There are two reasons why the GT4 has always been seen as a lesser Ferrari; those Bertone lines and the fact that it's a four-seater

The Holy Grail of most car enthusiasts is a toy in the garage with a Ferrari badge on its nose. Failing that, most of us would settle for anything with a V8 engine, or just a small powerplant in the middle to offer that perfect balance.

So what about a model that combines all these things – surely that would be the ultimate prize for the car nut? You’d think so, but the 308GT4 does indeed combine all the essentials (although strictly speaking not always the Ferrari badge), yet it’s a machine that’s frequently scoffed at. As a result, you can pick up one of these mid-engined V8s for £10,000 – and there’s even space in the back to bring the kids along for the ride. Well, as long as they’re very small.

There are two reasons why the GT4 has always been seen as a lesser Ferrari; those Bertone lines and the fact that it’s a four-seater. ‘Proper’ Ferraris don’t have space for four and have to be designed by Pininfarina – or that’s what ‘they’ would have you believe. But don’t believe the hype – this car looks great, handles brilliantly and is as fast as you are ever going to need. Yet a decent one will cost you no more than a two-year-old repmobile – which will continue to shed value faster than yesterday’s newspapers.

The GT4 superseded the 246GT and was launched to take on Porsche’s 911 – hence the 2+2 seating layout. It was criticised from the outset for that wedgy profile, and after the beautifully curvaceous 246GT it was certainly different – but it was far from ugly. Whatever your views on the looks, you can’t argue with the power, the noise, the handling or the heritage. If we’re honest, values aren’t likely to go stratospheric any time soon, but don’t let that put you off buying one now.

If you’ve already been swayed that you need a GT4 in your life, don’t be tempted to spend much less than £12,000 or you’ll constantly be paying out on repairs. It’s best to fork out closer to £16,000 for a tidy example, although you could spend up to £20,000 on one of the best GT4s in existence.