1978 | Ferrari 308 GTB

Highlights

A proven front-running car with which to tackle the Tour Auto and Modena Cento Ore

Ferrari Classiche certified

Fastidiously restored, prepared and maintained by the renowned British competition-car specialist BGMsport

Eligible for a wide range of historic motorsport events, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed, RallyLegend and the Tour Auto Optic 2000

Built to Group B specification by the Spanish Ferrari agent Fernando Serena in close consultation with Michelotto in Padova

Raced by the European Rally Champion Antonio Zanini to a crushing victory in the 1984 Rally Osona

Played an instrumental role in Zanini’s 1984 Spanish Rally Championship victory – the last of his remarkable nine domestic titles

Comprehensively documented, down to the Fernando Serena invoices detailing the car’s Group B conversion in 1984

Immortalised by a popular Scalextric slot-car set in the 1980s

A fish out of water? Pah!

Pastel linen suits, cheese-grater side strakes and Tom Selleck’s tash. That’s what springs to mind when we think Ferrari in the 1980s, which is why seeing the pretty Pininfarina-designed 308 GTB attacking a rugged and stiflingly dusty rally stage is a little unseemly at first.

Rallying certainly wasn’t on Enzo Ferrari’s radar, but it was for Giuliano Michelotto. From 1977, the young Paduan engineer had his heart set on turning the latest mid-engined Ferrari 308 GTB into a terrain-trampling thoroughbred, pitching it against the Lancia Stratos, several of which he had incidentally prepared himself. It was the beginning of Ferrari and Michelotto’s enduring and incredibly successful partnership, which continues to this day.

With Il Commendatore’s blessing, a wide-arched Group 4 version of the 308 GTB arrived first in the late 1970s. Michelotto built 11 of these lightweight lookers from the chassis upwards and they competed hard and successfully all over Europe. Jean-Claude Andruet actually finished second at the Tour de Corse in 1982 driving his iconic Pioneer-liveried 308, the only time a Ferrari has ever graced the podium of a World Rally Championship event.

An even more advanced Group B variant of the 308 GTB followed in 1983 to adhere to the new regulations, though only four examples were built by Michelotto. As such, a number of privateers opted to prepare their own cars for the Group B category. One such candidate was Antonio Zanini, the accomplished Spanish driver who’d triumphed in the 1980 European Rally Championship and had, by early 1984, won an impressive seven domestic titles in Spain. Here's a spot of motorsport trivia for you: when he finished third in the 1977 Monte-Carlo Rally, Zanini became the first Spaniard to ever stand on a World Rally Championship podium.

Given the predominantly asphalt-based nature of the forthcoming 1984 Spanish Rally Championship, Zanini sought a special new car with which he could continue to fight for victory. As a proven tour de force in both the European and World Rally Championships, the 308 GTB was just the ticket. Especially from an image point of view, which was especially useful when it came to securing invaluable sponsorship funds.

An eligible suitor was identified in the shape of a three-year-old 308 GTB Vetroresina. Offered for sale by the Barcelona-based Ferrari agent Fernando Serena, chassis number 24783 was thereby officially designated to Zanini. We have a fantastic photo on record of Zanini posing with both the 308 and Serena in his showroom, presumably after they’d agreed he would race it. Conveniently, Serena was entrusted with converting the car to full Group B competition specification.

Zanini and Serena travelled to Michelotto in Padova to consult with its engineers and source all the necessary parts to transform their 308 GTB into a fully-fledged Group B racer. Subsequently carried out in Barcelona, the conversion was exhaustive, leaving virtually no stone unturned. So exhaustive, in fact, that it took far longer than anybody could have imagined.

Strengthened anti-roll bars, a close-ratio gearbox, bigger brakes, a racing clutch and adjustable suspension front and rear were just some of the Michelotto-engineered upgrades. Naturally, the Ferrari’s luxurious leather-festooned interior was stripped and pared back with a roll cage, racing bucket seats, anti-reflective felt dash covering and a specially fabricated pedal box.

And that’s all before we speak about the engine. Higher-compression pistons were fitted to the eight-cylinder unit, which had also had its crankshaft balanced, its cylinder heads ported, its carburettors re-jetted and a lighter flywheel installed. The entire engine was also changed from wet- to dry-sump lubrication.

Though not for the want of trying, Fernando Serena failed to complete Zanini’s new Ferrari prior to the Spanish season’s curtain-raiser in March. As a contingency Zanini hired another 308 GTB Group B from the Italian outfit Pro Motor Sport S.r.L. and tackled round one, Rally Costa Blanca, with that car. He finished second overall.
Such is the way with ambitious renovation projects, automotive or otherwise, the Fernando Serena Ferrari 308 would not be complete until August. In the meantime, Zanini had already sealed victory in the Spanish Rally Championship driving the Pro Motor Sport S.r.L. he’d first leased five months prior.

Chassis number 24783 made its competitive debut in the 16th Rally Osona on 11 August 1984. Suffice to say, it was more than worth the wait for Zanini’s new Ferrari. Fitted with a specially fabricated light pod fitted beneath the 308’s leading edge so as not to obscure the pilots’ vision, this Ferrari vanquished the opposition to cross the finish line first, a staggering four minutes ahead of the second-placed car.

Such was the decisiveness with which Zanini won the championship in 1984 that Peugeot Sport Espana was sufficiently impressed to offer the Spaniard a Works drive for 1985. Having wrapped up the 1984 season early, Zanini let Fernando Serena’s son drive this 308 GTB in the final round in Girona. Sadly a faulty brake line put paid to he and his co-driver Manuel Casanova’s progress on the very first special stage.

With Zanini on Works duties, chassis number 24783 was drafted for just one further outing: the European Rally Championship-qualifying Rallye Catalunya. The local Catalonian hero Claudio Caba drove the Ferrari, which for the occasion was sponsored by the Spanish denim manufacturer Cimarron Moda. And while the rally itself was not a fruitful endeavour, the Ferrari in this specific event was immortalised in a popular and mass-distributed set by the legendary slot-car maker Scalextric, together with the Works Lancia Martini Racing Team 037 Group B.

Although it never saw active service again, Serena kept hold of chassis 24783 until the late 1980s, selling it to a Spanish collector who clearly cherished the Ferrari as he kept for 20 years. Another Spaniard, this time a man by the name of Pablo Castelos Castro. Crucially, during his tenure as the owner of this 308 GTB Group B, he submitted the car for Ferrari Classiche certification. The ‘White Book’ certification chassis 24783 duly received confirms the car as a competition Ferrari of significant historical interest to Ferrari.

When this car’s current owner acquired chassis 24783 in 2015, the brief from the outset was simple: he wanted to race in historic motorsport events, and race it competitively. The renowned competition-car preparation specialist BGMsport in Northamptonshire was commissioned to undertake a comprehensive bare-metal restoration, bringing the car up to modern historic motorsport standards and compliance. The total cost of the exhaustive project was over £300,000.

An appearance at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed precluded an hotly anticipated outing in the Modena Cento Ore. After four days of fierce competition on Italy’s finest circuits and special stages, this Ferrari 308 GTB Group B finished second overall, a mere two seconds behind the leader – incidentally another 308 GTB. Credit where credit’s due: BGMsport went to great lengths developing chassis 24783 post restoration; effort that clearly paid off.

After a bout of further development, particularly with regards to the engine, this Ferrari contested the Modena Cento Ore once again in 2018. Though less successful than 2016’s outing, the experience gave BGMsport further insight into where more development was needed. In fact, a slight lack of mechanical grip at the rear prompted the addition of the wider Group 4-specification wheel arches, permitting the fitment of wider wheels.

Infrequent use since then save for a further go at the Modena Cento Ore in 2023 means that, today, this Ferrari is absolutely ready to vie for victory in any of the prestigious historic motorsport for events for which it’s eligible – the Modena Cento Ore and the Tour Auto Optic 2000 very much included.

Save for Fernando Alonso’s tenure at Scuderia Ferrari, Spain is not a country typically associated with the Prancing Horse. But delve deeper into the history books and you’ll discover that Ferrari more than made its mark in Spanish motorsport thanks to plucky privateers such as Antonio Zanini. Chassis 24783 was very much at the fore of this movement back in 1984 – especially with its victorious Rally Osona outing.

Accompanying this 308 GTB is a generous and fascinating history file outlining the car’s entire story. So extensive is the documentation that we even have the invoices from Fernando Serena Ferrari comprehensively detailing the Group B conversion. Naturally, the most recent BGMsport restoration is also documented in its entirety.
Perhaps most importantly, there’s the Ferrari Classiche certification. The official seal of approval and the highest possible nod to the historical significance of this winning competition Ferrari. Its value comparative to other similarly qualified competition Ferraris is extraordinary.

Price Upon Application