The Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 occupies a singular position in Maranello's history: unveiled at the 1973 Paris Motor Show, it was the first Ferrari road car to wear the 308 designation and the only series-production Ferrari since the early 1950s to be bodied by a coachbuilder other than Pininfarina. KK Scale renders this landmark machine in die-cast metal at 1:18, in the red finish synonymous with Ferrari's road car output of the 1970s.
A Ferrari Unlike Any Other
Marcello Gandini penned the 308 GT4 at Bertone, delivering angular, wedge-influenced coachwork that stood in deliberate contrast to the curves Pininfarina was producing for Ferrari at the same time. The mid-mounted 3.0-litre quad-cam V8 — fed by four Weber 40 DCNF carburettors and producing approximately 255 hp at 7,700 rpm — was mated to a 2+2 cabin, giving the GT4 genuine four-seat practicality rare among Ferrari road cars. Wheelbase measured 2,550 mm and kerb weight came in at approximately 1,090 kg.
1974: The Dino Years and the Badge Debate
When the GT4 reached customers in 1974, it wore Dino script rather than the Ferrari prancing horse — a commercial strategy Maranello used to position the entry-level model beneath the Berlinetta Boxer in the range. The prancing horse only appeared on GT4s from 1976 onward, making a correctly detailed 1974-specification car a Dino-badged machine. Approximately 2,826 examples were built between 1973 and 1980, a modest total that adds tangible rarity to the model's appeal. Red was among the most frequently ordered colours during the first full production year, consistent with period factory documentation.
KK Scale 1:18 Die-Cast
KK Scale produces this GT4 in die-cast metal at 1:18, a format that allows the angular Bertone flanks and the characteristic rear three-quarter profile to read clearly. Die-cast construction gives the piece the heft expected of a serious shelf model, and the red finish is applied across bodywork whose shape is defined by sharp creases rather than the flowing curves typical of contemporary Pininfarina Ferraris. The 1:18 scale is the dominant format for collector-grade Ferrari road cars and places this GT4 alongside the widest range of compatible companion pieces.
In the Display Cabinet
The 308 GT4 pairs most naturally with a 1:18 Ferrari 308 GTB or 308 GTS — Pininfarina-bodied siblings sharing the same V8 architecture — creating an immediate visual dialogue between the two design philosophies. Collectors focused on the Dino lineage will want it alongside a Ferrari Dino 246 GT, while those interested in Bertone's 1970s work can contextualise it with other angular mid-decade designs from the same studio. For Ferrari powertrain historians, this is the car that introduced the quad-cam V8 family that ran through to the 328 in the late 1980s.
