If you restored, raced, and collected Ferraris, which would be your favorite? John Pogson is all those things, and his answer may surprise you. Shot by www.autocreative.tv
I always revisit this video every so often - so many perfectly articulated reasons why owning and driving an older Ferrari is so special. The Bertone design is just so achingly beautiful and is from a time where car design was dare-I-say-it classy compared to today - this car absolutely is a work of art both inside and out.
In 1984 I purchased a 1979 Ferrari 308gt4 #15234 in Rosso Chiaro & Light Tan Leather int., Sunroof & Rear Window Defroster! At 5 yrs. old & only 7k+ orig. miles it was almost new! Although, this was one of the last 15 LHD gt4's produced by Ferrari, it had to meet the late 70's strict USA Polution Stds.! So, Ferrari accomplished that by building the 3.0L V8 with Twin everything...CATS, Coils, Distributors & Points. Ultimately, reducing HP output vs the Euro Spec. gt4's as seen in this video! But, not for long! Because, I was lucky to find a Ferrari Mechanic from Italy, living not to far away from me on Long Island. So Giuseppe, started by not removing, but disconnecting all the Polution Junk, and installed an ANSA Exhaust System without CATS! Keeping the Twin Marrelli Distributors, but using only one set of points in each! And, after adjusting the Valves/Timing, and synchronizing the 4 Dual Down Draft Weber Carbs., the sound you hear from this videos gt4, was exactly what mine sounded like! Years later I found a set of 16" Ferrari Campagnolo rims off of a 1984 308 Quattro Valve, had them reconditioned & added Crossdrilled Rotors, SS Brakelines & Mogul 600 Brake Fluid, which greatly improved Braking/Handling, while reaming stock looking! I owned my gt4 for 26 Wonderful & Exhilarating Years, but finally sold her with 48k+ miles, and all the OEM & Aftermarket parts, to a Doctor from New Mexico! Yearly Maintenance over 26 years averaged out to approx. $1,200 a yr., with the most expensive Ferrari Service being the required 30k mile Factory Service costing $4,800...Ouch! Now that I am retired, this video brings back great menories of my own years driving my Ferrari gt4!😍😎
I love this man's emotional connection.. Mine was a Ford GT40 , that blew its race motor on a trip to cape cod by two guys from NY. I helped them every day after school for four days. Transplanting a Ford 289 from the local scrap yard. In th 70's. The gt40 in the early 70s .....was to me like a UFO landing in my neighborhood. Im 64 been working on sports cars. Soon as I could (15yrs old ) A right hand drive bugeye sprite. Today rebuilding 2 Datsun Z cars. And many many sports cars in between ,while I ran my own Sports Car Restoration shop for 20 years. You dont find Classic Cars...they find you....
This video put chills up my spine. As a GT4 owner for 40 years, I share John's passion for this beautiful piece of automotive history. So many of John's comments hit a chord with me. The best one was the ugly duckling is now a beautiful swan. This car is so much fun to drive and like a number of cars from the past, it represents a lost age of driving pleasure
I love seeing these stories told by John Pogson.What a great storyteller. It's rare to hear a man convey his passion while staying humble. Especially in the Ferrari world. Please keep these Pogson Chronicles coming.. As a Drive "fan", I appreciate all the hard work you guys do. What you do differentl, is provide a hip and refreshing view into the ever growing automotive culture, with a huge variety of content, there's something to stimulate enthusiasts from all walks. To me, this is the way automotive journalism was meant to to presented. And it's appreciated.
This guy is so passionate with his cars. If you see the other video of him buying an Alfa GTV6, the way he is just so excited. You can tell what these machines mean to him.
+Dayton Sander It is funny how a mechanical piece of equipment can mean so much to so many. For us car people it is just a love for the feeling, power and sound of what a car does for you. It may only a way to get from point A to B but it is the way you get there that really matters. For this man he is truly connected to this car. We understand it while others just don't get it.
Google him, Ferrari has been his whole life. Once you know his story you can understand where he's coming from. I would of loved to had have this guys life.
I completely agree once u find a vehicle that u vibe with like no other or find plenty of vehicles that carry a specific engine that u know what it truly sounds like by just tinkering with the exhaust that's a match made in heaven.
I cant think of a better car to drive the Wood head and Snake pass in than a 308 of some kind. I like the gold Compomotives, the side view a minute into the video with those wheels lend it a Stratos in a business suit type of look. Great video of a fantastic car. I've subscribed of course.
For me, what realy counts & I quote from him " It makes me feel good ! " Almost everyone cares about the looks of a car but what's equally as important is how it feels when you drive it !
I very much agree.. years ago i passed a car restoration shop daily, on my way to work, and every day i would look inside to get a glance of that beautiful Dino 308 Gt4 they were restoring at the time.. it was a thing of beauty to me, even though i had not much to wish for.. as i was driving a Matra Murena at that time.. Later on, the owner of that company became a customer of mine, as i built some Odometer conversion kits for him to change Mile-Odometers in to kilometer Odometers, by installing a different set of gears in the standard housing..and so i got to take a peak in the shop.. the Gt4 however was long gone, to be enjoyed daily by the owner.. It is clearly a Marcello Gandini design, it looks like a Stratos 2+2, the rough edges buffed off turning it into a great and true GT
I used to ive near the workshop & remember seeing lots of different Ferraris going by. This one is a great car, the only 2 I would pick over it are the 288GTO & 512BB.
I bought one new in 1978 from Becker in Dusseldorf ,I drove it and treated it like a normal car ,I never had any problems. Since I have owned many Ferraris including Testers, The 308 GT4 outmatched all ( in handling) a great car for the Nord schliefe
I had never ever heard of one of these. There is something about it. It's not overdone like so many cars are. Very beautiful car with a great noise! And it does look quite Stratos.
What a lovely car. What a sweet story of the first encounter in a workshop bay. And absolutely spot-on about the 0-60 time and the fast gearchange. In its day that was a very, very fast car. Today it is a very fast car. And a very, very engaging one. Lovely video.
I should say I've never heard of this guy, and I'm sure that discredits me but this was an incredible piece. Fascinating interview and masterfully shot.
Man I love the way he talks about this car. I love the passion he has, this video did a really awesome job of showing his love for that Dino. Feels like a petrolicious video which is very good. Would love to see more videos like this
Interesting that my Ferrari career started the same way yours did, walking into a shop that had some Ferrari's all of the same model and I fell in love with the BB512. Agree with your assessment of the 308GT4, I always wanted to buy one and hang a turbo on it just for fun, just never found the time. Cheers...
I’ve noticed as I come into my late 20s I’m less concerned about specs and whether I have more power more performance, and more interested in how the drive is, how enjoyable the car can be on a daily basis.
I like how the commentators and claiming their favorites and it's all like the ridiculous crazy super-ferraris like the F40 or 288. This guy owns and experiences this car, you've probably never even seent he one you mentioned aside the poster on your wall.
Wow. LOVE the car. LOVE this guy. What a great video, this one. So often criticized, but I loved the GT4 long before this video hit the internet. The best Ferrari is the one that pushes your buttons. It's only for you to say.
You know the V8 in that car is very much like the V8 in the Mercedes. Except for the head configuration with the Distributors at the ends of the cams and the hemispherical heads. You get the Bosch fuel injection. On the Ferrari you have that tiny little belt that runs the water pump. I've often wondered what it would be like to change the cams in the 380SL to match the Ferrari grind and add a manual transmission. The Benz is so heavy. We love to try to make a pig fly. I always enjoy your videos. Thank you.
I had no idea the GT4 even existed prior to watching this and now, after hearing this man's story, I want one haha. What incredible passion and enthusiasm bleeds through every moment of this interview!
I love cars and I love motorcycles. They don't have to be the latest or the fastest but they do have to mean something. The GT4 has always been a favourite of mine, car or bike, and I thank you for your insight, romance and passion. What a fantastic vehicle!
...with tears in my eyes- remembering my favorite toy car and Amen- Agreed and hope I'll be lucky enough to see this one- one beautiful day. Thx so much for sharing!
The F40 was the car that stopped me in my tracks as a middle school kid and made me a car guy. Then, I don't remember the order, but I wanted an 80s Testarossa and a 328 GTS. Then I wanted a 348 ts. I know... I know... but the heart wants what the heart wants. My current daily driver was my childhood dream car in 1983-- a DeLorean (yes, before Back to the Future, thank you very much.) FUN FACT-- the 1990 Ferrari 348 has the same length, width, height, and wheelbase as the DeLorean, each to within about an inch. Did Pinifarina benchmark a mid-70s Giugiaro design?
Last week I finally took delivery of a beautiful series I 308 GT4 to use it as a daily driver and this inspiring video was one of the main reasons for starting my search for a perfect model about three years ago so now I am owning a Ford GT40 (from CAV) and a GT4 which means that I can perfectly use the same GT40 licence plate 😎 Thanks John 😊
Thank you for this wonderful tribute to this amazing and beautiful car. I have always loved them; they are very special and unique in the same way the Urraco is. Both are cars I would love to own one day, though I know I never will.
Your amazing review brought back great boyhood memories. In Sydney when I was growing up, during school holidays I would play wi t h my neighbors Chris and George from ages 7 to 14. At 11 I inadvertently received the BEST EVER birthday present. I spent an hour in my first time in a Ferrari. Chris had an Plyboy uncle who owned the car above I.e. a beautiful red 308, 2 + 2 Ferrari. I couldn't believe my luck when I first rode in it. I vividly remember the V8 Dino being small compared to dad's large Ford sedan and that smell of that leather. Initially. . . I was underwhelmed as I couldn't see this legendary speed. It was a cumbersome bumpy ride in a somewhat cramped car. The uncle knew what he was doing. On the way back from a suburb where we'd dropped Chris's grandma off, we came back via a 3 lane main road. T hats Parramatta Rd Burwood to Stanmore if a fellow Sydneysider is reading this. As you can imagine a Ferrari in the 70's was a huge deal. We heard the verbal abuse at traffic lights. This was still racist Australia and people presume us to be Italian. They called us "thieving c__ts" and dirty wogs. Finally. . . We were trolled by two booms in a V8 muscle car . . . A V8 Commodore. T he illegal street race was from Haberfield to the intersection of Parramatta Rd and Norton Street. Chris's uncle knew how to drive the V8 Dino. He let the morons in the Commodore lead to the bottom of the hill at West St and Parramatta Rd, Lewisham. We flew up the hill At the straight flat near Leichhardt (ironically where Sydney Lamborghini is located today) we blew them away. Man, I knew then what it was to have been in a Ferrari. POSTSCRIPT - the V8 2+ 2 Dino is, and never was slow. It's been recently proved that the 1978 - 1981 pre-quattrovalve 308 GTB/GTS Ferrari's . . . The Dino was quicker. How and Why - the 308's had heavier bodies AND in North America and Australia the tough emission tests didn't affect the V8 Dino as they were 2 + 2 seaters ! A few years back a frustrated V8 Dino owner said that he'd never beaten by a 308 GTB and no one believed him. I told him off my experience and a Canadian owner of V8 Dino told him t hat he was right, the V8 Dino was quicker due to its exemption from strict North American emissions standard's.
My favorite was the 400i ,, another 4 seater ,, front engine , stick , essentially a Daytona with a back seat .. and they're cheap because nobody wants a 4 seater... I think they're beautiful , very clean styling.
There is nothing more powerfull than passion, and in is this video you can easily assess that, the 308 GT4 is in Paul Pogson DNA. We all love Ferrari at some points, nevertheless this is always amazing to hear people stories behind any Ferrari model. Beautiful video many thanks Drive for sharing.
I loved my 1979 308 GT4 #15234 Bright Ferrari Red w/ Light Tan int.! I purchased her in 1984 with 7,240 miles, I was the 3rd owner and I kept her for 26 years! I did put ANSA Exhaust on, detached all of the smog stuff, changed the Ignition to Single points, put in a K&N Air Filter, which helped it's performance, but more in the Exhaust Note...WOW! Later I purchased a Used Set of Factory 16" Ferrari Star Wheels from a 1984 328 GTB, repainted them and, put new BF Goodrich G Force tires on..Fantastic grip! I also located a Company who made Slotted/Cross drilled Rotors for both the Ft/RR, that were way less then Brembos. I also had the Calipers Rebuilt and had EBC Green Brake Pads, with Goodrich SS Braided Brake Lines Ft/RR installed & used Motul 600 Brake Fluid! What an Amazing Improvement over the Stock Brakes! And, All these these subtle improvements were almost invisible to even the most knowledgeable Ferrari person! The last thing I did was install the Petronix Digital Points, that went inside the each Orig. Marrelli Distributor, to delete the Old Style Points! They worked Great and Eliminated the Carbon Build up on the Old Points, while Providing Easier Starting and a more Consistent Performance! I would highly recommend owning a GT4, and adding on all of these improvements, for an even better experience! Believe me, I wouldn't have keep my GT4 for 26 years if it wasn't a Great Ferrari and Fantastic to Drive! They are still affordable today, I sold mine in 2010 for $42k, with 48k orig. miles all the Upgrades + all the Original Parts. And, I was confident that my GT4 was one of the Finest Looking & Running Ferrari GT4's in the World! The New Owner thought so too! And, Yes I do miss her!
I found this story very personal for me. I'm in a position to purchase a special vehicle that represents my 'beginning' as well and this video helped clarify my decision. Thank you and I wish you all the best.
I had an opportunity to buy one in the bay area in the mid 2000s for 12500. At the time I couldn't get over it's looks and potential maintenance cost vs value. Today I kick myself for not picking up a manual pre-smog vintage mid engine Ferrari.... Bertone designed the straps and this has the same shape and beauty that I appreciate today in a world of overdone styling
John is absolutely right. When you set down in a car from 40 years ago, you go 40 years back in time. If you can go there with the car, you will learn what that car is trying to tell you. You will be brighter, richer, and able to understand what heritage is.
I agree. Love this car. I've always liked this car. It's one of the best handling Ferraris I've driven. The early ones with the dry sump engines were light and powerful and wonderfully direct and engaging. It's not the curvy and lovely Pininfarina stuff, but I also love the Bertone styling. Much overlooked and unloved by many, but fortunately appreciated as the excellent car it is by many, too. It was the Ferrari purchase steal for a long, long time.
I actually saw one of these today parked outside a specialist near me, my first thoughts were were wow what’s that is it a Dino ( no a Dino is that baby two seater isn’t it) then that looks a lot like a lotus esprit. I then saw it was Dino but not one I had seen before. I also get what you say about the stratos look, definitely a car of its era growing up in the 60’s 70’s 80’s this is my type of car. Totally agree about modern cars this is all about getting in & driving it having fun, wonder what came first the Dino or esprit did bertone design both ?
Nice film. The car was derided in the day, and a sort of slooooow grudging acceptance since then. I always liked them, and would be more than happy to have one. WF
I kind of envy this guy. To see someone who has legitimate passion for a car is so rare. To to grow up during that time period to see something like that brand new for the first time would have been amazing. You don't have truly special cars like that anymore at least nothing modern it's a shame. The BMW i8 is the only new car that I see that really makes me feel anything but it still didn't have such an impact where it changed my life.
Beautiful car! I think I have never seen this one before! I see a lot Lancia Stratos in it too! :) A 2+2 seater is awesome, so you can share the experience with 3 people!! :D
Excellent video... but all of his that I've seen have been excellent. We had, among others, one of these and a '79 308GTB in a shop I where I worked in 1991-92. They each were one of the easiest cars to just climb into and enjoy a fast run down the coast. To me, they are like climbing into a very comfortable pair of old jeans; they feel good, sound great, and they do a really nice job of making you look good. If you're more into enjoying the car for driving it instead of cruising it downtown and "styling" then you can have an awful lot of fun without worrying about going to jail for standing on the throttle for two heart-beats too long. They're exceptionally well balanced and are so easy to drive well.
The 308 gt4 is my favourite ferrari road car. I like it because not a lot of people do, to me this car isnt pretty but i love the way it looks and i wouldn't change it. Funny thing is that im considered a lancisti and when he said stratos i immediately recognized the profile. It just goes to show how similarly everyone was designing cars back then (yes i know the stratos is also bertone)
"I can see Stratos in the car" Yes you certainly can, in fact when I saw the thumbnail for the video I thought it was a Stratos so clicked it, on ly to discover this beautiful Dino.
