BaT Auction Success Story: After the Flames, A Fresh White 308 GTB — Explained
Following an unfortunate fire with his previous Ferrari, allthecars is back in another 308 GTB courtesy of BaT. He won his new example from Murphy258 in a September 2025 BaT auction, and wrote in to tell us about it:
It was November 2024. I was driving on Mulholland Highway through Malibu on a lovely, sunny Sunday morning when my black 1977 Ferrari 308 GTB caught fire. After six years of ownership, numerous drives to Monterey for Car Week, and roughly 40,000 miles, my first Ferrari was reduced to charcoal.
I dealt with the insurance and paperwork. Then, I waited and waited. Just as I thought everything was going to be okay, fires ripped through my neighborhood. The Palisades Fire forced shopping for a Ferrari to the back burner, as they say. Malibu was never going to be the same.
Months went by, and I kept my alerts on for another 308. I also looked at 348s, 360s, and Testarossas. But I kept coming back to carburetors, a V8, and pop-up headlights.
I had previously bid on a set of wheels on BaT in 2021, but never on a car. But I commented on a ton of listings! Almost a year later, the same week as my birthday, a white ’77 308 GTB popped up. Several friends sent me the link, and said this was the one. Long-term ownership, GTB, a rare color, and a 1977 model—it checked every box.
I contacted the owner, who was amazing and answered all my questions. He had recently sold off the rest of his collection on BaT, and this was the last vehicle to go. There were tons of photos, complete paperwork, and ownership history from day one. The car was originally sold by the Ron Tonkin dealership in Oregon, one of the oldest in the US. Enzo gifted Ron a 288 GTO back in the day.
This 308 was his wife’s car. She had only driven it about a hundred miles per year, and wanted it to be driven more in its next life. I was happy to oblige. There were several bidders up to the last moment; it was a wild ride. When I won, I couldn’t believe it!
The Ferrari was located in Connecticut. I was in California. It couldn’t have been farther away. So now, I had to wait. As soon as the car got to LA, I took an Uber to pick it up instead of waiting another day for the trailer. It was sitting outside the transport company when I got there. I had forgotten how small these cars are.
After a fresh tank of gas and a quick trip to the auto parts store for a new battery, the Ferrari roared to life. My first long drive was at night, and I quickly put more miles on it in one evening than it had seen in the last year. What a machine. It brought back a lot of memories of my previous car, and after a rough year, it really put a smile on my face.
One of my favorite things about it: recently I installed a period Pioneer cassette player. I tracked down some cassettes like the Miami Vice soundtrack—and, much to my surprise, the 50-year-old speakers still worked great! I also found a Best of the Pointer Sisters tape, much to my girlfriend’s delight.
In addition to the tape deck, I installed fresh Pirelli CN36s at all four corners, upgraded the headlights, and replaced the fuse box for safety. Ironically, I still haven’t installed a fire extinguisher. Though to be fair, it didn’t do much good last time…
We’re glad to see you made it out unscathed, allthecars. Congratulations on your new 308 GTB, and thanks for writing to us!
If you have a Success Story about a car you’ve bought or sold on BaT, please send a few lines and pictures (or a video) to community.content@bringatrailer.com, and we’ll send you a $50 credit to the BaT Gear Store when your story posts to the site.
We love to hear from satisfied BaT buyers and sellers, and a Success Story feature is a great addition to any car’s history when you’re ready to sell.
