308, a mid-engine V-8 two-seater, was one of the most well-known (and the later 328). The 308 got a big boost from being the leading car in the long-running TV show Magnum, PI, but it also played a supporting role as the car Christie Brinkley drove in National Lampoon’s Vacation. This 1985 Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole for sale on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos) lets you live the 1980s dream, whether you’ve always wanted to be Thomas Magnum speeding around Hawaii with a killer mustache or a long-haired supermodel flirting with station wagon-driving dads. As a GTS, this car has a lift-off targa top, and it’s 2.9-liter flat-plane-crank V-8 has four-valve heads that were first used on a Quattrovalvole in 1983. The unusual red carpets stand out against the tan Connolly leather inside. The cabin also has a vintage cassette stereo for playing mixtapes, a tall-boy shifter that slides through a chromed gate, and many toggle switches. The current owner bought the car from Bob Sharp Ferrari in Danbury, Connecticut, in 1986. It had been used for a year. Over the next 37 years, the long-time owner put on less than 7,000 miles, which is like a monk being very careful. So, judging by the pictures, the car is in great shape. Compared to most other 308s, this one’s odometer reading of just under 12,000 miles makes it more valuable. This suggests that this Ferrari spent its whole life in a climate-controlled storage facility. But the new owner of a 1980 308 GTS would benefit from relieving P.J. O’Rourke’s cross-country trip. On Oahu, you could also drive fast everywhere.
