Ferrari · 1984–1987

Ferrari 288 GTO

The Ferrari GTO (often referred to as Ferrari 288 GTO) (Type F114) is an exotic homologation version of the Ferrari 308 GTB produced from 1984 until 1987 in Ferrari's Maranello factory. The name "GTO" is an acronym, with GT meaning Gran Turismo, and O meaning Omologata (homologated in Italian).

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Ferrari 250 GTO · Successor: Ferrari F40

All Ferrari 288 GTO data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Background

Contrary to what is reported historically in the press, the Ferrari GTO was not immediately born to compete in the new 1982 Group B Circuit Race series; Enzo Ferrari did not have overall control of the Road Car division, which was at the time managed by the General Director Eugenio Alzati, and the FIAT MD (CEO) Vittorio Ghidella. In 1983, Enzo Ferrari noted from discussions with close friends and clients that road car sales were falling due to stronger competition from rival car makers and what he described as the "excessive gentrification" of the Ferrari model lineup.

Turbocharging: from F1 to road cars

The success of turbocharging in Formula 1 and the introduction of some new tax laws (above the 1999cc displacement threshold) had prompted Ferrari to first build the 208 Turbo and then discuss turbocharging also in 3 litre form for a road car which could produce 330 bhp. The first 208 turbo did not feature an intercooler so the performance and reliability was somewhat delicate due to high combustion temperatures. Ferrari approached the head of powertrain for the Gestione Sportiva (Racing Division), Nicola Materazzi, to give an opinion on the proposed specification for the new 3L turbo engine. Materazzi had joined from Osella in 1979 (before then at Lancia Reparto Corse) due to his experience with forced induction and had been involved in the 126 F1 car experimentation between Comprex and turbo. When Materazzi showed confidence that 400 bhp could be reliably extracted from 3000cc (133 bhp/litre), Ferrari placed his trust in him on condition that it would deliver as promised. Ferrari also jokingly suggested that Materazzi work on the 268 engine destined for the Lancia LC2 Group C racing car, due to similarities in displacement and mechanical parts.

Development

The Ferrari F114B road-car engine and the Lancia 2.6L V8 race engine developments progressed closely, with some draughtsmen employed from Abarth to complete detail design on components for manufacture at times when the Ferrari draughtsmen were at full capacity. In order to improve overall performance, several key aspects of the original 308 vehicle layout were altered: the engine did not grow in displacement but was turbocharged, it remained mid-mounted but now longitudinally instead of transversely, the wheelbase was elongated by 200 mm, the outer bodywork required modifications to maintain pleasing proportions. The car used water-cooled IHI turbochargers from Japan compared to the KK&K turbochargers used in Formula 1 due to the better materials and aerodynamic internal designs which allowed faster transient response. IHI had bought patents from Swiss manufacturer Brown Boveri (Baden) that had supplied Ferrari with the Comprex systems. Some of the GTO's styling features were first displayed on a 308 GTB design exercise by Pininfarina shown at the 1977 Geneva Auto Salon. The 288 GTO had started out as a modified version of the 308/328 to hold down costs and to build the car quickly, but little of the 308/328 was left when the 288 GTO was finished. Fortunately Ferrari could count on customers who were loyal when it came to spending more if they could access performance and style that was unmatched, so the unplanned deviation from the original cost targets did not necessarily prove an issue. Easily noticeable differences were the GTOs bulging fender flares, larger front/rear spoilers, large "flag-style" outside mirrors and four driving lights at the far sides of the grille. Retained from the original 250 GTO were slanted air vents, put in the GTO's rear fenders to cool th

Engine

The GTO was based on the rear mid-engine, rear wheel drive 308 GTB, which has a 2.9 L (2,927 cc) V8. The "288" refers to the GTO's 2.8 litre DOHC 4 valves per cylinder V8 engine as it used a de-bored by 1 mm (0.04 in) with IHI twin-turbochargers, Behr air-to-air intercoolers, Weber-Marelli fuel injection and a compression ratio of 7.6:1. The 2.85 litre 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 an equivalent engine capacity of 3,997 cc (4.0 L; 243.9 cu in), just under the Group B limit of 4.0 litres. Unlike the 308's 2,927 cc (2.9 L; 178.6 cu in) engine, the GTO's 2,855 cc (2.9 L; 174.2 cu in) V8 was mounted longitudinally, using the 308's rear trunk 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. The arrangement also let the GTO use a more conventional race-car engine/transmission layout for such things as quick gear-ratio changes for various tracks. As a result, the wheelbase was 110 mm (4.3 in) longer at 2,450 mm (96.5 in). The track was also widened to accommodate wider wheels and tires (Goodyear NCT 225/55 VR16 tires mounted on 8 x 16 inch Speedline wheels at the front and 255/50 VR16 (265/50 VR16 for U.S. models) mounted on 10 x 16 inch wheels at the rear) to provide increased cornering and braking performance and the ability to apply 400 PS (395 bhp; 294 kW) at 7,000 rpm and 496 N⋅m (366 lb⋅ft) of torque at 3,800 rpm. The GTO could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in around 5 seconds and Ferrari claimed 0-125 mph (201 km/h) in 15 seconds flat and a top speed of 189 mph (304 km/h), making it one of the fastest street-l

288 GTO in North America

Due to the higher cost of engineering and certifying for the US market in a very low volume, Ferrari did not offer the 288 GTO for sale in America. Several grey import specialists imported the European version and modified 288 GTO individually to meet the US specifications.

Performance

Test results by Road & Track: 0–30 mph (48 km/h): 2.3 s 0–50 mph (80 km/h): 4.1 s 0–60 mph (97 km/h): 5.0 s 0–70 mph (113 km/h): 6.2 s 0–80 mph (129 km/h): 7.7 s 0–100 mph (161 km/h): 11.0 s 0–120 mph (193 km/h): 16.0 s Standing 1⁄4 mile (402 m): 14.1 s at 113 mph (182 km/h) Top speed: 179 mph (288 km/h)

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Ferrari 288 GTO
aka: Ferrari GTO
Manufacturer: Ferrari
Production: 1984–1987, 272 produced
Assembly: Italy: Maranello
Designer: Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina, Nicola Materazzi (Chief Engineer)
Class: Sports car (S)
Body style: 2-door berlinetta
Layout: Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Related: Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS
Engine: 2855 cc F114 B 000 twin turbo V8
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Wheelbase: 2450 mm
Length: 4290 mm
Width: 1910 mm
Height: 1120 mm
Kerb weight: 1160 kg (Dry)
Predecessor: Ferrari 250 GTO
Successor: Ferrari F40
sp: uk

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q176152CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_288_GTOCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1372034191 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FerrariGTO.jpgCC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Karrmann · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.