1985 Ferrari 288 GTO Coupe

Just one glance at the aesthetically pleasing lines of the 288 GTO and its purpose become obvious. Ferrari looked to build a new car for the Group B Race series which required a minimum of 200 cars for homologation. Pinin Farina would set to work creating a car capable of carrying Ferrari to great success in the series. The design would receive one of Ferrari's greatest monikers. The car would become known as the 288 GTO.

At first glance, the car looks similar to Ferrari's 308 and the Berlinetta Boxer, but Leonardo Fiovanti and the team at Pinin Farina would produce something entirely new. This was a racing car from nose to tail and it featured such necessary aspects like a longer wheelbase and overall shorter length, a wider stance and a liberal use of composite materials like Fiberglass and other composite materials.

However, the car would also feature very comfortable leather upholstery and a very elegant body styling that softened the beast. The car would have an elegance and a meanness wrapped all into one. It had been designed to be a beast on the race track, and yet, had an artistic elegance that made it look more than comfortable cruising around city streets.

One of these thoroughbred 288 GTOs, chassis ZFFPA16B000054247, would be offered to the highest bidder at the Gooding & Company auction at Pebble Beach in August of 2011.

This particular 288 GTO boasts some incredible credentials and accolades but would start out its life as an export to West Germany in early 1985. The car would be delivered to Romano Artioli's Autoexpo GmbH and would end up being sold to Erhard L. Burkhart of Lorrach. When Mr. Burkhart would take delivery of the car it would come with a Rosso Corsa finish, Pelle Nera leather interior and with air-conditioning and power windows.

The car would last less than a year as the property of Mr. Burkhart. Although none of the 288 GTOs were made for export to the United States a number of them would find their way to America to be federalized. This would be one of those that would end up heading off on the transatlantic journey to the United States.

In June of 1985, the car would be picked up by Carl Cantera of Wilmington, Delaware and would be taken to be inspected and federalized. Cantera was an avid Ferrari collector and the 288 GTO would fit in nicely amongst a collection that already included a number of top Ferraris.

The 288 wouldn't sit around as part of Cantera's collection though either. The car had been designed as a race car and Cantera would do about the only thing he could. He would take the car and compete in a number of FCA events. In fact, it would make its first appearance in Watkins Glen in 1985 at the 21st Annual FCA meeting.

Taking part in the FCA events the 288 GTO would really hit its stride and the accolades would begin to come.

During the early 1990s the car would be entered in a number of concours and FCA concours events. One of its highlights during this time would be the First in Class it would receive at the FCA Concours in Washington D.C.

After a spell with Steve Barney of Greensboro, North Carolina, the car would eventually end up with its current owner in 2008. Upon receiving the car, the new owner enlisted the car to be inspected and serviced before being certified by Ferrari Classiche.

When the car was finally certified it would be entered in a rash of events including the North American Ferrari Field and Driving Concours in Toronto, Canada. During the event, the car would receive some of the highest honors possible including both the Platinum and Coppa Bella Macchina awards. It also earned the Alla Vettura Pronta per il Salone award which is awarded to the best eight-cylinder Ferrari. On top of these incredible awards the car would receive the highest honor possible in an FCA judged event by receiving the coveted Coppa GT award.

In 2009, the car would pick up where it had left off and would go on to again earn the FCA Platinum Award at the National Meeting in Elkhart Lake. In order to keep the car earning such prestigious awards the owner has spent some $60,000 having the car fine tuned

While the Group B Series may have gone defunct this 288 GTO continues to achieve success after success. Just one of only 272 built, this Ferrari is an obvious show winner and is a testament to the successful blending of Pinin Farina grace and elegance with Ferrari's brute, high-performance power. At auction this car would eventually sell for $748,000.

Sources:
'Lot No. 039: 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO', (http://www.goodingco.com/car/1985-ferrari-280-gto). Gooding & Company. http://www.goodingco.com/car/1985-ferrari-280-gto. Retrieved 25 August 2011.

Wikipedia contributors, 'Ferrari 288 GTO', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 11 August 2011, 23:06 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ferrari_288_GTO&oldid=444348657 accessed 26 August 2011

By Jeremy McMullen