Ferrari 288 GTO
Encyclopedia
The Ferrari 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).
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.
Some of the 288 GTO's styling features were first displayed on a 308 GTB design exercise by Pininfarina shown at the 1977 Geneva Salon. This included the deep front spoiler, fender flares, rear lip spoiler, front lid radiator cooling louvers and quadruple driving lights.
(which has a 3.0 litre
V8 engine).
The "288" refers to the GTO's 2.8 litre
V8 engine as it used a de-bored (by 1 mm) V8 with twin IHI
turbocharger
s, intercoolers, and Weber
-Marelli fuel injection
. The 2855 cc engine capacity was dictated by the FIA's requirement for a Turbocharged engine's capacity to be multiplied by 1.4. This gave the GTO a theoretical engine capacity of 3997 cc, just under the Group B limit of 4.0 litres.
Unlike the 308's 2926 cc engine, the GTO's 2855 cc engine was mounted longitudinal
ly, using the 308's rear boot space. This was necessary to make room for the twin turbochargers and intercoolers. The racing transmission was mounted to the rear of the longitudinal
engine moving the rear differential and wheels aft. As a result the wheelbase was110 mm (4.3 in) longer at 2450 mm (96.5 in).
The track was also widened to accommodate wider wheels and tires (Goodyear NCT 225/50VR16 tires mounted on 8 x 16" Speedline wheels at the front and 255/50VR16 mounted on 10 x 16" wheels at the rear) to provide increased cornering and braking performance and the ability to apply 400 hp and 366 lbft of torque to the ground. The GTO was an impressive performer with 0-60 mph times in the upper 4 second range.
Ferrari claimed 0-125 mph (201 km/h) in 15 seconds flat. Top speed was 189 mph (304.2 km/h), making it the first street-legal production car to reach 300 kilometre per hour.
Ferrari also built five 288 GTO Evoluzione models with more aggressive and aerodynamic body styling and increased power. The engine in the 288 GTO Evoluzione originally put out as much as 650 hp. With weight of 940 kg (2,072 lb) the car had a top speed of 225 mi/h. These cars form the clearest visual link between the 288 GTO and the F40
soon to follow.
Only three 288 GTO Evoluziones are still in existence, with one at the Galleria Ferrari
museum in Maranello
.
named this car number two on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s, behind its German rival the Porsche 959
.
Homologation (motorsport)
In motorsports, homologation is the approval process a vehicle, race track or standardised part must go through to race in a given league or series. The regulations and rules that must be met are generally set by the series' sanctioning body...
of the Ferrari 308 GTB
Ferrari 308 GTB
The Ferrari 308 GTB are mid-engined sports cars manufactured by the Italian company Ferrari in the 1970s-1980s. They made up the lower end of the company's range...
produced from 1984 through 1986, designated GT for Gran Turismo
Grand tourer
A grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....
and O for Omologato (homologation in Italian).
Background
The Ferrari GTO was built to compete in the new Group BGroup B
Group B was a set of regulations introduced in 1982 for competition vehicles in sportscar racing and rallying regulated by the FIA. The Group B regulations fostered some of the quickest, most powerful and sophisticated rally cars ever built. However, a series of major accidents, some fatal, were...
Race series and a minimum of 200 cars were required for homologation. However as only Ferrari and Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
, with their 959
Porsche 959
The Porsche 959 is a sports car manufactured by Porsche from 1986 to 1989, first as a Group B rally car and later as a legal production car designed to satisfy FIA homologation regulations requiring that a minimum number of 200 street legal units be built....
, entered, the series was soon abandoned leaving just Group B Rally championship. The Porsche 959 (as the Porsche 961
Porsche 961
The Porsche 961 was a racing car built by Porsche and based on their 959 sports car. It was intended for Group B sports car racing, complementing the purpose-built 956 and 962C which ran Group C in the World Sports-Prototype Championship. The 961 project was short lived, running only three races...
) only raced three times in Group B, but the 288 GTO never raced and all 272 cars built remained purely road cars.
Some of the 288 GTO's styling features were first displayed on a 308 GTB design exercise by Pininfarina shown at the 1977 Geneva Salon. This included the deep front spoiler, fender flares, rear lip spoiler, front lid radiator cooling louvers and quadruple driving lights.
Engine
The GTO was based on the mid-engined, rear wheel drive 308 GTBFerrari 308 GTB
The Ferrari 308 GTB are mid-engined sports cars manufactured by the Italian company Ferrari in the 1970s-1980s. They made up the lower end of the company's range...
(which has a 3.0 litre
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
V8 engine).
The "288" refers to the GTO's 2.8 litre
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
V8 engine as it used a de-bored (by 1 mm) V8 with twin IHI
Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries
, formerly known as , is a Japanese company which produces ships, aero-engines, turbochargers for automobiles, industrial machines, power station boilers and other facilities, suspension bridges and other transport-related machinery....
turbocharger
Turbocharger
A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
s, intercoolers, and Weber
Weber carburetor
Weber is an Italian company producing carburetors, currently owned by Magneti Marelli Powertrain S.p.A., in turn part of the Fiat Group.The company was established as...
-Marelli fuel injection
Fuel injection
Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
. The 2855 cc engine capacity was dictated by the FIA's requirement for a Turbocharged engine's capacity to be multiplied by 1.4. This gave the GTO a theoretical engine capacity of 3997 cc, just under the Group B limit of 4.0 litres.
Unlike the 308's 2926 cc engine, the GTO's 2855 cc engine was mounted longitudinal
Longitudinal engine
In automotive engineering, a longitudinal engine is an internal combustion engine in which the crankshaft is oriented along the long axis of the vehicle, front to back....
ly, using the 308's rear boot space. This was necessary to make room for the twin turbochargers and intercoolers. The racing transmission was mounted to the rear of the longitudinal
Longitudinal engine
In automotive engineering, a longitudinal engine is an internal combustion engine in which the crankshaft is oriented along the long axis of the vehicle, front to back....
engine moving the rear differential and wheels aft. As a result the wheelbase was110 mm (4.3 in) longer at 2450 mm (96.5 in).
The track was also widened to accommodate wider wheels and tires (Goodyear NCT 225/50VR16 tires mounted on 8 x 16" Speedline wheels at the front and 255/50VR16 mounted on 10 x 16" wheels at the rear) to provide increased cornering and braking performance and the ability to apply 400 hp and 366 lbft of torque to the ground. The GTO was an impressive performer with 0-60 mph times in the upper 4 second range.
Ferrari claimed 0-125 mph (201 km/h) in 15 seconds flat. Top speed was 189 mph (304.2 km/h), making it the first street-legal production car to reach 300 kilometre per hour.
Evoluzione
Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-door coupé sports car produced by Ferrari from 1987 to 1992 as the successor to the Ferrari 288 GTO. From 1987 to 1989 it was Ferrari's fastest, most powerful, and most expensive car...
soon to follow.
Only three 288 GTO Evoluziones are still in existence, with one at the Galleria Ferrari
Galleria Ferrari
Galleria Ferrari is a Ferrari company museum dedicated to the Ferrari sports car marque. The museum is not purely for cars;also on view are prizes, photographs and other historical objects relating to the Italian motor racing industry...
museum in Maranello
Maranello
Maranello is a town and comune in the region of Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy, 18 km from Modena, with a population of 16,841 as of 2009. It is best known as the home of Ferrari S.p.A. and the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One racing team...
.
Awards
In 2004, Sports Car InternationalSports Car International
Sports Car International was an automobile magazine in the United States published by Ross Periodicals Inc. that was focused on sports cars. The magazine was published from 1986 to 2008. Its business offices were located in Novato, California....
named this car number two on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s, behind its German rival the Porsche 959
Porsche 959
The Porsche 959 is a sports car manufactured by Porsche from 1986 to 1989, first as a Group B rally car and later as a legal production car designed to satisfy FIA homologation regulations requiring that a minimum number of 200 street legal units be built....
.