MAGNUM FORCE

HOW TOM SELLECK AND THE HUMBLE 308 RESCUED FERRARI FROM OBLIVION.

- MATT FARAH

IT'S FANTASTIC-fantastic to look at and fantastic to drive-and in today's world, it announces you as an absolute connoisseur of the Prancing Horse brand. It was the car that established the mid-engine, V-8-powered Ferrari as the mainstream model, the one that made Ferrari a viable and profitable enterprise.

The Ferrari 308 isn't just a winner now. It was a winner in its own time. In 1977, Road & Track called it "a blending of man and machine that make the two feel and act as one." The late P.J. O'Rourke called the targa-roofed GTS "the best damn car I've ever driven" in 1980.

Collectors assert that 308s aren't for Concours shows or stashing away in collections. They're for driving. Common for a Ferrari, relatively affordable to maintain, and finely engineered by any standard, the 308 is the affordable-ish choice if you want to get out and put a lot of miles on a classic analog Ferrari.

In 1979, the fourth year of 308 production and two years after the roofless GTS hit showrooms and bodies were switched from glass-reinforced plastic to steel, Ferrari first passed the 2000 cars per year milestone. During the 308's final model year, 1985, it passed 3000. The two-valve 308 GTS was the first Ferrari model to sell more than 3000 units. If you count Quattrovalvole examples, Ferrari sold 6261 308 GTS models-more than the total number of cars it built from 1947 to 1967.