At first glance, the remarkable 1984-85 Ferrari 288 GTO coupe could be mistaken for a mildly modified 1975-89 Ferrari 308/328 -- the car that became nationally known in the popular 1980-88 "Magnum P.I." television series.
But there's a world of difference between the fire-breathing 288 GTO and the nice-but-slower 1975-85 308 and near-identical 1986-89 328. For one thing, the 288 GTO was the world's fastest production car when it debuted.
The mid-engine 288 GTO was developed for the FISA's new Group B race series, in which cars such as the exotic Porsche 959 and Jaguar XJ220 were qualified to compete. Autos weren't eligible to race in the series unless they could be legally used on public roads, with such items as full instrumentation, lighting, decent ground clearance, mirrors and windshield wipers.
In fact, the 288 GTO was the first Ferrari race car that could be driven on the street since production of the legendary, world-championship-winning 1962-64 Ferrari 250 GT0.
As it turned out, the 288 (2.8-liter engine, 8 cylinders) GTO was never raced because the Group B series was canceled before the Ferrari could run. Still, Ferrari built 272 of the 288 GTOs, which listed at the American equivalent of $83,400. The car now costs in the $650,000-$850,000 range if in excellent condition.
In contrast, thousands of 308 and 328 road cars were built. The 308 initially cost $53,745. The 328, which had a slightly larger V-8, cost $64,393. Prices for 308s and 328s in good condition now go from $18,625 to $39,900.
Only 39 of the 1960s 250 GTOs were built and now sell for at least a cool $12 million, if you can find one for sale. But Ferrari had to build at least 200 of the 288 GTO models because that number had to be met to qualify the car for Group B competition.
"GTO," by the way, stands for Gran Turismo Omologato, which means homologated (approved) for grand-touring race class competition. In other words, for cars that could be raced but also driven on the street. Pontiac brashly borrowed the GTO designation for its famous 1960s-1970s muscle car, much to the chagrin of Ferrari 250 GTO fans. Ferrari got the designation back for the 288 GTO.
The 288 GTO was a modified version of the 308/328, which let Ferrari both hold down costs and build the car more quickly. However, little of the 308/328 was left when the 288 GTO was finished.
Quickly noticeable differences were the 288 GTO's bulging fender flares, larger front/rear spoilers, flattened nose, large "flag-style" outside mirrors and four driving lights at the far sides of the grille. Retained from the original 250 GTO were slanted air vents, put in the 288 GTO's rear fenders to cool the brakes.
Body panels were wider than the 308's because they had to cover much bigger Goodyear tires mounted on Speedline racing wheels. The suspension's height was adjustable so the car could be set higher for road use and lower for racing on tracks.
Bodywork material was new and lighter for better acceleration and handling. The 288 GTO weighed only 2,555 pounds, compared to 3,085-3,350 for the 308/328. Steel was used only for the doors because major body panels were made from molded fiberglass. Kevlar was utilized for the hood, and the roof was made from Kevlar and carbon fiber.
The slick new bodywork was tested in Ferrari body designer Pininfarina's wind tunnel and had lines that suggested the muscle beneath them.
The 308/328 semimonocoque structure was replaced by a lighter steel tube frame and separate body panels. It had the 308/328 suspension, but components were made from tubular steel and shock absorbers and springs were firmer to handle the extra power.
The wheelbase (distance between axles) was increased 4.3 inches from the 308 model and 4 inches from the 328 to 96.5 inches. and the front and rear track was increased. The wheelbase was stretched because the engine was mounted in a longitudinal (fore-aft) position, instead of transversely (or sideways) in the 308/328. The arrangement also allowed the 288 GTO to use a more conventional race-car engine/transmission layout for such things as quick gear ratio changes for various tracks.
The twin-turbocharged, intercooled V-8 was a masterpiece with those items and fuel injection, four overhead camshafts and 32 valves. It was similar to the one developed for Lancia competition cars, since Fiat owned both Lancia and Ferrari. Its horsepower figure was double that of the 308's 179-cubic-inch V-8.
The 288 GTO's V-8 had only a 174-cubic-inch (2.8-liter) displacement, but produced 400 horsepower. That was virtually double the 205 horsepower of a 1984 Chevrolet Corvette, which had a 350-cubic-inch V-8. In racing trim, this Ferrari V-8 developed an incredible 650 horsepower.
The production model's V-8 power was transferred to a five-speed transaxle (combination axle/transmission). The low-slung car did 0-60 mph in a blistering 4.5 seconds and topped out at 189 mph. It hit 113 mph in the quarter-mile run, which took only 14.1 seconds.
The 288 GTO was a perfectly usable road car. It had leather trim and seats and could be ordered with an $1,800 option package containing air conditioning, power windows and an AM/FM/cassette stereo sound system. That was a lot for a mid-1980s Italian sports car that was essentially a race car.
The 288 GTO was never officially imported into America because Ferrari didn't want to bother meeting U.S. emission standards with such a small number of cars. But a fair number arrived via the "below-the-counter" market, while some were expensively modified here to meet U.S. regulations. Ferrari didn't mind because the car's visual similarity to the 308 and 328 boosted the image of those models.
The 288 GTO might never reach the 250 GTO's value figure because more were built. It sold for as high as $1.5 million in the late 1980s, before prices for rare Ferraris cooled for several years. By 1997, a 288 GTO could be had for $300,000.
But who knows how high the car will go, especially since Ferrari prices have risen a lot in recent years? The 288 GTO is just as sexy as the 250 GTO, faster and far more mechanically advanced.
JEDLICKA ON THE FERRARI 288 GTO:
