Ok - after the hype concerning the record breaking $12m 250 Testa Rossa which sold at the RM Auction - possibly at less than was expected... lets look at a Ferrari which is relevant to the real world.

Mark Shannon has a Ferrari 308 GTS QV for sale at £18,500. The car is pretty tidy and is priced competitively - can you realistically see a QV going lower?

I used to think that a 308 GTS was too much of a "Magnum" special - the kind of car your non-petrolhead friends would recognise as a Ferrari - and yet you'd think - yeah its not a real Ferrari classic - it has no competition heritage etc etc

Nowadays I think they are actually just about the one of the most usable and practical Ferrari's to drive on todays Gatso infested roads. It might not be the fastest thing on the planet - but it's still fun to drive - and certainly quick enough on the road. Importantly you could cane this on some quiet roads and feel you are getting close to the cars limits on a regular basis - can you really do that often in a 430?

It's also a pretty car - its the QV model so it is a brisk performer - sounds great - and I just do not believe a together example is going to get much cheaper. Put it another way - the cost of this car is the typcial depreciation on a 430 after a few thousand miles.

Please somebody buy it before I succumb to my own logic - and get rid of my track car that I hardly use - and end up with something fun and comparitively practical as toy car for the summer!

FOR MORE DETAILS ON THE CAR  GO TO:

http://www.racecar.com/markshannon/details.asp?VehicleID=132