I’ll be the primary to confess I’m extra of a Lamborghini man than a Ferrari man. Nonetheless, there are just a few exceptions to this, one being the 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO, for Gran Turismo Omologata, this very spectacular automotive was solely in manufacturing for 3 years, between 1984 and 1988. Solely 272 models have been inbuilt Maranello, making this a comparatively uncommon automotive right this moment, and whereas at first look it would appear like the extra delicate 308 GTB which was constructed between 1975 and 1983, this 288 GTO is a special beast altogether.

Powered by a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine the 288 GTO got here with 395 bhp and 366 lb-ft of torque to ship a high pace of at least 288 km/h (179 mph), acceleration from 0 to 60 mph took simply 5 seconds, however get this, the Ferrari 288 GTO was not ‘federalized’ on the market in america, those that did get imported into the USA have been all gray import automobiles, which made this Prancing Horse much more unique within the Eigthies, and one other main distinction between the 308 GTB and the 288 GTO, regardless of each having a V8 is the actual fact the latter had the engine mounted longitudinally, identical to within the competitors from Sant’Agata, the Lamborghini Countach LP500 S.

As you would possibly anticipate, a lot of the Ferrari 288 GTO left the manufacturing unit doorways in Maranello completed within the traditional Rosso shade, however there are just a few others on the market, and whereas this new period GTO would possibly appear like a 308 or 328 GTB to the untrained eye, there are fairly just a few main variations noticeable, just like the deeper entrance bumper with 4 huge built-in lights beneath the flip alerts, make no mistake, there are nonetheless two pop-up headlights too. One other distinction are the a lot wider wheel arches each entrance and rear, masking huge Speedline rims, whereas the outside rearview mirrors are one other trademark for the 288 GTO.

Let’s not overlook the styling queues which were taken from the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO from the Sixties, the three ‘slats’ behind the entrance wheel of that traditional race automotive, on the 288 have been lower into the rear panel behind the rear wheels, however they’re nonetheless there, as is the ‘ducktail’ on the rear for aerodynamic causes, and whereas not noticeable on sight, the 288 GTO weighed simply 1,159 kg (2,555 lb) in comparison with the heavier 308 GTB at 1,399 kg (3,085 lb) due to utilizing metal just for the doorways, the remainder of the bodypanels on the GTO have been constituted of light-weight Kevlar and carbon fiber, one thing that may make a return on what many would think about the successor to the 288 GTO, the Ferrari F40.

However what’s it prefer to take this now traditional Ferrari 288 GTO for a drive? Let’s check out what Harry from Harry’s Storage on Youtube has to say about this Ferrari icon after a 1,000 km drive, and why he truly purchased a Zonda again in 2005 as a substitute of this masterpiece from Maranello: