1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole Photos, engines & full specs

At the beginning of the ‘80s, Ferrari was forced to detune the engines installed in the 308 lineup to comply with stricter regulations, but the Italian automaker gained back its lost ponies when it introduced the 1982 Quatrovalvole powerplant.

The 308 was already a seven years old vehicle, but it was still appealing to Ferrari’s customers. Its beautiful lines were penned by the famous Leonardo Fioravanti during his years at Pininfarina studio. The Prancing Horse brand offered the car either as a coupe or as a convertible, and both were very fashionable at their times. Furthermore, the car’s performance was difficult to match by most of its competitors since it was light and well-proportioned. The mid-engine solution proved to be the key to success, and there were just a handful of automakers to do that. In addition, since the car was driven by Tom Selleck in the Magnum P.I. series, it became an instant hit in the U.S. As a result, customers had high expectations from Ferrari to bring back the performance lost due to emission regulations. Since the automaker had already implemented a fuel injection system developed by Bosch, it only had to adapt it to a new set of cylinder heads fitted with dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, hence the name Quattrovalvole (four valves in Italian).

When the automaker revealed the 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole at the 1982 Paris Motor Show, besides the upgraded engine, it also showed the styling changes made to the car. At the front, the car sported a slightly different fascia, which included a set of rectangular fog lamps mounted under the blinkers/parking lights. The broad slatted grille where the Ferrari badge took center stage was similar, while below it, a small spoiler improved the vehicle’s aerodynamics.

Ferrari didn’t want to change things that didn’t need to be updated, so the 1982 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole featured the same removable top. The car manufacturer considered that the targa solution worked better for the vehicle instead of creating the car as a classic convertible. Behind the safety arches that connected the broad and triangular B-posts, the automaker installed a vertical window in front of the engine bay, which sported a new lid to allow the increased size of the cylinder heads. On the rear fascia, there were a couple of discreet changes. The four taillights featured reversing lights on the outer lamps, and there were four exhausts instead of two, like in the previous version.

 With a cabin fit for two, the 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole boasted a high level of comfort and luxury despite being a supercar. It featured high bolstered seats with leather upholstery, separated by a tall center console that housed the gear stick, the handbrake, and an armrest. In addition, there were a few buttons and levers that controlled the ventilation and the windows, while a stereo found its way into the center stack above the vents.

Behind the cabin, Ferrari installed a redeveloped 2.9-liter V8 that was mounted in a transverse position. Thanks to the new cylinder heads featuring 16 valves each, the car manufacturer gained 25 ponies at 6,800 rpm, 200 more revs than on the two valves per cylinder version offered by the previous, 1980 model year.