For sale: 1978 Ferrari 308 GTB Group B
Images thanks to RM Auctions, by James Mann
This tough Ferrari 308 GTB Group B has period racing history, is recently-refreshed and looks great! It’s set to go under the hammer at RM Auctions’ February 2015 Paris Sale.
Going in to the 1984 rally season, eight-time Spanish national rally champion and European Rally Champion Antonio Zanini liked the look of the Ferrari 308. So he went to Fernando Serena in Barcelona and secured a Ferrari 308 GTB to convert into a Group B rally car.
With a specification decided the car went to the Serena workshops where it would receive Michelotto-homologated parts like lightened wishbones, AP Lockheed braking system, stronger anti-roll bars, quick-ratio steering, adjustable dampers, competition clutch and close ratio gearbox. However it was still there when the season opener in Costa Blanca rolled around, which was a problem.
To get himself on the track, Zanini rented another Group B 308 from Italian team Pro Motor Sport and proceeded to dominate the championship and claim the 1984 title long before the season’s conclusion.
It was not until Rally Osona during the back end of the season that this car, the Serena-built 308 finally made its debut. It was immediately successful, with Zanini and Josep Autet finishing a mighty four minutes ahead of their closest competitor.
It appeared again in Rally de Gerona, the final round of the ’84 Spanish Championship, at the hands of Fernando Serena Jr. and co-driver Manuel Casanova. It would become the car’s first DNF when the team was forced to retire during the first stage with a broken brake line.
Zanini would then be contracted to Peugot in 1985, leaving his now race-proven Ferrari without a driver. Its final event would be a round of the European Rally Championship – the 1985 Rally Catalunya with Claudio Caba in the driver’s seat and J. Martin co-driving. After making their way into 5th the pair would make an off-track excursion and struggle to get the car back onto the road, ultimately finishing outside the stage’s allotted time and being forced to retire.
However, this final event would add one more significant element to the car’s history. It had been racing with a new livery sponsored by Cimarron. Scalextric took a shine to the look and used it on one of its slot cars which would go on to become extremely popular in the ’80s.
The car returned to Serena after Rally Catalunya where it was kept by Francesco Serena. He sold it in the late ’80s to a collector who kept the car until he sold it to its current owner in 2009.
In that time it’s done almost no mileage and has recently received a thorough rebuild with full suspension and brake rebuilds and an engine-out service.
A rare and exciting example of Ferrari’s rally history, the car will go up for auction at RM Auctions’ Paris Sale on the 4th of February, 2015, where it’s expected to fetch between €250.000 and €315.000. Head to RM Auctions’ website here for more information.
Images thanks to RM Auctions, by James Mann
