Owner: John Gillespie
Everyone remembers their first new car, but John Gillespie still owns his. The 1978 Ferrari 308 features original paint and interior, right down to the original window sticker and bill of sale. Shortly after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill, Gillespie met Steve Barney, who had just opened Foreign Cars Italia in Greensboro, and became one of his first paying customers.
Determined to own the Ferrari, the bill of sale shows that the recent college graduate traded a silver 1973 Porsche 911 S coupe. Separately, he sold a 1971 Pantera and a 1970 Jaguar XKE OTS before borrowing the final $15,000 to cover the cost. More than 45 years later, Gillespie has enjoyed driving and selling many special automobiles, running the Tour de France Auto as well as the California Mille, and the Colorado 1000.
His unmodified single-owner Ferrari earned the 1997 Ferrari Club of America National Platinum Award presented by Luca di Montezemolo, Chairman of Ferrari S.p.A.; the 1997 Robert Rapp National Preservation Award for most original Ferrari; and the 2008 Cavallino Classic Platinum Class Award at Palm Beach, Florida, among other accolades.