Help with Ferrari 328 GTS targa roof
Discussion
Merry Christmas everyone! I've been registered with pistonheads for years but this is my first time posting in the Ferrari section so "hello"
I've just bought a lovely 28000 mile Ferrari 328 GTS and I'm really really happy with it but need a little help. The Targa top is basically just a shell, the lining and clips are missing so I need either another top or advice of how to get it refurbished. Any ideas??
Thanks in advance for any help.
Kerr
I've just bought a lovely 28000 mile Ferrari 328 GTS and I'm really really happy with it but need a little help. The Targa top is basically just a shell, the lining and clips are missing so I need either another top or advice of how to get it refurbished. Any ideas??
Thanks in advance for any help.
Kerr
This is not going to be happy news I'm afraid. These things are getting scarcer.
I spent 18 months trying to find a spare roof for mine. I went to see what Eurospares had in stock after they told me they had 7 roofs available. They were all bare shell only. All were scuffed and damaged and none had lining, pins or hinges.
And to top that they wanted £1,100.
I eventually found one on ebay for £950 and had it shipped from California.
I got lucky with condition but still no latches. The locating pins are available from maranellos.
Sorry I can't give better news.
I spent 18 months trying to find a spare roof for mine. I went to see what Eurospares had in stock after they told me they had 7 roofs available. They were all bare shell only. All were scuffed and damaged and none had lining, pins or hinges.
And to top that they wanted £1,100.
I eventually found one on ebay for £950 and had it shipped from California.
I got lucky with condition but still no latches. The locating pins are available from maranellos.
Sorry I can't give better news.
Not at all, thank you for the information and advice. I'd rather be aware of the pitfalls to make a good choice so I thank you for that.
I contacted eurospares and they have a roof available but is the same as you had said and is a bare shell(they must sell the latches and headlining?!?) but if I'm not mistaken the price on the website is now £2600!!!!!
I contacted eurospares and they have a roof available but is the same as you had said and is a bare shell(they must sell the latches and headlining?!?) but if I'm not mistaken the price on the website is now £2600!!!!!
Not at all, thank you for the information and advice. I'd rather be aware of the pitfalls to make a good choice so I thank you for that.
I contacted eurospares and they have a roof available but is the same as you had said and is a bare shell(they must sell the latches and headlining?!?) but if I'm not mistaken the price on the website is now £2600!!!!!
I contacted eurospares and they have a roof available but is the same as you had said and is a bare shell(they must sell the latches and headlining?!?) but if I'm not mistaken the price on the website is now £2600!!!!!
Over 2 grand?? That's just a p*** take.
Does your roof have the structure under the shall to take the headlining or is it just a shell? If it has the structure, you can have any good trimmer do the headlining. I note you said you like originality so this can be be tricky but there are loads of threads on f-chat about matching the tweed material.
Alternatively, the rear shelf and b-pillars may be in leather to match the seats. This was a factory option. My car is like this so my headlining is in cream leather. Beware though that the cost of re-trimming in leather is £500-£1,000 alone. It takes a surprising amount of hide!
If you can get the headlining done and buy some new retaining pins then all that is left are the latches. These come up on ebay from time to time but again they are getting scarce so price is usually quite high. I'd set up a search if I were you and just keep my eye out.
Does your roof have the structure under the shall to take the headlining or is it just a shell? If it has the structure, you can have any good trimmer do the headlining. I note you said you like originality so this can be be tricky but there are loads of threads on f-chat about matching the tweed material.
Alternatively, the rear shelf and b-pillars may be in leather to match the seats. This was a factory option. My car is like this so my headlining is in cream leather. Beware though that the cost of re-trimming in leather is £500-£1,000 alone. It takes a surprising amount of hide!
If you can get the headlining done and buy some new retaining pins then all that is left are the latches. These come up on ebay from time to time but again they are getting scarce so price is usually quite high. I'd set up a search if I were you and just keep my eye out.
I can recommend a place to recover the top (internal) in leather, he does all the main dealers and indies.. Going direct saves a small fortune. I had both my top and rear shelf done in crema leather. Looks amazing. Can't see it being much over £200 in labour. You would need to source a small hide.
I can recommend a place to recover the top (internal) in leather, he does all the main dealers and indies.. Going direct saves a small fortune. I had both my top and rear shelf done in crema leather. Looks amazing. Can't see it being much over £200 in labour. You would need to source a small hide.
kerr205 said:
Not at all, thank you for the information and advice. I'd rather be aware of the pitfalls to make a good choice so I thank you for that.
I contacted eurospares and they have a roof available but is the same as you had said and is a bare shell(they must sell the latches and headlining?!?) but if I'm not mistaken the price on the website is now £2600!!!!!
The latches are the same for the 308 GTS and the 328 GTS and can break over many years of use. This means that there is a bigger market for the latches than there is for the entire targa top.I contacted eurospares and they have a roof available but is the same as you had said and is a bare shell(they must sell the latches and headlining?!?) but if I'm not mistaken the price on the website is now £2600!!!!!
The headlining can get damaged from being handled/stored and so there is a demand for those too.
As for the £2600 price tag - That's down to supply and demand!
They know you're not going to get a top made and they know you can't really get them from anywhere else so they can pretty much charge what they want.
(TBH, if you were in their position, selling Ferrari parts to make money, would you not do the same? )
Tom Shaughnessy has one in California and ships to the UK http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ferrari-Gtsi-328-Target-...
kerr205 said:
Thanks ISUK. I bought this yesterday.
??
Result! - And that's a bargain price (taking the import charges out of the equation), considering how hard they are to come by, especially with the pins and latches still attached! (TBH, seeing who the seller is I'm a bit surprised it was that low as he knows a thing or two about Ferraris and the value of the parts!). ??
I bought My folding targa roof for My 348 TS from the USA for similar money last year and the import charges were just as ridiculous, but as with your top, it was desperately needed (In My case, at 6'2" I can't drive with the roof behind the seats).
Considering how many 3*8 GTS' were made and have been written off/broken for parts over the years, you'd think there would be plenty of targa tops for available.
I guess an awful lot of owners must have more than one top for their cars! (Possibly one in the original black finish and one colour-coded to match the paintwork).
Glad you got it sorted!
Edited by 4rephill on Wednesday 22 July 00:10
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