Beginnings:
This is the beginning of something beautiful. It is the start of a new community for those who love the art and design of the past and all it has to offer. The cars, the art, the music, and all the vintage design that you could ever want. I have always been interested in the past, specifically in the designs. The cars were beautiful and loud, or elegant and smooth. Then there was the music, there was the Rock and Roll, the Blues, the Jazz, and so much more! The art is always a thing of absolute beauty and it can take the imagination to places so stunning and wild that you may never want to return. So, in this community, we will cherish all that is vintage and take a moment to tell the stories of the past.
The year 1969 was chosen for an obvious reason. There are years that were better for cars, or better for music, or better for art. However, if asked to chose one such year that brought together a culmination of the best of all of these things, many would quickly offer up the year 1969. It was the year of some spectacular cars, some great music, and, best of all, it was the year of the “summer of ‘69”. The articles found here will not simply be limited to topics or stories from 1969, but it is certainly a great place to start.
Every once in a while you may see something modern come up on this sight, but do not be alarmed. I think that everyone that has an eye for the past also can appreciate the modern makings of such artists and companies. Saying that Ferraris from many years ago are beautiful does not denote the beauty of Ferraris today. However, while there may be a few posts lending an eye to modern design, the site will mostly have a focus on the vintage. Now, I think that it is time to get into the very first article of this site!
The Ferrari 328:
In 1986, Ferrari released one of their finest works of art. But before we get to that, let’s take a look at where it started. In 1975, Ferrari unveiled the new Ferrari 308, which was the new two-seater replacement for the Ferrari Dino. The 308 was a handsome car with a proper V8. It had a completely new styling and was a big change from the Dino. The Chassis was new, the engine was new, the interior was new, and so much more was improved. Production for these cars started in 1975 and ran for 10 years until 1985 when it stopped. It was cut off because of the arrival of a newer and better beast, the Ferrari 328.
The Ferrari 328 is Ferrari perfecting their previous creation. They took the 308 and made it better. The 328 was built largely on the design of the 308 but it was better. The styling was tweaked to create a slightly more elegant look. The interior was revamped to create a new feel for the driver. The engine was still a Ferrari V8, with some small changes, but who is gonna complain about that? The 328 was released with a GTB and a GTS model, much like the 308. The GTB was the fixed roof model while the GTS was the targa-topped spyder.
When the 328 was unveiled at the Geneva auto show, jaws dropped. It was a whole new kind of beautiful and stunning. It was unveiled next to the Ferrari 3.2 Mondial which, in comparison, looks pretty lame. It had new flowing body lines with vents and scoops in the perfect locations. and, to top it all off, it had the pop up headlights that we all love so much! Painted in the signature Ferrari Testa Rossa Red, the car looked absolutely amazing! The question then is, how was it to drive?
Well, the resounding answer was, amazing! Many people today may think back about driving cars from the 80s and think, “Those were extremely difficult to drive, so what are you talking about?”. Well, there are two things to consider here. The first is that, for the day and time, the car was great to drive. It had its Ferrari quirks, but overall, it was fun and fast. Secondly, you have to remember that sports cars, especially before the 2000s, were not at all made for driving with ease. They were made so that you would have to really put yourself into the car to get the best out of it, and that is exactly how the Ferrari 328 was. If you put your all into driving it then it would give you its all and you would be guaranteed to have a great time!
The Ferrari 328 had good looks, a great engine, and lots of character! It was easily one of the best cars of the 80s and in my opinion it is one of the most beautiful Ferraris that has ever been made. It is the essence of a proper mid-engined sports car. to add to that, it was also a perfect representation of the elegance and glamour of the 80s. Many celebrities bough these and for a while, they were an icon as you would often see them cruising the LA boulevards!
Now, you may be wondering a few more things about the car. For instance, what kind of engine was it running? What was the gearbox like? Did it have leather interiors? Well, I will always make sure to include a sections for all you stats nerds out there. This section will always be full of information about the car that you may want to know. So, let’s get right into it!
The 328s Specifications:
So, let’s start with the most important thing about this car, the engine. The engine was, of course, designed and built by Ferrari in Italy. The Ferrari 328 had a spectacular 3.2L V8 that sat just behind the cockpit of the car. Interestingly the car was named ‘328’ since the 3.2L size of the engine and the 8 cylinders that the engine had. The V8 was a quattro valve, traverse mounted, and naturally aspirated V8 that was the last of its kind in the Ferrari line up. It created 270hp and 231 lb-ft of torque. This engine was connected to a 5-speed gated manual transmission that was standard for Ferraris of the time. All this combines to give you a real treat. The car felt fast and, with the 5-speed manual and the transverse mounted engine, had lots of character!
The car has a tubular steel chassis that was similar to racing cars of the time. The tubular design made that car a lot lighter while still keeping the rigidity of the steel. The suspension used a common unequal length double wishbone design in both the front and the rear and it also had an anti-roll bar in the back. This meant that the car drove well through the corners with less body roll than its predecessors.
Finally, lets talk about speed. The Ferrari 328 had 270hp and was certainly no slowpoke for its day. Old Ferraris never liked standing starts however, if you put it in first and put your foot down, the car would do 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds. It would do 100mph in just 13.0 seconds! Finally, if you kept your foot down, the Ferrari 328 would reach a top speed of 166mph. I should specify though that while the 328 GTB would do 166, the 328 GTS would only do 163mph.
Nice
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