Words and images of the Ferrari 328 GTS by Ryno Fourie.

Ryno Fourie aka the Digital Monkey, focused on automotive photography after he completed his studies. He became chief photographer at South Africa’s largest automotive press agency. He loves being behind the camera with a beautiful car in front of the lens. 

When you hear about a concourse event you imagine that most entries will consist of cars from the 1970s or older. It is not an unfamiliar sight to see Ferraris from the 1950s and ’60s take top honours, but seldom does a Ferrari from the late 1980s win. One Ferrari did just that at the recent Concours SA event, a 1989 Ferrari 328 GTS.

History lesson

The Ferrari 328 GTB and GTS, or Tipo F106 if you prefer, was the successor to the famed 308. Apart from a few exterior and interior styling changes and increased engine displacement, from 2 927 cm³ to 3 185 cm³, they shared platforms and other mechanical bits hidden beneath the softened profile.

Owner Zia Wort says the increased displacement and the introduction of the ABS brakes in mid-1988, made the car more responsive and inspired confidence when driving at speed. Mrs Wort was collecting another car at a local authorized service centre when she first laid eyes on the 328, “I instantly knew, I had to have it and after a few phone calls, she was mine.”

Daydreamers

Many enthusiasts dream of owning a classic car, others aspire to own a prize-winning car, for Mrs Wort and her husband it was both. Over the years Mrs Wort and her husband restored the 1989 Ferrari 328 GTS, one of the last to leave the assembly line in Maranello, to the exact factory specifications and consequently have been winning prize after prize at local events.

After being crowned winners at the SEFAC (Southern Equatorial Ferrari Automobili Club) concourse event, local newspapers dubbed the winner as “drop dead gorgeous”. The couple then entered Concours South Africa 2018, an event where “Original or Nothing” is one of the key entry requirements.

High standards

Sharing the stage with popular 1960s and ’70s Porsches, an Aston Martin DB4 and a Lamborghini Muira to name a few, the competition was definitely tough. The judges had an exacting job and in the final analysis, a few hundredths of a percentage point separated the top three cars and Zia’s 328 GTS placed first, just ahead of a 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona.

Summary

While other models in the marque’s history are known for characteristics such as their sound or success on the racetrack, the 308 and 328 models will surely go down in history as one of the most iconic Ferrari shapes, which was reaffirmed at Concours South Africa. If you didn’t make it to the 2018 event, be sure to see this winning Ferrari at the 2019 event which will take place from 30 August – 1 September 2019 at Steyn City.