Ferrari 308 Drivetrain

The heart of the 308 series was its three litre V8 engine. The 308, 308i and 308qv are differentiated mainly by engine developments necessitated by emission control laws enacted throughout the ten years in which the car was produced. Changes were primarily made to improve power and reliability. The 2926cc Ferrari V8 was something of a departure for the company, which had mostly relied on V12s. With the V8, Ferrari could offer much of the power of their legendary V12s whilst improving fuel economy and saving space. By placing the engine and transmission transversely Ferrari was able to reduce the length of their new sports cars and concentrate the mass within the wheelbase, a lesson of racing.

308GT

The 308GTB's 2926cc engine was an all alloy 90 degree V, with an 81mm bore and 71mm stroke shared by the legendary type 365 Ferrari V12. The cylinder liners were cast iron and shrunk into place, providing a balance of great strength and low weight. Connecting rods were paired and balanced with the pistons and five main bearing crankshaft. The compression ratio was 8.8:1. The cylinder head provided an appropriate flow with two valves per cylinder and dual overhead camshafts driven by toothed belts.

The 308 engine breathed through four twin choke Weber 40DCNF carburetors and large diameter manifolds with a tuned exhaust system. In the US ignition was from dual Magneti Marelli distributors driven off both intake camshafts. The engine was cooled through a front mounted radiator connected to the block by stainless steel and rubber pipes. Power of the 1976 308GTB was rated at 240bhp at 7700rpm on North American models. Torque was rated over 208lbs-ft at 5000rpm.

308 GTi

In 1981 Ferrari responded to new regulation by switching to fuel injection for the 308i. The system was a Bosch K-Jetronic system with digital electronic ignition by Magneti-Marelli. Power was 205bhp at 6600rpm, torque being over 178lbs-ft at 4600rpm.

308 qv

In 1983 Ferrari produced the 308 qv: 'quattrovalvole' meaning four valves per cylinder. The increased flow provided by these heads combined with high pressure fuel injection and new low resistance, high strength nikasil cylinder liners restored power with greater smoothness. Power was rated at 235bhp at 6800rpm with torque peaking above 187lbs-ft at 5500rpm.

Transmission

The transmission in all 308 models was a five speed with reverse all synchromesh unit. Mounted transversely like the engine, the transmission received power through an unassisted single plate clutch. The gears sent power to the rear wheels through a limited slip differential and solid driveshafts with constant velocity joints. The 308 qv was given lower ratios and a revised final drive reflecting the greater importance of acceleration over top speed in North America.