There are few modern-day Ferraris that are more rare than the 288 GTO Evoluzione. A pristine example of this seminal car in the history of the Prancing Horse is now up for sale through RM Sotheby’s. 

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Bridging The Gap

The Ferrari F40 is considered to be one of the most iconic performance cars of all time. It is the first production car to break the 200 mph (322 km/h) barrier. Some also credit it with the reason the term ‘supercar’  was created. But there would be no F40 were it not for the 288.

Click here to read our Ferrari F40 driving experience in Maranello.

Before the F40, the most famous Ferrari was the 308. This sportscar shot to fame thanks to the hit TV show Magnum PI. The lead and titular character drove a red open-top 308 on the main island of Hawaii. That model became the Ferrari.

The 288 GTO was loosely based on the 308. The two cars shared the same essential shape. The 288, however was a bit more muscular in demeanour. However the 2,8-litre twin-turbocharged engine was the most notable change. This gave the 288 GTO 300 kW of power. More importantly it laid the ground work for the F40.

Click here to read about a modern-day interpretation of the famous 288 GTO.

Just A Handful

Only 272 examples of the 288 GTO were produced. The limited run was planned to allow the car to compete in the ill-fated Group B. That series allowed for an even smaller production run of “evo” models. These versions would be allowed for competition use. Ferrari produced just five examples of the 288 GTO Evoluzione before the plug was pulled on the programme.

Pininfarina reworked the car’s bodywork using Kevlar and glass-fibre to reduce weight as much as possible. A rear wing that was made of carbon-fibre was also part of the mass-saving measures. The diet resulted in a total mass of just 940 kg. To boost performance even further the 288 GTO Evoluzione had larger turbos and different engine tuning which resulted in 485 kW of power. 370 km/h was the published top speed. That figure is impressive by today’s standards and it was considered astronomical at the time.

Up For Grabs

The car for sale by RM Sotheby’s was once owned by Canadian billionaire, now boss of Aston Martin, Lawrence Stroll and well-known Ferrari collector David Lee. Most recently, the fourth, of the five units in existence, 288 GTO Evoluzione underwent a open-chequebook restoration by Michelotto. The firm’s handiwork set the current owner back €133 000 (about R2,3m using today’s forex rate), leaving the car in almost new mechanical condition both inside and out.