Ferrari 288 GTO
The Ferrari 288 GTO was released in 1984 and created a new era of supercars. The Ferrari 288 GTO set the standards at the time for price and performance. Without the 288 GTO, we may have never seen the ‘Hypercars’, which includes the F40, 959, XJ220, and the McLaren F1. When you buy a Ferrari 288 GTO, you're buying a piece of history and art.
The Ferrari 288 GTO was modeled with the contemporary lines from the 308 GTB. There were subtle changes that were made to the GTB’s design to make the car more oval looking. However, under the Kevlar and Glassfiber panels of the Ferrari 288 GTO, the design elements from the 308 GTB are still visible.
The engines were the major difference of the Ferrari 288 GTO and the 308 GTB. The 308 GTB’s engine was mounted transversely. The Ferrari 288 GTO’s is mounted longitudinally, making it slightly smaller. However, the 2 extra IHI Turbochargers made up for the difference in the size.
The Ferrari 288 GTO is very light, thanks to the use of lightweight materials throughout the car. Many of these lightweight parts were only used in Ferrari’s 1 contenders. The whole body, next to the doors, was made from Kevlar, aluminum, and fiberglass. The doors had to be made from steel due to safety reasons. The Ferrari 288 GTO could weigh a little as 2558lbs, which was around 254lbs less than the 308.
The Ferrari 288 GTO was built for only one reason, which was homologating the model for racing. While the 250 was at the peak of GT racing, the Ferrari 288 GTO was built with other plans in mind. To have the GTO homologated, Ferrari needed to produce 200 cars minimum. The production of the Ferrari 288 GTO started right after the launch at Geneva 1984. There was only meant to be 220 Ferrari 288 GTO made. However, at the end of production in 1986, they had produced 273.
Even after the end of production, the Ferrari 288 GTO was still influencing other designs from the company. The F40 was Ferrari’s 40th-anniversary model. This model was styled after the Ferrari 288 GTO. The engine was a slightly larger version of the engine in the 288 GTO.
Today, the Ferrari 288 GTO is one of the most sought after Ferraris. Since there were only 273 of the Ferrari 288 GTO produced, it is hard to know exactly how many of them are still being driven today. There are also 308 owners who have modified their car’s appearance to look more like the 288 GTO. With its unique style and the very limited release, the Ferrari 288 GTO has sold for up to 1.8 million, depending on the year that it was built in.
