The Ferrari 208 GTS Turbo is one of the most fascinating and unusual chapters in Maranello’s 1980s history. Visually close to the 308 GTS, it carries the same celebrated mid-engined, open-top Ferrari silhouette, but beneath the surface it tells a very different story.

The 208 GTB and GTS were developed primarily for the Italian market, where engine displacement had important tax implications. Ferrari’s answer was to create a smaller-capacity version of its V8 sports car, first naturally aspirated and later turbocharged.

In 1982, the two-litre 208 was replaced by the fuel-injected, turbocharged 208 Turbo, making it Ferrari’s first turbocharged road car. The engine used a single KKK turbocharger with wastegate, Bosch K-Jetronic injection and Marelli electronic ignition, producing 220 hp at 7,000 rpm. The GTS version followed in 1983, adding open-air driving to this unique turbocharged Ferrari formula.

This 1988 Ferrari 208 GTS Turbo has covered just 21,200 km and is currently visible in Aix-en-Provence. Compact, rare and full of period character, it offers a very different Ferrari experience: lighter in concept, rich in history and deeply connected to the brand’s early turbocharged era.

With its open-top body, mid-engined layout and distinctive 2.0-litre turbocharged V8, this 208 GTS Turbo represents an appealing opportunity for collectors looking for one of Ferrari’s more unusual and historically important modern classics.