• Offered from the collection of Raymond Boniface
• Traditional Rosso Corsa over attractive brown leather
• 202-hp, 2.9-liter fuel-injected V-8 engine; five-speed manual transaxle
• Equipped with 16-inch Campagnolo alloy wheels and Unielektra mirror; Nardi steering wheel
• Offered with owner’s manual and warranty book, window sticker, and tools

Changes to US emissions equipment laws caused Ferrari’s two-seater 308 series to be equipped with a Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system for the 1980 model year. The aptly termed 308 GTSi and GTBi used the same 202 hp (205 PS), 2.9-liter V-8 powerplant and five-speed manual transaxle. The only distinguishing feature between the two models, styled by Pininfarinia’s Leonardo Fioravanti, was their roof: The GTSi offered a removable targa panel, while the GBTi’s was fixed.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the targa heavily outsold the coupe, with 1,743 GTSi variants produced through 1982, compared to 494 GTBis. Later that year, the engine configuration experienced further changes and the ‘i’ designation was dropped entirely.

This 1982 Rosso Corsa over brown leather example is offered from the stable of noted Ferrari collector, the late Dr. Raymond Boniface of Poland, Ohio. Dr. Boniface was an exceptional collector of all beautiful Italian machines, though his most notable arena of curatorial expertise was clearly that of V-12 Ferraris. His passion for Italian automobiles was born of his time spent in the country during World War II. Honorably discharged from Army service in 1946, his time stateside proved brief; Boniface returned to his ancestral homeland in 1948 to enter medical school at the University of Bologna.

The university proved a convenient location from which to explore the finest facilities of Italian automotive brilliance; Maranello (Ferrari) and Modena (Maserati) were both just 30 miles away, while Milan (Alfa Romeo) proved a leisurely 150 mile drive north, and Turin (Fiat/Lancia) a 210 mile drive west—all convenient distances in contrast to the expansive frame of reference for American drivers. By the time the newly christened Dottore returned home to Ohio and set up shop, he was already planning his first new acquisition: a 1955 Alfa Romeo Giulietta spider. Of course, that was only the beginning.

Acquired shortly before his 90th birthday, this 308 GTSi was the last Ferrari purchased and driven by Dr. Boniface. In January 2017, Fowler Automotive of Glenshaw, Pennsylvania completed several deferred maintenance items. Over $8,000 worth of invoices document a timing belt service, complete fluid flush, and oil change along with the replacement of the water pump, spark plugs, front brakes, and air conditioning unit.

The car’s set of 16-inch Campagnolo alloy wheels are presently shod with older Michelin TRX tires—proper for showing the car, though replacement would be advisable before regular road use. A Blaupunkt CR-series cassette player is found in the central dashboard fascia above the pair of tunnel-mounted gauges and five-speed gated shifter assembly. The Nardi steering wheel and near-unobtainable “Unielektra” mirror driver’s side mirror round out this Ferrari’s period-correct presentation.

This highly original 1982 308 GTSi is offered with window sticker, owner’s manual and warranty book with pouch, tool roll, Ferrari light with case, jack, spare, and select service records and registrations.To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mo20.