When the Dino 308 GT4 was unveiled at the Paris Auto Show in October, 1973, it was a stunning departure from any previous Ferrari design. Designed by Marcello Gandini for Bertone, the car featured sharp angles when people expected curves. Pininfarina had penned the designs of Ferraris since 1953, and people were used to the curvaceous, svelte, and sensuous lines that made the cars rolling works of art. Yet, Bertone unveiled something… exotic.

Bertone had designed the Fiat Dino 2+2 coupe, and some of those cars were built at the Ferrari factory. It is said that Enzo Ferrari was impressed by Bertone’s work on that car, which might have been a contributing factor as to why they got the job to design the 308 GT4. Enzo was very central to the design of the 308 GT4; a mock-up was made so he could personally test all aspects of the car. The steering, seat positioning, pedals, and many other aspects were centered around Enzo himself.

The 308 GT4 was also the only 2+2 Ferrari ever raced with factory support. It’s widely known that Enzo Ferrari only built street cars to support his racing habit, so in 1974 a Le Mans-spec 308 GT4 was created at the commission of Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T.). The car was factory prepared in Maranello and entered in the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans… but ultimately clutch failure forced the car out after 30 laps and four hours into the race.

Two more things of note belong to the 308 GT4, and one may very well be an automotive industry first. The 308 GT4 began life as a Dino 308 GT4. When this car was introduced, the Dino brand existed as a sub-brand of Ferrari. The 308 GT4 was meant as the second car for that brand, alongside the 246 GT. However, in 1975, the only Ferrari that could be purchased new in the US was the 308 GT4… and it wasn’t even badged as a Ferrari. Sales were slow, so in mid-1975, US dealerships were sent a memo to re-badge the Dino as a Ferrari. By 1976, all 308 GT4s that left the factory were officially badged as a Ferrari. Thus the 308 GT4 became the first and only Ferrari (and likely the first and only car in general) to begin life as one automotive brand, and end life as a different automotive brand.

Why was it ever badged as a Dino in the first place? This brings us to the last historically significant contribution the 308 GT4 has to make: it was a mid-engine V8. Up to this point in Ferrari history, all road-going Ferrari branded cars had 12 cylinder engines. The Dino brand existed as a tribute to Enzo’s late son, Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari and the 206 and 246 sported the smaller V6 engine which he had designed. Perhaps it seemed fitting that the new V8 engined car should be the next Dino. The irony here is that due to the aforementioned name change in order to boost sales of the only available new car Ferrari had to offer in the US at the time, the company is now known primarily for its mid-engine V8 cars.

In hindsight, the 308 GT4 left an undeniable impact on Ferrari. It had several firsts for the company, Enzo himself had heavy influence on its design and performance, and it set the standard for Ferrari’s most popular cars to come. Yet for decades it was shunned by many, an underdog that didn’t deserve such placement. Never has a car so deserving of respect ever had to fight so hard to earn it.