Mr Fali Dhondy's Ferrari 308 GTSi, which I drove in Lonavala back in 2003
I had dreamt of
driving a Ferrari ever since I was a schoolkid and my first shot at piloting a
car produced in Maranello came sometime in 2003, when I was working with Motoring
magazine, which was at that time published by Business Standard. Srini, the classic cars specialist at BSM
was going to Khandala for one of his drives/photoshoots and I offered to tag
along. Little did I know then, what was in store for me that day.
Srini said he was scheduled to do ‘a couple of classic car shoots’ in Khandala-Lonavala and he said he might be driving an Alfa Romeo or perhaps an old Fiat. He also vaguely mentioned that we might possibly come across an old Ferrari as well, but I did not take him too seriously. Along with BSM photographer Param, Srini and I drove down to Lonavala in a Tata Indigo, which we had on the BSM test cars fleet at that time. We reached an imposing old bungalow where the cars awaited us, and their owner – Fali Dhondy, a kindly old Parsi gentleman – invited us inside for a cup of tea. Steaming cups of fragrant Darjeeling tea in hand, we strolled on to the courtyard at the back of the house and what awaited us there was… a Ferrari! A bright red 308 GTSi from the early-1980s, sitting impossibly low and achingly elegant. Much to the barely-concealed amusement of everyone present, I was all over the car in an instant.
To my eyes, Ferraris are man’s most beautiful creation ever and the 308’s lines are quintessential old-world Italian supercar. I mean, it would be unmistakable anywhere in the world, wouldn’t it? And all the right cues are present; curvy, full-bodied styling, five-spoke alloys, ‘Agip’ and ‘designo di Pininfarina’ badges on the flanks, pop-up headlamps, traditional open-gated gearshift and a quartet of chromed exhaust pipes at the back. An unashamed Italian supercar if ever there was one.
To get into a bit of history, the mid-engined V8-powered Pininfarina-styled 308 GTSi was an evolution of the early-1970s 308 GT4 which was styled by Bertone. The GTSi (removable hard-top, hence the ‘S’, which refers to ‘Spyder’, the established designation for Italian open cars) is a two-seater, as indeed it should be. This particular car was from 1982, and given that the early-1980s were when stricter emissions laws were starting to come in, it was equipped with a Bosch K-Jetronic fuel-injection system. From what I’ve read about 308s, pre-1980 cars were fitted with four downdraft Weber carbs, so you can blame US emissions laws for the cars losing some of their supercar thunder. The injected GTSi was down not only on sound but also on performance, so Ferrari introduced four-valve heads in 1983 and the GTSi Quattrovalvole (commonly referred to as the QV) was born. The 308 series were in production through the 1985 model year, until replaced by the 328 GTB and GTS. In turn, those gave way to the 348, followed by the 355, the 360 and so on.
Self-proclaimed purists tend to look down upon early-80s injected Ferraris, which were deemed to be a bit slow. Well, I suppose the later QVs would have been slightly more powerful and faster, but I found the GTSi quite exciting to drive. With 210 horsepower from its 2.9-litre V8 engine, the 308 GTSi could, according to some European magazines that tested the car back in the 1980s, go from zero to 100kph in just a whiff over seven seconds and hit a top speed of around 240kph. Today, these numbers may not sound very impressive but that’s not really the point. With the Ferrari, there are many other intangibles that contribute to the driving experience – the noises from its racy V8, the brusque directness of the steering and gearbox, the lightness, the sheer brio – which is why even an older Ferrari feels so exciting to drive.
At Srini’s request, Mr Dhondy allowed me to go for a spin in his 308, with the condition that he would come along with me for the drive. This was the first time I’d ever be driving a Ferrari and I was beyond excited. Srini gave me a look that said ‘just be very careful with the damn thing,’ and we were off. The car looked sparse inside – firm and snug cream leather seats, aircraft-style toggle switches, three-spoke steering wheel, a rev-counter marked to 10,000 rpm and a speedo that read all the way to 180mph. It had an aircon, but no stereo and no radio. Who needs one anyway, when you have a 210-horsepower Italian V8 to listen to? Not me. Revving that DOHC 2926cc engine at rest produces sounds that are pure ecstasy. A loud, rasping exhaust note announces the engine’s brawn in no uncertain terms, and tells you that the decades that have passed have not dulled its performance intent one bit.
A firm shove of the clutch pedal, first engaged (lever to the left, and back) and off we went. I found the long-travel throttle a bit hard to modulate – there was nothing until a certain point, and then blam! – a heady rush of thick, rich power that sent us hurtling down the road. Because the 308 GTSi was just so light (approximately 1,100 kilos), even 210bhp was enough to send it careering down the road with remarkable alacrity. The non-power-assisted steering felt very direct and the four-wheel disc-brakes did not lack stopping power. Driving up and down twisty stretches of smooth tarmac in and around Khandala-Lonavala, I got nowhere near the engine’s 7600rpm redline, but the Ferrari still worked its magic. The way it braked into corners, with its furious V8 snarling away behind me. The way it stayed absolutely planted in fast sweepers and then blasted out of turns so very hard. And the way it made bystanders gape and point and smile in wonder. There was a sense of occasion. This was not a drive – it was an event! Vive la Ferrari!
All too soon, it was time to go back and I’m sure Mr Dhondy would have felt a sense of relief as we got back to his house and parked the car safely. It was, at that time, as far as I know, the only Ferrari 308 GTSi in India and must have been pretty valuable. I couldn’t thank him enough for having given me an opportunity to drive the car, and was also grateful to Srini for having arranged for me to drive my first Ferrari! While 20 years have passed, the day – and that car, and that drive – remains imprinted in my memory – it was one of the happiest days of my life.
Note: I drove Mr Fali Dhondy’s Ferrari 308 GTSi on behalf of Motoring magazine back in 2003. Mr Dhondy has since passed away and I’m not too sure about where that Ferrari is these days. Some say it’s still in Lonavala, while some others say that it’s no longer in India, and that some rich foreign collector has bought it and taken it away. I’m not sure about this and I don’t know for sure.
Srini said he was scheduled to do ‘a couple of classic car shoots’ in Khandala-Lonavala and he said he might be driving an Alfa Romeo or perhaps an old Fiat. He also vaguely mentioned that we might possibly come across an old Ferrari as well, but I did not take him too seriously. Along with BSM photographer Param, Srini and I drove down to Lonavala in a Tata Indigo, which we had on the BSM test cars fleet at that time. We reached an imposing old bungalow where the cars awaited us, and their owner – Fali Dhondy, a kindly old Parsi gentleman – invited us inside for a cup of tea. Steaming cups of fragrant Darjeeling tea in hand, we strolled on to the courtyard at the back of the house and what awaited us there was… a Ferrari! A bright red 308 GTSi from the early-1980s, sitting impossibly low and achingly elegant. Much to the barely-concealed amusement of everyone present, I was all over the car in an instant.
To my eyes, Ferraris are man’s most beautiful creation ever and the 308’s lines are quintessential old-world Italian supercar. I mean, it would be unmistakable anywhere in the world, wouldn’t it? And all the right cues are present; curvy, full-bodied styling, five-spoke alloys, ‘Agip’ and ‘designo di Pininfarina’ badges on the flanks, pop-up headlamps, traditional open-gated gearshift and a quartet of chromed exhaust pipes at the back. An unashamed Italian supercar if ever there was one.
To get into a bit of history, the mid-engined V8-powered Pininfarina-styled 308 GTSi was an evolution of the early-1970s 308 GT4 which was styled by Bertone. The GTSi (removable hard-top, hence the ‘S’, which refers to ‘Spyder’, the established designation for Italian open cars) is a two-seater, as indeed it should be. This particular car was from 1982, and given that the early-1980s were when stricter emissions laws were starting to come in, it was equipped with a Bosch K-Jetronic fuel-injection system. From what I’ve read about 308s, pre-1980 cars were fitted with four downdraft Weber carbs, so you can blame US emissions laws for the cars losing some of their supercar thunder. The injected GTSi was down not only on sound but also on performance, so Ferrari introduced four-valve heads in 1983 and the GTSi Quattrovalvole (commonly referred to as the QV) was born. The 308 series were in production through the 1985 model year, until replaced by the 328 GTB and GTS. In turn, those gave way to the 348, followed by the 355, the 360 and so on.
Self-proclaimed purists tend to look down upon early-80s injected Ferraris, which were deemed to be a bit slow. Well, I suppose the later QVs would have been slightly more powerful and faster, but I found the GTSi quite exciting to drive. With 210 horsepower from its 2.9-litre V8 engine, the 308 GTSi could, according to some European magazines that tested the car back in the 1980s, go from zero to 100kph in just a whiff over seven seconds and hit a top speed of around 240kph. Today, these numbers may not sound very impressive but that’s not really the point. With the Ferrari, there are many other intangibles that contribute to the driving experience – the noises from its racy V8, the brusque directness of the steering and gearbox, the lightness, the sheer brio – which is why even an older Ferrari feels so exciting to drive.
At Srini’s request, Mr Dhondy allowed me to go for a spin in his 308, with the condition that he would come along with me for the drive. This was the first time I’d ever be driving a Ferrari and I was beyond excited. Srini gave me a look that said ‘just be very careful with the damn thing,’ and we were off. The car looked sparse inside – firm and snug cream leather seats, aircraft-style toggle switches, three-spoke steering wheel, a rev-counter marked to 10,000 rpm and a speedo that read all the way to 180mph. It had an aircon, but no stereo and no radio. Who needs one anyway, when you have a 210-horsepower Italian V8 to listen to? Not me. Revving that DOHC 2926cc engine at rest produces sounds that are pure ecstasy. A loud, rasping exhaust note announces the engine’s brawn in no uncertain terms, and tells you that the decades that have passed have not dulled its performance intent one bit.
A firm shove of the clutch pedal, first engaged (lever to the left, and back) and off we went. I found the long-travel throttle a bit hard to modulate – there was nothing until a certain point, and then blam! – a heady rush of thick, rich power that sent us hurtling down the road. Because the 308 GTSi was just so light (approximately 1,100 kilos), even 210bhp was enough to send it careering down the road with remarkable alacrity. The non-power-assisted steering felt very direct and the four-wheel disc-brakes did not lack stopping power. Driving up and down twisty stretches of smooth tarmac in and around Khandala-Lonavala, I got nowhere near the engine’s 7600rpm redline, but the Ferrari still worked its magic. The way it braked into corners, with its furious V8 snarling away behind me. The way it stayed absolutely planted in fast sweepers and then blasted out of turns so very hard. And the way it made bystanders gape and point and smile in wonder. There was a sense of occasion. This was not a drive – it was an event! Vive la Ferrari!
All too soon, it was time to go back and I’m sure Mr Dhondy would have felt a sense of relief as we got back to his house and parked the car safely. It was, at that time, as far as I know, the only Ferrari 308 GTSi in India and must have been pretty valuable. I couldn’t thank him enough for having given me an opportunity to drive the car, and was also grateful to Srini for having arranged for me to drive my first Ferrari! While 20 years have passed, the day – and that car, and that drive – remains imprinted in my memory – it was one of the happiest days of my life.
Note: I drove Mr Fali Dhondy’s Ferrari 308 GTSi on behalf of Motoring magazine back in 2003. Mr Dhondy has since passed away and I’m not too sure about where that Ferrari is these days. Some say it’s still in Lonavala, while some others say that it’s no longer in India, and that some rich foreign collector has bought it and taken it away. I’m not sure about this and I don’t know for sure.
These are pictures of the Ferrari 308 GTSi from various sources on the Web (not Mr Fali Dhondy's car), to give you a better idea of what the 308 GTSi looked like
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