Ferrari’s Pininfarina-styled 308s are near the top of this month’s Price Guide Movers On The Slide, a chart that’s dominated by Bentleys, Jaguars and Ferraris. Their 5% fall is enough to put them in the top ten, but the drop is specific to the GTBi (coupé) and GTSi (targa) models built from 1980 to 1982.
These are the least fancied of the series, sitting uncomfortably between the first-generation collectible appeal the original and more powerful carburettor-fed models, and the more developed Quattrovalvole models with the four-valves per cylinder version of the quad-cam, 3-litre V8 engine.
If you can live with 214bhp – down from 250bhp – the GTBi/GTSi represents an attractive access point to one of the best-looking Ferraris, and the latest moves have made them a little more affordable. Those moves put rough examples at typically £22k, good cars £30k, mint condition £40k and concours perfection £55k. That represents a discount of up to 20% from those more desirable carburettor-fed of four-valve models. It’s funny how buyers make such a big fuss about having the model with the ultimate power output, when most won’t come close to fully using it. And I’m old enough to remember when more than 200bhp seemed lot.
While there are plenty of heavyweights in our chart of 29 fallers, a handful of more affordable models have crept into the top ten, including an Austin-Healey Sprite, a Triumph TR, an MG, a TVR and even an Austin Westminster. This is the sector that has seemed immune to price correction and underlines the fickle nature of buying trends.
Price Guide Movers On The Up is part of 18 pages of market tips, analysis and buying advice in the latest issue of Classic Cars, plus this issue has our Price Guide Quarterly update, produced in collaboration with Hagerty classic insurance, for values of more than 1400 classics.