The Ferrari 288 GTO has been a dream car for Henry Catchpole since he was a boy in the 1980s. But he hasn’t driven one… until now. So does it live up to expectations? The 288 is the model that really brought turbocharging to Ferrari road cars (even if it wasn’t the first turbo Ferrari) and paved the way for the limited-run hypercars of the future. But does it really deserve to sit alongside the F40, F50, Enzo and LaFerrari? We parked it next to all of them at Girardo & Co to ponder that very question, comparing not only their performance but also the unique role each model played in Ferrari’s history. Looking at them together also highlights just how influential the GTO was in shaping the brand’s philosophy for its most exclusive road cars.
The GTO (it was never called the 288 by Ferrari) also has a fascinating backstory that isn’t always reported entirely accurately. So, we delve into a design study by Leonardo Fioravanti that was the precursor to the way the 288 looks, examining how its proportions and styling evolved into the finished car. We also make use of a Lancia LC2 and a Lancia Delta S4 to tell the story of the engine and its Group B specifications, revealing just how closely Ferrari’s engineering was linked to the era’s cutting-edge motorsport technology. The result is a richer understanding of why the GTO was such an important milestone for both Ferrari and performance cars as a whole.
It’s certainly quite an engine, with 400bhp and a character that is both refined and unmistakably motorsport. The 2.8-litre V8 only has around 2650lb (about 1200kg) to push around, so it feels much quicker than you might expect as well. There’s a wonderfully progressive surge of turbocharged performance that rewards commitment without ever feeling intimidating, while the chassis delivers an engaging balance of stability and agility. And there is, of course, a fabulous open-gated manual gearbox to delight in, adding a level of driver involvement that perfectly complements the car’s raw yet sophisticated personality.
What was your dream car as a child, and have you been lucky enough to drive or own one since? LEt us know in the comments below.
