A 1979 308 GTB on Air Sparks a Lot of Hate
When buying an old Ferrari there is one thing you do to it, restore it back to pristine condition and then park it in a garage. But what if that wasn't the case? For this particular 308, the restoration process went down a different path, one which may end up making purists eyebrows raise uncontrollably.
Art like no other
Cars are a unique art form. In a way everything humanity has ever created has spawned some form of art. Sometimes it's not called art, sometimes it's called design, or engineering. Very few things though have managed to combine all of those. And while you could argue that things like phones and refrigerators do those things too, the car is the only one that has such an ability to captivate and inspire. Your stove may be a nice looking stove, but when is the last time a stove has stopped you dead in your tracks, or for that matter lead you to spend 5 years restoring it?
Images courtesy of Stanceworks
A diamond in the rough
Andy Nierinck’s 1979 Ferrari 308 GTB is the type of car that makes people stop and stare. Sometimes people stare in disgust, as I suspect some of you might be doing right now, but we will get to that in a moment. Very shortly after Andy purchased the car it became obvious that it was in desperate need of attention. When buying any old car, unless it has just had a restoration, it’s more than likely going to need a ton of work. While some people would see this as a setback, Andy saw it as an opportunity.
Images courtesy of Stanceworks
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Streamline and Smooth
Work began on the steel-bodied car to shave off anything that distracted from the pure Pininfarina designed lines. Fog lights, roof spoiler, wiper blades, passenger mirror? Who needs ‘em? The result is probably the purest form 308 on the planet. There are some more slightly subtle changes, like the side marker lights, or the replacement of the bumpers and drivers mirror with carbon fiber units. But nothing on this list is actually all that strange or extraordinary, nor is it the real reason why this particular 308 is so eye-catching.
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Sitting Pretty
Of course, I am referring to the fact that this particular 308 tucks it tires neatly up into it's rolled fenders while sitting just a couple inches off the ground. By slamming the car to the ground over the 18x10 and 18x10.5 AL13 Heritage Collection S20’s the car takes on an almost caricature-like appearance of itself. Much like how a man who has been working out for a while and starting to show some muscle definition will squeeze into a shirt one size too small to accentuate his “gains”, Andy's Ferrari squeezes over top of the brushed gold wheels to accentuate its own form. On a normal 308, the fender flares are barely noticeable, but here they seem to stretch out long, desperately trying to contain the custom three-piece wheels.
Images courtesy of Stanceworks
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Riding on clouds
If I haven’t lost you yet, then I am going to assume you are either fully on board with this car or, like a vegan watching a hot dog eating contest, just so disgusted you cannot turn away. The stance alone isn’t the only thing here that is going to upset purists. The low slung ride height on this 308 is achieved through the use of Airbags. See Andy makes his living running KEAN Suspension alongside his brother Kenny in Belgium. What better way to show off what kind of engineering your shop can provide than to create a very one of a kind vehicle. There are no off the shelf solutions for the 308 so the bothers set about making their own using their house brand KEAN airbags and NOS Koni shocks. Polyurethane bushings were installed throughout the suspension as well.
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Keeping it period correct
Even if the stance and choice of suspension are not your taste there is no denying how well the rest of the car is sorted. The entire car looks like it came from an alternate 1979, where big wheels and carbon fiber had already been commonplace. Even the interior has been treated to a period correct design update. All the original switches were restored, and the air ride switches were even designed to duplicate those factory units. The seat received a slightly modern stitching upgrade, but the radio is still stuck in the ’80s, with a retro Blaupunkt cassette stereo providing the tunes.
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Can't help but stare
Something about Andy’s 308 brings back a childlike wonder when you look at it. Back before the days of the internet, when Nurburgring times and horsepower numbers were not the preferred ways to judge a car's worth. It reminds me of going to the toy aisle and picking out a new Hot Wheels car and staring at it all the way home. Some cars are about numbers, some cars are about feel, but both are forms of automotive art. Andy’s car falls into that latter category, and it can inspire those feelings without having to move an inch.
Images courtesy of Stanceworks
>>Join the conversation about this 1979 308 GTB on Air right here in the 6SpeedOnline Forum!