328, LAST ACT
THE FINAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE SERIES
328, LAST ACT
The 328 GTS, along with 328 GTB coupé with fixed roof, was the last step in the development of the two-seater series with an aspirated transverse V8 engine, which began with the 308. The figures 328 refer to the 3.2-litre total displacement and the number of cylinders. The new car was introduced at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show, together with the Mondial 3.2.
The spider version of the 328 GTB shares the V8 engine with four valves per cylinder. In fact it was more a Targa than a spider, with its removable roof rather than a soft top. Like on the Berlinetta, Pininfarina paid great attention to the aesthetic details that influence the aerodynamic coefficients, achieving excellent results. The interior was made more ergonomic and the seat better suited to sports driving, a special characteristic of this type of car. Upon request, low profile tyres were available on all versions along with 16-inch molten alloy wheels.
In essence, this new model was a revised and updated version of the 308 GTS, which had been on the market for nearly a decade without radical changes to the body, while the three-litre engine had been repeatedly updated. The 328 model presented a softening of the wedge shape of its predecessor, less sloping and with a redesigned less rectangular nose; the same can be said for the rear axle.
The revised nose and tail sections featured body colour bumpers, just like the Mondial 3.2, with which the 328 shares a similar grille and shape of the front headlights. So all the eight-cylinder cars now in the range had a similar appearance in the front and tail, a kind of family feeling, giving the marque a consistent image. The V8 engine was essentially of the same design as that used in the 308 Quattrovalvole model. The capacity increased to 3185 cc with an output of 270 hp.
