Three years rotting under a flimsy tarp in a suburban garden, playing hotel to a local squatter colony of squirrels and rodents, is hardly the dignified retirement Enzo Ferrari envisioned for his creations. Yet that is precisely the tragic fate that befell this 1985 Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole.
Bought brand new by an enthusiastic owner named Lou, the Rosso Corsa sports car accumulated a paltry 4,200 miles on the odometer before being parked indefinitely in the backyard, presumably as part of a classic car investment strategy that went horribly off the rails.
Following Lou’s passing, his widow, Dee, grew weary of watching Maranello’s finest turn into garden mulch and summoned Larry Kosilla of AMMO NYC to pull off a budget-friendly cleanup before putting the car up for sale.
Kosilla didn’t want a concours-level rotisserie restoration; the goal was strictly maximum profit for minimal expenditure. Rescuing the 308 was equal parts urban forestry and pest control. Vines had wrapped themselves around the suspension components, while over three pounds of decomposing leaves resulted dredged out from the wheel arches and underbody.
Inside the trunk, mice had shredded the soundproofing material to construct a cozy nest. Fortunately, the cabin proved remarkably resilient, looking surprisingly presentable after a thorough steam-cleaning session. The original single-stage paint regained some dignity post-polish, though stubborn rust spots remain as permanent badges of backyard neglect.
Underneath the weathered sheet metal, the mechanical heart under the rear louvers stayed true to its lineage. Powering this U.S.-spec 308 GTS is a mid-mounted, transverse 2.9-liter V8 equipped with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection.
Choked by stringent 1980s American emissions and safety mandates, this version produced 230 HP and 255 Nm of torque, a slight drop compared to its punchier European sibling. Still, it managed a 0 to 100 km/h sprint of 6.2 seconds (versus 5.7 seconds for the Euro version) and a top speed of 241 km/h, delivering power to the rear wheels via a gated five-speed manual transmission.
Miraculously, Dee had periodically turned the engine over during its outdoor sentence. A mechanic brought in by Larry flushed the fuel system, topped off the coolant, replaced the filters, and hooked up a fresh battery. After a few eager cranks, the Italian V8 roared back to life with unbothered vigor.
