You Might Be Able To Afford This 1982 Ferrari 308 Barn Find

It can be fun to have a project to work on little by little until you feel the pride and satisfaction of finishing the task. If that's what you're looking for, then push up your sleeves and check out this 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi that's in need of a new home and a whole lot of restoration. RM Sotheby's will sell the car without reserve at its Paris sale with an estimate of $55,000 to $80,000.

If you're really into rare cars, the provenance of this Ferrari might be familiar to you. It was part of the Baillon Collection that came to light in France in 2014. A transport magnate collected a treasure trove of around 100 special vehicles, and then he stashed them away. The auction house Artcurial then sold about 60 of them that it felt were still salvageable. This Ferrari was among them.

Gallery: 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi Barn Find Auction

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When the new owner acquired this 308 GTSi in 2015, he decided not to restore it immediately. Instead, the car went into a ventilated bubble to preserve the vehicle's condition and prevent further decomposition.

The GTSi moniker identifies this 308 as having a fuel-injected engine and removable roof panels. The auction listing notes that there's a replacement powerplant. RM Sotheby's believes it is a 3.2-liter Quattrovalvole V8, instead of the original 2.9-liter V8.

Ferrari originally delivered this car to a buyer in Belgium. It had a Rosso Chiaro red exterior and beige leather upholstery.

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At this point, there's not much left of the car, though. For some reason, there's newspaper all over the body and interior. Lots of parts are missing like the vents above the headlights, all of the taillights, and the passenger side of the cabin. Plus, the interior has a rat's nest of exposed wiring.

This 308's condition makes it hard to imagine the new buyer salvaging this as a parts car. Meanwhile, a restoration is going to be an arduous and very expensive process. The folks at Ferrari Chat might be able to help.

If you're looking for a cheap, drivable Ferrari, RM Sotheby's is about to sell a 1979 308 GTB for an estimate between $30,000 to $40,000. The downside is that this one is a race car, so the machine isn't street legal, but at least you can start the engine.