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308GTB for a refresh

This lovely 308GTB had just been purchased by its new owner and I was asked to pick it up from the sales storage area prior to their driving away of the car, the storage area was pretty dark and this car was tucked in the corner with several cars making access very difficult oh and the battery was dead but one way or another this was coming with me as I had no other transport.

It was a Saturday afternoon so there was no access to keys for all the other cars in the storage area and no jumper pack for the dead 308... With the assistance of one of the dealerships staff the two of us managed push, pull and generally man-handle the 308 in to open space where the car could be jump started.

I am now in a 308 its a hot summers day, the electric windows are playing their own erratic (slow) game and mainly staying closed, the car has a dead battery, it's just holding on to an idle at about 650RPM, likely hasn't been driven in quite a while and I need to get this across town without it cutting out or me stalling it... I am not touching anything remotely electrical including the radio until this has reached point B.

As dainty as these little old Ferrari's look there are pretty agricultural to drive especially when cold and it doesn't take long to realise the invention of power steering was a good thing when your slowly manoeuvring a 308 on under inflated TRX tyres with a tiny 350mm Momo steering wheel. Once warm (30 minutes driving later) and the idle is steady, the lubricants are up to temperature and the 'click-clack' gear changes are like a hot knife through butter all is forgiven these are a delight on the move and you just put up with the awkward laid-back Italian driving position. I was surprised at the he appreciation and 'thumbs up' you get from other motorists when they see these old Ferrari's on the road and I find that quite heart warming as this I have found does not seem to be the case for some other brands...

When finally at point B (and the battery is put on charge) a good inspection of the 308 reveals the car needs little more than a two stage machine polish, a good clean and conditioning of the interior leather, a washing of the carpets and a degreasing of the engine plus the usual valet/ groom things we always take care of as part of the deal.

Wash and clay, measure and log paint condition, strip badges, grilles and mask the usual delicate areas and away we go with stage one compounding and the usual Rosso Corsa single layer paint blood bath... No its really not that bad and these reds are hugely satisfying if you have a patience to persevere and plenty of sacrificial microfibres.

Following stage two and a couple of coats of Zymöl Ital this 308 was looking a million dollars (probably will be one day soon) so it was on to gently scrubbing that Crema interior and as I have said before this really is a game of patience. The coated leather in these lends itself well to a coat of Fireball's Leather Wax and although way too slippery for many modern leathers it really seems to complement these older Ferrari hides.

The customer was quite particular about cleaning and dressing the engine of this 308 and rightly so why spend so long on the rest of the car and leave the engine that so many admire the look of, for this I used the plant and water based Zymöl Strik which is way better at removing grime gently than you would ever imagine and because of its composition there is absolutely no chance of an chemicals tarnishing or staining the engine components. Spray, massage, spray, massage followed by a low pressure wash and the essential blow dry and engine start (fingers crossed) and done, other than a very light dressing.

Driven back to the dealership on a Monday morning in rush hour turning the usual mundane trip in to a very special one even if I was cursing the lack of air conditioning, heavy steering, windows that had gone to sleep and the bumper to bumper traffic... no one would have noticed because I was smiling.

Product highlights:

Zymöl Ital, Tyre, Klay, Strik and Glas. Rupes and Farecla compounds. FIreball Talon, Leather Wax and Ultimate Coating Wax.