Ferrari has always provided us with exquisite and gorgeous cars for a long long time now. Prestige rides deep in their cars and is boldly visible even in those that are over 40 years old. But it was after the 80s that Ferrari started to focus more on aerodynamics and produce sharper-looking cars. Don't get us wrong, as the cars before that time period were equally drool-worthy and were all about curves. The 80s was, however, a major shift in the automobile industry and Ferrari went along with it. A very unique car that fruited out of this shift was the first-ever Ferrari race-spec supercar for the road.
It was all thanks to the iconic and equally controversial Group B racing that Ferrari actually decided to build the 288 GTO. FIA came forth with Group B regulations in 1982 and Ferrari was quick to get to work and bring out the 288 GTO by 1985. And what a sweet ride it was. Ferrari managed to pull off a sharper design language coupled with raw unadulterated performance, which helped the 288 GTO go down in history as one of the most elusive and rare Ferraris ever made. It came out when Automakers used to make cars out of sheer passion "alone"!
The 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO is the second car with the "GTO" nameplate after the iconic 250 GTO, and just 272 units were built.
A Brief History On The GTO Nameplate
GTO stands for Grand Turismo Omologate and it was a prestigious tag given to those exclusive offerings from Ferrari that were deemed to be on the racetracks. Before the 288 GTO came along, there was just one other Ferrari that bore the badge - the 250 GTO. This was a series of limited-run grand touring cars that Ferrari built for the road, using race-derived technology in the early 60s.
The 250 GTO were limited to just 36 units from 1962 to 1964 and was built with a screaming V12 with only racing in mind. This feat of being ultra-rare and providing a road-going race car makes the 250 GTO one of the most expensive collector cars today, with the recent one being sold for a staggering $70 million. Carrying forward the 'omologate' (means - homologate) badging was the Ferrari 288 GTO that was a very bold turning point for Ferrari in terms of design, performance, and sheer emotions.
Just 272 Units Were Made With Group B Racing In Mind
Ferrari built the 288 GTO to race following Group B regulations that were introduced in 1982. It spawned an exciting wave of cars from various manufacturers are the restrictions were very thin. Another aspect to be considered for Group B was that the automaker had to homologate 200 road-going consumer cars to take part in Group B race events.
272 units of the Ferrari 288 GTO were built but due to a series of unfortunate events that recurred in Group B races, FIA put an end to one of the wildest sporting events in automobile history. But that was not a bummer at all, as Ferrari managed to sell all 272 of them even before production began!
Packed A 2.9 Litre Twin Turbo V8 And Had A Top Speed Of 179 Mph
As Group B has many relaxed regulations, automakers could go all-out with their builds. And that's exactly what Ferrari did with the 288 GTO. It was actually based on the Ferrari 308 GTB and shared the design cues with it. But that's where the similarities ended as Ferrari has reworked on the mechanicals for a much more bonkers offering. It sported the same 2.9L V8 unit from the 308 but was mounted longitudinally to house the added twin-turbos and additional piping.
It is rated at 395 hp @ 7,000 rpm and 366 lb-ft @ 3,800 rpm with a 5-Speed Manual transmission taking care of the power being delivered to the rear wheels only. The Ferrari 288 GTO was a seriously fast of the time as 0-60 mph came up in 4.8 seconds and had a top speed of 189 mph. This coupled with the fact that Ferrari used steel, fiberglass, Nomex, and Kevlar to built its chassis with technology derived from Formula 1 made it the "Ferrari Of The Future".
A Tamable Ferrari, With A Cozy Interior, That Anyone Could Drive
The 288 GTO came with independent double-wishbone suspensions with manually adjustable KONI coil springs. Hanging along were thick 255-section 16-inch tires on all 4 corners. Usage of lighter materials for the frame and body panels helped Ferrari bring down its curb weight to just 2,557 lbs. which helped in better handling and sharper response both on the roads and racetracks.
The interior had all of the bare minimum features and was built solely with racetracks in mind. But comfort was still taken care of with leather-wrapped kevlar seats to keep the weight down. The dashboard was made of non-reflective material to help you have a keen eye on the tarmac ahead, without any discrepancies.
First Limited-Run Supercar From Ferrari That Was "Sharp"
This was the First limited-run Ferrari to crawl into the "supercar" territory. The 80s were a bold design phase for automakers and Ferrari embraced it well. Its design language was a major testimony to the changing times. As elusive Ferraris before this were all about curves. It was cleaner with lesser curves along with aerodynamically tweaked sharp bits - to give it a racecar appeal (which it was!).
Not Elusive Enough? Five 288 GTO Evoluzione' With 650 hp Should Change That!
Ferrari pushed the threshold yet again with 5 units of 288 GTO Evoluzione. These were hardcore iterations of the 288 GTO and utilizes serious aerodynamics to help it put down 650 hp. What is mental though, it that this weighed in at just 2072 lbs. (940 kg). This car was used to derive performance and technology that went on to be the canvas for the next icon - Ferrari F40.
Sources: Jalopnik.com, Roadandtrack.com, Carthrottle.com, Topspeed.com, Motortrend.com, Thetruthaboutcars.com, Supercars.net