Lot 127: 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO

When Ferrari announced in 1983 that it was to build a modern day GTO it sent the hearts of red-blooded Ferraristi into dangerous flutters, while others blindly reached for their cheque books without a second thought. The name GTO, after all, recalls what many regard as the ultimate Ferrari and the promise was that the new 288GTO would be no different. Maranello had already been quoted as saying that it would be the fastest and quickest accelerating Ferrari ever built, one insider later describing the homologation special as an act of faith to the racing world neither Ferrari nor its customers were to be disappointed.Potent the V8 certainly was, producing a highly impressive 400bhp at 7,000rpm and a huge 366lb.ft at 3,800rpm; allied to a five-speed, magnesium cased gearbox, it provided staggering performance: 189mph, 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds and 0-125mph in a stunning 15.2 seconds! Notably, much of the GTO's design came from the Ferrari F1 designer Harvey Postlethwaite and it came as no surprise to find extensive use of Kevlar, carbon fibre and other high tech composites for the stress-bearing areas of the GTO's beautiful, Pininfarina styled, glass fibre body. The latter, against the 308, was widened behind the rear side windows into engine air scoops while the rear used an elegant, integrated spoiler; a particularly nice touch was the three brake cooling slots in the rear wings, imitating one of the 250GTO's famous trademarks. Wings front and rear were also radically flared to accommodate an almost 4.0% increase in front and rear track and huge 225/55 front, 265/50 rear tyres on 10"x 16" composite alloy racing rims. Behind them were large Ferrari/Brembo ventilated disc brakes, while wishbone/coil spring suspension and an anti-roll bar were fitted front and rear. All of which made the 288GTO one of the most desirable Ferraris ever built, not merely a purposeful and effective machine, but one that was also a statement of Ferrari's classic love and commitment to racing. Just 278 examples of the GTO were built (including track versions) compared to over 1,300 of the later F40.This very original example of the GTO is presented in fantastic original condition. Chassis #54329 was manufactured in 1985 and has only covered 17,300 kilometres from new. This three owner car from new has been with the current owner since the early 1990's and has been well maintained and is supplied with German registration papers.With only 278 examples of the 288 GTO made, this model is the rarest road-going Ferrari of the past 35 years and certainly one of the most desirable. GTO's rarely become available on the open market and 54329 is considered a very good example currently for sale. Mit nur 17.300 km auf dem Tacho und lediglich drei Besitzern seit seiner Erstzulassung im Jahre 1985 ist dieser 288 GTO ein sehr originaler, unverbastelter Wagen.Nur 278 Exemplare diese faszinierenden Renn-/Sportwagens wurden gebaut, es ist folglich der seltenste Strassen-Ferrari der letzten 35 Jahre und wird somit, wenn man von den Preissteigerungen anderer Ferrari ausgeht, in den naechsten Jahren eine Wertsteigerung erfahren.