Supercar

Description

The 288 GTO was the homologation special of the 308 GTB, and was built from 1984, till 87 in Ferrari’s Maranello works. Well known as the predecessor of the F40, the car was fundamentally developed by Nicola Materazzi.

Stylistically, the 288 shares a strong family resemblance to the well-known 308 GTB, that was styled by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina, save from some significant differences that gave away the car’s intent. Still concealing a four-camshaft V8 like the 308, this one was not only force-fed by a pair of IHI turbochargers, but instead of being oriented east-west in the chassis, it was mounted longitudinally – paving the way forward for the F40’s layout. Its model designation “288”, referred to its capacity, 2.8 litres.

Some of its styling features were first seen on a Pininfarina styling study in 1977, but whilst its resemblance is strong, only the door skins were eventually shared from the 308 and, via the extensive use of composites, the 288 was more than 350kg lighter. From its namesake, the 250GTO, the 288 was given the significant token styling details of the three strakes in the rear guards, carried over from the 250’s front guards.

Several 288s were owned by Grand Prix drivers, most notably Keke Rosberg, Niki Lauda and Michele Alboreto.

This example was delivered new in its home market of Italy, before being sold into the USA, and subsequently coming to Australia in 2020.