Ferrari obviously has close ties to racing, with competition being baked into the company’s DNA. And while the Prancing Horse is undeniably best known for its Formula One and endurance efforts, the Italian outfit has, on numerous occasions, previously set its sights on the world of rally competition. One such occurrence was during the 1980s’ legendary Group B era, when the Modena marque contracted Padova-based shop Michelotto to transform its latest road cars into exotic rally-spec racers.
Unfortunately, by the time Ferrari could get its vehicles homologated for competition, the plug had already been pulled on Group B regulations — making surviving Group B Ferrari racers incredibly rare, valuable, and historically significant. And such is the case with this Michelotto-built Group B-spec 308 GTB race car that’s recently gone up for sale in Western England.
Built during the Group B era several years after leaving the factory in Modena by Barcelona-based Ferrari dealer Fernando Serena — with a considerable amount of support from Michelotto — this particular 1978 example was made for ten-time Spanish Rally Champion Antonio Zanini and saw competition in a slew of Euro Rally Championship events — including the 1984 Rally Osona where Zanini piloted the Ferrari to first place. Alongside a fully-gutted race-spec interior, the 308 was also bestowed with lighter up-specced suspension with adjustable Bilstein units fore and aft, AP Lockheed brakes, reinforced roll bars, a quick-ratio steering rack, and a competition clutch and close-ratio gearbox. In recent years, this example was treated to a ground-up, open checkbook restoration by UK-based rally and restoration expert BGMSport.
This ultra-rare 1978 Ferrari 308 GTB Group B Racer (Chassis Number: 24783) — which is believed to be roughly one of a dozen in existence — is currently being sold through William I’Anson Ltd in Cotswolds, England where the rally racer’s price is available upon request. The car is also sold with an enormous amount of documentation on its extensive competition history and detailed servicing and maintenance records.
