The Dino 208 GT4 and 308 GT4 became the first models from Ferrari with a V8 engine.
Started as Dino
In the 70s, Ferrari worked with smaller models, – models with smaller engines than the V12. It started with the Dino. They didn't want to use the Ferrari name. The little Ferrari was therefore named Dino – the nickname of Enzo Ferrari's son who died young. The Dino 206 was – as the name indicates – a 2-litre engine with 6 cylinders. Ferrari developed the concept further, with, among others, the Dino 208 (2-litre 8 cylinders) and eventually the 308 (3-litre 8 cylinders). It came in 1973 under the brand name Dino. It wasn't until 1977 that the brand was changed to Ferrari – the Ferrari 308 GT4.
Dino 308 GT4
The model was presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1973 and produced as a 1974 model until 1980. It is a 2+2 seater which is quite unusual considering that the V8 engine is centrally located at the rear. The concept was later continued in the Ferrari Mondial, but one can point to the Ferrari 308 as the successor to the GT4. The two models shared a mechanical platform. The Ferrari 308 GTB and GTS were built with 2 seats.
Ferrari is said to have feared that 8-cylinder engines would diminish Ferrari as a brand name for supercars with V12 engines. Therefore, the cars with fewer cylinders were initially sold under a different brand. In retrospect, Ferrari's V8 series have been a success. Ferrari has shown that they can build supercars with both 12 and 8 cylinders.
About the pictures
The pictures of the Norwegian Dino 308 GT4 were taken at Fornebu Bilmuseum . Another red car was photographed in connection with a car meet in Perpignan, France. The blue car participated in the Norwegian Sports Car Club's spring meeting in 2025 at Øvrevoll racetrack.
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