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Ferrari 288 GTO

by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide

"Ferrari 288 GTO." 07 May 2007. HowStuffWorks.com.

The Ferrari 288 GTO ushered in a new era for Ferrari and, indeed, the automotive world. Its debut was so highly anticipated, the model so coveted when it finally broke cover at Geneva in 1984, that it created the “instant collectible” market for automobiles -- those rare machines that always commanded a price greater than the original sticker.

The model’s name signified a fresh powertrain and honored a Ferrari immortal. The Ferrari 288 GTO identified a 2.8-liter engine of eight cylinders. GTO conjured up Ferrari’s 250 GTO race car of the early 1960s, and rightly so -- the modern machine was a road car designed to be eligible for the increasingly popular world of rally competition.

For the beautiful body, Pininfarina design chief Leonardo Fioravanti and his crew used the Ferrari 308 GTB as a starting point, then applied styling cues from the 250 GTO, most prominently the rear spoiler and the trio of rear-fender slats.

Compared to the Ferrari 308 GTB, however, most every dimension (overall length and width, wheelbase, front and rear track) was increased to handle new mechanicals. The GTO’s 2885cc V-8 sat longitudinally rather than transversely, and was located well forward of the rear axle for superior weight distribution. The powerplant also was mounted considerably lower than the V-8 in its 308/328 and Mondial V-8 stablemates.

The Ferrari 288 GTO’s V-8 itself was vastly different from the one in the 308/328 series of cars. Besides less displacement, it had two Japanese IHI turbochargers to boost power output. Other competition-oriented features included an oil cooler, dry-sump lubrication, intercoolers to reduce the turbos’ inlet air temperature and an electronic injection and ignition system based on Ferrari’s Formula 1 setup. The result was 400 horsepower at 7000 rpm, or 130-160 greater than a 308/328.

Suspension was independent front and rear with wishbones, coil springs over tube shocks, and antiroll bars. Braking came from huge ventilated discs. The transmission was a five-speed with a Formula 1-derived twin-plate clutch.

The Ferrari 288 GTO’s largest innovation was its construction. For the first time on a road car, Ferrari employed space-age composite materials in the chassis and body. This increased structural rigidity while decreasing weight. The factory quoted 2,552 pounds, more than 700 pounds lighter than its other two-seat V-8 models. It all made for stellar performance.

Automobile Revue’s test car scorched the pavement, hitting 100 kilometers (62 mph) in 4.8 seconds, 100 mph in 9.7, and topping out at 288 kph (180 mph).

Road & Track’s test car saw 60 in 5 seconds, reached 100 in 11 flat. That impressed the man behind the wheel, former F1 world champion Phil Hill, who had a 250 GTO on hand for comparison. Hill found the Ferrari 288 GTO’s cornering prowess “phenomenal, noticeably increasing with speed. One of the most delightful aspects is ... a light and nimble feel and not the heavy, intimidating nature of a Boxer or Lamborghini Countach.

“In total,” Hill concluded, “the new GTO is miles ahead of its 22-year-old predecessor in performance, yet offers the option of air conditioning and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci in stereo ... As pleased as I am to see Ferrari competing strongly in Formula One, I am delighted they will once again have gran turismo with true competition potential.”

Unfortunately, the GTO never got the chance to show what it could do in the competition for which it was intended. Ferrari had constructed just five of a planned run of 20 600-horsepower Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluziones when the FIA canceled the wild Group B series because of track safety issues.
That had no effect whatsoever on GTO demand. Buyers lined up, and Ferrari responded by bumping production of the road version to 272, from the planned 200. Original owners included Ferrari F1 champion Niki Lauda and Peter Livanos, a wealthy industrialist who was also part owner of England’s Aston Martin.

The Ferrari GTO was built to compete in the new Group B Race series and a minimum of 200 cars were required for homogolation. However as only Ferrari and Porsche, with their 959, entered, the series was soon abandoned leaving just the Group B Rally championship. The Porsche 959 {961} only raced twice in Group B, but the 288 GTO never raced and all 272 cars built remained purely road cars.

Engine
The GTO was based on the mid-engined 308 GTB. The 288 refers to its 2.8 Liter V8 engine, though, as it used a de-bored (by 1 mm) V8 with twin IHI turbochargers, intercoolers, and Weber-Marelli fuel injection. The 2855cc engine capacity was dictated by the FIA's requirement for a Turbocharged engine's capacity to be mutiplied by 1.4.This gave the GTO a theoretical engine capacity of 3997cc, just under the Group B limit of 4.0 litres.

Unlike the 308, the engine was mounted longitudinally, using the 308's rear boot space. The wheelbase was 110 mm longer at 2,450 mm, and the track was widened also. With 400 hp (almost 140 hp per liter) and 366 ft·lbf of torque, the GTO was an impressive performer. 0-60 mph times were in the upper 4 second range and Ferrari claimed 0-125 mph in 15 seconds flat! Top speed was a staggering 190 mph.

Evoluzione
Ferrari also built 4 288 GTO Evoluzione models with more aggressive and aerodynamic body styling and increased power. The engine in the Evoluzione originally put out as much as 650 hp however, this was dialed down to 450 hp after Group B was banned as a whole in 1986.

Legacy
Unlike the later F40, the 288 was equipped with most of the basic luxuries – air conditioning, sound system, and so on – which made the car relatively comfortable to drive.

The GTO was the first in a series of Ferrari supercars, continued with its much-modified version, the 1987 F40. Also, the later V12-engined F50 and Enzo would not have been produced if not for the 288 GTO.

In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number two on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s, behind its German rival.