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| Ferrari 288 GTO |
The Ferrari GTO was built to compete in the new Group B Race series and a minimum of 200 cars were required for homologation. However as only Ferrari and Porsche, with their 959, entered, the series was soon abandoned leaving just Group B Rally championship. The Porsche 959 (as the Porsche 961) only raced three times in Group B, but the 288 GTO never raced and all 272 cars built remained purely road cars.Ferrari 288 GTO is an exotic homologation of the Ferrari 308 GTB produced from 1984 through 1986, designated GT for Gran Turismo and O for Omologato (homologation in Italian).
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| Ferrari GTO 288 |
For the beautiful body, Pininfarina design chief Leonardo Fioravanti and his crew used the Ferrari 308 GTB as a starting point, then applied styling cues from the 250 GTO, most prominently the trio of rear-fender slats and the rear spoiler.
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| Ferrari GTO 288 Back Side |
Suspension was independent front side and rear with wishbones, coil springs more than tube shocks, and antiroll bars. Braking system came from huge ventilated discs. The transmission was a five-speed using a Formula 1-derived twin-plate clutch system.
The "288" refers to the GTO's 2.8 litre V8 engine since it used a de-bored (by 1 mm) V8 using twin IHI turbochargers, intercoolers, and also Weber-Marelli fuel injection. The GTO had been based on the mid-engined, backside wheel drive 308 GTB (by using a 3.0 litre V8 engine). The 2855 cc engine capacity was determined by the FIA's requirement of a Turbocharged engine's ability to be multiplied by 1.4. This gave the GTO a theoretical engine capacity of 3997 cc, just below the Group B limit of 4.0 litres.
The Ferrari 288 GTO’s biggest innovation was it is construction. For the first time on the road car, Ferrari employed innovative composite materials from the chassis and body. This improved structural rigidity although decreasing weight. Our factory quoted 2,552 pounds, a lot more than 700 pounds lighter in weight than its other two-seat V-8 models. It all designed for stellar performance.
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| Ferrari GTO 288 Interrior |
Different from the 308's 2926 cc engine, the GTO's 2855 cc engine has been mounted longitudinally, while using 308's rear boot space. This was essential to make room for the twin turbo-chargers and inter-coolers. The racing transmission was installed to the rear of the longitudinal engine relocating the rear differential and wheels aft. As a result the wheelbase was110 mm (4.3 in) longer at 2,450 mm (96 in). The track was additionally widened to support wider wheels and tires (Goodyear NCT 225/50VR16 tires mounted on 8 x 16" Speedline wheels in front and 255/50VR16 mounted on 10 x 16" wheels in the rear) to provide improved cornering and braking system performance and the ability to apply 400 hp (298 kW) and 366 lb·ft (496 N·m) of torque to the ground. The GTO was an impressive the performer with 0-60 mph times in the upper 4 second range. Ferrari stated 0-125 mph (201 km/h) in 15 seconds flat. Top speed was 189 mph (304 km/h), making it the first street-legal manufacturing car to reach 300 km/h (186 mph).
Unfortunately, the GTO never obtained the chance to demonstrate what it could do in the competition for which it absolutely was intended. Ferrari experienced constructed just 5 of a planned run of 20 600-horsepower Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluziones when the FIA terminated the wild Group B series because of track issues of safety.
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| Ferrari GTO 288 |
That had no impact whatsoever on GTO requirement. Buyers lined up, and Ferrari responded by bumping production from the road version to 272, from the prepared 200. Original owners provided Ferrari F1 champion Niki Lauda and Peter Livanos, a wealthy industrialist who was additionally part owner of England’s Aston Martin.
“In total,” Hill concluded, “the newest GTO is miles ahead of the 22-year-old predecessor in performance, however provides the option of air conditioning and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci in stereo system ... As pleased as I feel to see Ferrari competing highly in Formula One, We are delighted they will once more have gran turismo with true competition possible.”
