One to Buy: 560 mile ex-Phil Bachman 1989 Ferrari 328 GTB
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Although the wider performance car market began to embrace ever more aggressive body kits along with some faintly ridiculous aerodynamic appendages during the 1980s, Ferrari’s Pininfarina-styled line of V8-engined two seaters retained the kind of elegant profile for which the Turin design studio had become renowned.
The 328 was launched in late 1985 as a successor to Ferrari’s by now ten year old 308 which, partly on account of its prolonged lifespan but also its technical, aesthetic and dynamic attributes, had smashed the firm’s existing production records.
For the 328, Pininfarina was tasked with carrying out a cosmetic refresh while Ferrari focused on improving the mechanical aspects. With this in mind, the engine was enlarged from 3.0 to 3.2-litres and some minor tweaks were made to the suspension, steering, wheels and tyres.
The result was a class-leader that would fill the gap until a clean sheet successor was scheduled to arrive in 1989 (the 348).
Anyone who has ever scrolled the classifieds for a 328 will know just how conformist most buyers were at the time with the vast majority having ordered their cars in Rosso Corsa.
This makes finding a low mileage, unrestored 328 with no stories in any other colour scheme quite the task. However, set to go under the hammer at Mecum’s Kissimmee sale in Florida on January 17th is a practically delivery mileage example that’s definitely not red.
Chassis 82669 is one of 46 Ferraris that Mecum will be selling from the late Phil Bachman’s collection. Bachman ordered the car from Thoroughbred Motorcars in Nashville, Tennessee, with every optional extra to include Schedoni luggage, a full leather dash, a black front grille and a body coloured rear aerofoil.
A lesser seen GTB variant (over 80% of 328s were ordered in GTS trim), chassis 82669 is one of just two 328 GTBs produced for the US market in Giallo and the only one configured with Nero upholstery. It has covered just 560 miles and accordingly remains in effectively as-new condition.
The yellow GTB was one of two 328s ordered by Phil Bachman in 1989; sister car chassis 82961 also being sold by Mecum was a Rosso Corsa GTS with Beige upholstery (the last GTS delivered to the US). Remarkably, Bachman’s red example is showing an even lower 328 miles.
