Background
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.
References
Buckley, Martin & Rees, Chris (1998). World Encyclopedia of Cars. London: Anness Publishing. ISBN 1-84038-083-7.
The Ferrari Pages. Cars From Italy. Retrieved on November 18, 2004.
Ferrari 288 GTO at the Group B Rally Cars.
