Ferrari – 288 GTO (1986)
Details
- Vehicle Type:
- Coupé
- Coach Builder:
- Pininfarina
- Cylinders:
- V8
- Engine CC:
- 2855
- Entrant
- Marc Gachoud (GB)
Class G
Breaking the Speed Barrier: Pioneers that chased the magic 300 kphAnybody taking a superficial look at this car could well make a fundamental mistake. The Ferrari 288 GTO is similar to the 308 and 328 models produced in bigger series. In actual fact, everything apart from the silhouette is different. Its wheelbase is eleven centimetres longer, and a tubular steel chassis is clothed in a body made of Kevlar and fibreglass. Because Ferrari wanted to compete with this type in the legendary fast Group B of the World Rally Championship, the engine also conformed to the specifications for homologation.
Its longitudinally mounted 2.9 litre V8 power plant generated 400 hp with two turbochargers – an impressive feat for a weight of just 1160 kilograms. Although Group B was brought to a shuddering halt as early as 1986 after a number of serious accidents, Ferrari succeeded in producing 272 examples. This one is now with its third owner and has retained its original Turin registration until today. In 2017, its current owner commissioned a light-touch mechanical and cosmetic restoration with an Italian designer. Leonardo Fioravanti, who had designed the Ferrari 288 GTO, was on hand as a specialist advisor.