1986 Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione

The Ferrari 288 GTO was a homologation of the Ferrari 308 GTB produced from 1984 to 1987. During its production lifespan, a total of 272 examples of the GTO (Grand Turismo Omologata - homologated in Italian) were built. It was designed to compete in the new Group B Circuit Race series which required that a minimum of 200 examples be built. The Group B series never really took off and as a result the GTO never raced. In 1987, the Group B was banned from the World Championship. The 272 cars built remained road cars and all were finished in red, except for one example that was painted black.

The engine was a 2.8-liter (2855cc) dual overhead cam, V8 engine mounted mid-ship with 4 valves per cylinder.

The reason the Group B was canceled was due to the cars being extremely quick and unsafe. After Henri Toivonen lost his life in 1986 at the Tour de Corse in a mid-engined Lancia Delta, the series was canceled. The Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione had been intended to compete in the Group B class, and Ferrari had planned on building twenty cars to comply with Group B homologation requirements for Evolution models. Ultimately, six examples were built that included five production models and one prototype. These cars had more aggressive and aerodynamic body styling and were equipped with an upgraded version of the V8 engine. In standard guise, the 288 GTO produced 400 horsepower. With the help of additional tuning and larger turbochargers, the Evoluzione produced 650 horsepower.

The body modifications of the Evoluzione were performed by Pininfarina and were inspired by the earlier 512 BB LM and 308 GT/M cars. Lightweight materials such as fiberglass and Kevlar were used and the rear wing was made of carbon-fiber composite. These modifications and others resulted in a svelte 940 kg.

Despite never been used for its intended purpose, the world received the 288 GTO - a very memorable vehicle. Additionally, the car that followed - the F40 - had a similar drivetrain and aerodynamic bodywork.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2019