One of the most limited-production Ferraris of modern times, the achingly beautiful 288 GTO marries graceful Pininfarina styling with aggressive aerodynamics and white-knuckle performance.
It’s a matter of snobbery that my personal favourite modern Ferrari was never the F40, but its much lesser-known and effectively stillborn predecessor, the 288 GTO of 1984. Like a true Omologato, it marries the Pininfarina grace of a Ferrari production coupe with clearly functional and aggressive aerodynamics, and the promise of white-knuckle performance.
Ferrari didn’t apply the Gran Turismo Omologato moniker lightly: the 288 was only the second to use it, 22 years after the legendary 250.
Sports car racing was at an ebb in the late-1970s, prompting the FIA to entice manufacturers with the open-slather Group B in 1982. Ferrari and Porsche were first to log on, intending to apply their turbocharging experience from F1 and sports cars, respectively, to production-derived homologation specials.
It was decided to base Ferrari’s weapon on the then-current 308 GTB road car. Ferrari’s F1 designer Harvey Postlethwaite would employ composite materials in creating a structurally stiff body platform for the race-bound coupe.
While outwardly suggestive of the transverse-engined 308/328, the 288 GTO was significantly chopped and changed. Its 110mm longer wheelbase, to accommodate the now longitudinally mounted and twin-turbocharged V8, sat within an aero-optimised body 60mm longer and 200mm wider.
The body was mainly fibreglass with selective use of Kevlar and Nomex, dropped over a steel spaceframe. Front and rear subframes were designed to be easily detached for racing service and repairs. The two-seater cockpit was backed by a removable panel giving access to the front of the engine.
While far stronger than the 308 GTB, the 1160kg 288 GTO was ultimately more than 100kg lighter.
Pininfarina designer Leonardo Fioravanti, who penned the GTO’s gorgeous body (not to mention the Dino, Daytona and 308 before it), later explained that the switch to a longitudinal configuration wasn’t so much from F1 habit, but to simplify packaging.
The all-alloy, 32-valve V8’s 2.85-litre capacity was calculated to fit Group B’s 4.0-litre atmo limit, thanks to boost from its twin IHI turbos – one per bank. The five-speed transaxle sat aft of the diff. With 298kW at 7000rpm and 496Nm at 3800rpm, 0-100km/h was done in 4.8 seconds and the GTO became the world’s first production car to exceed 300km/h.
Suspensions were, in Ferrari practice, double wishbones at each corner with coil-over adjustable dampers. The rack-and-pinion steering system had no hydraulic assistance. Ventilated steel discs hid behind centre-lock, two-piece composite wheels, much in vogue at the time.
The 288 GTO was unveiled at the 1984 Geneva show, competing for the Group B spotlight against fellow debutantes, the Peugeot 205 T16 and Audi Sport Quattro.
Tellingly, while Group B rallying was booming, the circuit-racing side of the category was already a flop. No other manufacturer had shown interest in joining Ferrari and Porsche.
Still, public excitement about the 288 GTO encouraged Ferrari to push ahead with production in 1984. In fact, it would surpass the homologation minimum of 200 cars, thanks to Ferrari making some concessions to customer comfort and fitting standard carpets and air-conditioning.
Owners of the 288 GTO included (unsurprisingly) the period Ferrari pilots Michele Alboreto and Rene Arnoux, but also Niki Lauda – while employed by McLaren.
The 288 GTO is achingly beautiful and was hugely influential on the F40, as particularly evident in the five wide-bodied, 485kW 288 GTO Evoluzione variants produced. With a total of just 272 examples built, the 288 GTO is also one of the most limited-production Ferraris of modern times.
