Uli Jooß Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole
10/20/2011
S is a formula for a long, healthy Ferrari life not Q10, but 30 times 3,000. Kai Jacobsen only turns the imposing four-valve V8 up to 3,000 tours for the first 30 kilometers. Then the nine liters of Agip Sint 2000 have warmed up to a pleasant 90 degrees, and the powerful eight-cylinder can let its revving power run free for well over 5,000 tours.
Steadfast Ferrari: engine, gearbox and differential are still unopened
The proximity of the red area, which starts at 7,500, remains taboo. After all, the thoroughbred black horse from Maranello is no longer the youngest. The Ferrari 308 GTS has been on for 22 years the well-formed Pininfarina back. The attractively styled 16-inch Campagnolo light-alloy wheels have already rolled 207,562 kilometers with Pirelli tires on European roads. This Ferrari 308 GTS still has the first engine, the first gearbox, the first differential - everything remained closed until now. Except for adjusting the valves and changing the timing belt, of course. Unfortunately, the only five-digit speedometer hides the whole amazing truth.
It alone burns the prejudices of the susceptible and short-lived Ferrari as quickly and without residue as the three-liter V8 of the Ferrari 308 GTS finely atomized Shell V-Power in its combustion chambers. Ferrari apparently doesn't believe in the longevity of its automobiles: 'The maintenance booklet only lasts up to 100,000. A sequel is not officially available, and they didn't want to give me a second,' says Kai Jacobsen soberly, but a bit disappointed.
Untypical Ferrari fan
The 48-year-old profound car connoisseur and employee of the BMW corporate archive shares more than half his life with the black Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole. The sympathetic, eloquent Jacobsen is not at all the demi-world type of the muscular, sun-tanned gold chain wearer who lets out a four-hand Ferrari with a few bundles of cash. Already at the age of 29, after a commercial apprenticeship at Auto-König and a few years of agency experience in marketing, the Munich-born and passionate man fulfilled himselfCar brochure collectors dream. Took the risk of buying a used Ferrari 308 GTS for a lot of money.
'The exciting shape, the top-class technology, the stimulating sound, the exclusivity, all of this still speaks to me today on, 'admits Jacobsen. In everyday life he likes to drive a BMW, for a long time an M5 Touring, now a 3-series Cabriolet 318 Ci. Meanwhile, he leafed through his documents and pulled the old Ferrari 308 GTS sales contract for 78,000 marks from his portfolio. Just four months after the purchase, the first inspection cost 3,500 marks.
Old color photos show that both the fan and the Ferrari 308 GTS have hardly changed. Jacobsen cannot imagine a life without him, the grateful and good-natured thoroughbred.
Hand washing and drying ensure the paint is in good condition
Only in the macro setting of the critical observer the Ferrari 308 GTS reveals a fine patina from two decades. The tiny paint pits on the aerodynamic front section, the size of a pinhead, the slightly faded orange of the distinctive round taillights, which is slightly sooty at the bottom, the clear wrinkles in the cream-colored Connolly leather of the driver's seat. But nothing about his Ferrari 308 GTS looks neglected or even worn out. The tall, slim man with the boyish smile discovered a tiny paint blister on the right wheel arch the other day during the last hand wash. It would certainly be more if he didn't carefully dry the edges of the hoods and doors of the Ferrari 308 GTS with a cloth every time. The Ferrari 308 GTS has never seen winter in Jacobsen's possession, letters are teeming with cancellation stamps.
For service in Bolzano
The Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole has exactly 1985 Cost 105,400 marks. The included extras such as air conditioning, Becker Mexico radio, the, thank God, quite inconspicuous spoiler replacement and the expensive Pirelli P7 tires - Michelin TRX were standard at the time - are not included. Jacobsen knows, of course, that a racehorse can never be as frugal as a plow horse. Once, when quite a bit came together, a five-digit bill in marks shocked. 'I would have got a whole car for that, I had to process that first'. Nevertheless, Jacobsen tries to adhere to the maintenance instructions, which is vital for a Ferrari. After a disappointing experience in Munich, he drives his Ferrari 308 GTS for service every 10,000 kilometers to his busy main workshop in Bolzano, Ineco - an insider tip for Ferrariists.
Only when changing the timing belt does he allow himself a tiny nonchalance. Jacobsen only affords this costly ritual for his Ferrari 308 GTS every three years instead of the recommended two years or 40,000 km, which costs around 2,500 euros. Thanks to the Agip high-performance oil and his careful driving style, theDouble the oil change intervals from 5,000 to 10,000 kilometers.
308 after 207,000 km: With patina, but by no means worn out
A sunny spring day on the outskirts of Munich. The middle-class housing estate adorns itself with blooming gardens and the fresh, almost exploding green of the season. A black panther, ready to jump, is parked between standard garages and mid-range station wagons - crouched, nose low. A Ferrari 308 GTS is extremely fast even when it is stationary. The last clouds are clearing, Kai Jacobsen takes off the roof and stows it behind the backrests of the front seats. We take a seat in his Ferrari 308 GTS and thread our way into his booths. The copilot wants to find out how such a car feels after 207,562 kilometers.
The hissing of the Ferrari 308 GTS eight-cylinder engine after the start has lost none of its goose bumps. Blue clouds or a pungent smell of oil? Nothing. Determined but cautiously, Jacobsen guides the gearshift lever through the backdrop, first gear down on the left, as befits a sports car. The three-liter V8 pulls strongly out of the engine speed cellar.
We're heading for Munich, everyday situations are supposed to illustrate life with the Ferrari 308 GTS. The little detour via Dachau brings us nice company. Granddaughter Sarah, 10, wants to be picked up from school. As she gets in, she visibly enjoys the longing gaze of the boy who stops and waits for the eight-cylinder to trumpet its high-spirited sign of life to the world.
Typically Munich: conspecifics on Prinzregentenstrasse
First The goal is Ferrari dealer Auto-König am Schatzbogen in the east of Munich. We follow the car with Kai and Sarah on board across the motorway ring, wondering why the black Pininfarina sculpture is making long overtaking duels with trucks at 110 km /h until we remember the strict 3,000-meter limit. A workshop photo with the Ferrari 308 GTS at Auto-König, Kai Jacobsen's first professional position, would not be bad, but sales advisor Rolf Butler waves it off: 'too spontaneous and too crowded'. Three Testarossa share the limited space, flanked by a 456 GT, blocked by a 550 Maranello. We watch with fascination the goings-on of the mechanics, you don't see such a predator zoo every day. In the showroom, Sarah discovers the Ferrari Formula 1 racing transporter as an opulent Lego kit - and she cannot resist it. After a short discussion about applied pedagogy, we merge. Sarah's defiant expression turns into a beaming smile, the afternoon is saved.
We continue in the direction of Bogenhausen, the Ferrari 308 GTS strolls along Prinzregentenstrasse, circling the Friedensengel and occasionally meets more modern conspecifics in oncoming traffic. They shine red and conspicuous in the afternoon sun, their hoarse roar is always present. The Ferrari 308 GTS still doesn't smoke, be itselfThe oil circuit does not break a sweat.
The narrow streets of the Lehel with their high patrician houses reinforce the sonorous melody of the double-pipe exhaust. We turn right into Maximilianstrasse, so at least in the end we vigorously follow a Ferrari cliché. Here between Cartier, Gucci, Prada and the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten is supposed to be his natural territory. Young beautiful women at the side of older men look after him when he drives past. Even the sound of its engine is a call to vanity. A Ferrari remains a Ferrari - even after 22 years and 207,000 kilometers.
