Ferrari 288 GTO
1984–1987 · Ferrari 288 GTO — Supercar, V8 Twin-Turbo, designed by Leonardo Fioravanti.
The Story
The 288 GTO (1984–1987) was born of a single ambition: to go racing in Group B, the wild, near-unlimited category that produced the most extreme machines of the 1980s. Announced by Enzo Ferrari in 1983 and unveiled at the 1984 Geneva show, the GTO took the silhouette of the 308 GTB but shared almost nothing with it underneath. Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti restyled the body; chief engineer Nicola Materazzi re-engineered the platform around a longitudinally-mounted 2.85L twin-turbo V8 (tipo F114B) producing ~400 hp — a radical departure from the transverse, naturally-aspirated 308. Ferrari needed 200 road cars to homologate it; it built 272.
Then the racing never happened. A string of fatalities saw Group B suspended at the end of 1986, and the category for which the GTO was conceived collapsed before it ever turned a competitive wheel. The car was left as a homologation special with no series to homologate it for — a road-going thoroughbred without a race. What it did instead was point the way forward: the GTO was the first of Ferrari’s modern limited-edition supercars, the cornerstone of the lineage that runs through the F40, F50, Enzo and LaFerrari. The handful of even-wilder 288 GTO Evoluzione development cars became the direct test mules for the F40, which arrived in 1987.
It also carried a sacred name. ‘GTO’ — Gran Turismo Omologata — had been worn by only one Ferrari before it: the legendary 1962 250 GTO. Reviving that badge was an enormous statement, honoured not as nostalgia but as the start of a new dynasty. That is why it matters: it is simultaneously the second GTO, the first modern Ferrari supercar, and the genetic forerunner of every Ferrari halo car since.
The Numbers
Benchmarked against its class
Each dial ranks this car within its Supercar class — fuller means higher, and the tick marks the class midpoint.
Signature Colors
The Designer
Leonardo Fioravanti
Engineer-turned-stylist; rose to MD of Pininfarina Studi e Ricerche. The defining hand behind Ferrari road shapes from the late-1960s to mid-1980s.
Studio Motors POV
The 288 GTO is the quiet genesis of everything Ferrari is celebrated for today — the first modern supercar, the F40’s blueprint, and a homologation hero robbed of the races it was built to win. It looks like a 308, but it is the moment Ferrari changed what a road car could be.
The Engine
Ferrari V8 Twin-Turbo (288 GTO/F40)
Market & Value
Values on cars like this move monthly. Our brokers price from real transactions.
What Reviewers Said About 288 GTO
Worth Knowing About the 288 GTO
3 Things You Didn’t Know
- • It was built specifically to race in Group B, but the category was suspended at the end of 1986 after multiple deaths — so the 288 GTO NEVER actually competed.
- • It was only the SECOND Ferrari ever to wear the 'GTO' (Gran Turismo Omologata) badge, after the 1962 250 GTO — a gap of more than two decades.
- • Unlike the 308 it resembles, the 288's V8 is mounted LONGITUDINALLY (not transversely), and the wheelbase was stretched 200 mm to make room for the twin-turbo drivetrain.
5 Fast Facts
- • ~272 built between 1984 and 1987 (200 needed for homologation; 272 completed).
- • 2.85L (2,855cc) twin-turbo DOHC V8, tipo F114B, twin IHI turbochargers.
- • ~400 hp (395 bhp) and 366 lb-ft of torque.
- • Top speed ~189 mph (304 km/h) — the fastest street-legal production car at its launch.
- • ~5 Evoluzione cars (commonly cited as five plus a prototype), ~650 hp; F40 development mules.
Provenance
Owners & what to look for
Famous Owners
Niki Lauda — documented. Enzo Ferrari personally arranged for the very LAST 288 GTO built (chassis 58329, the 272nd car) to be delivered to Lauda at Reggio Emilia in March 1986, widely described as a peace offering after their fraught relationship (Goodwood / Hagerty / The Drive). (Eric Clapton and Nick Mason could NOT be verified as 288 GTO owners — Mason owns a 250 GTO, Clapton owned an Enzo — so neither is asserted.)
Studio Buyer’s Brief
With only ~272 built, every car is rare, but the 288 sits at the affordable end of Ferrari’s ‘Big Five.’ The vast majority left Maranello in Rosso Corsa, so non-red cars and any documented original colour warrant scrutiny. The ~5 Evoluzione cars are the true unicorns and trade in a different league entirely. Standard cars have moved broadly in the ~$2.5M–$4M+ band, with provenance (low miles, single ownership, the Lauda car, Enzo-era delivery records) driving the top. Insist on Ferrari Classiche, matching numbers, and a clean documented chassis history; verify the engine is the correct F114B and the longitudinal layout is untouched.
Full Specifications
- Make / Model
- Ferrari 288 GTO
- Class
- Supercar
- Production years
- 1984–1987
- Units built
- ~272 (+5 ‘Evoluzione’)
- Variants
- Engine layout
- Mid
- Engine
- V8 Twin-Turbo
- Engine family
- Ferrari V8 Twin-Turbo (288 GTO/F40)
- Displacement
- 2855 cc (2.85 L)
- Power
- 395 hp
- Torque
- 366 lb-ft
- 0–60 mph
- 4.9 s
- Top speed
- 189 mph
- Power-to-weight
- 341 hp/tonne · 6.5 lb/hp
- Transmission
- 5-speed manual
- Drivetrain
- RWD (longitudinal mid V8) · Petrol
- Curb weight
- 2557 lb
Questions
288 GTO FAQ
What does 288 GTO mean, and what are the key specifications?
The 288 designation encodes approximately 2.8 litres and 8 cylinders — the twin-turbocharged V8 displaces 2,855cc (giving 28 tenths of a litre, or 2.8L, plus 8 cylinders). GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omologato, indicating the car was built for racing homologation. The twin-turbo V8 produces 400 hp at 7,000 rpm, reaching 62 mph in approximately 4.9 seconds with a 189 mph (304 km/h) top speed.
Why was the Ferrari 288 GTO built, and why did it never race?
The 288 GTO was developed specifically for the FIA Group B GT racing category, which required 200 road-going homologation cars. Ferrari commissioned 272 examples and presented the car at the 1984 Geneva Motor Show, all 272 of which were immediately pre-sold. However, the FIA cancelled the Group B GT series before the car could compete, leaving the 288 GTO as a road-only legend built for a race that never happened.
What is the connection between the Ferrari 288 GTO and the 250 GTO?
The 288 GTO revives the GTO badge established by the 250 GTO (1962-1964). Both are Group 4/Group B racing homologation specials designed for GT-class competition — the 250 GTO won the over-2.0L GT/manufacturers’ class of the FIA World Sportscar Championship in 1962, 1963, and 1964; the 288 GTO was Group B-homologated but arrived after Group B’s cancellation for road use, becoming a de facto supercar.
What is a Ferrari 288 GTO worth at auction?
288 GTO market has appreciated significantly — Classic.com shows an average around $5.39M with a 2026 high sale above $9M. Hagerty also cites a January 2026 good-condition value materially above older $1.5M-$2.5M figures. Its 272-unit production, F40-precursor status, and twin-turbo V8 heritage drive the premium.
Can you source a Ferrari 288 GTO through Studio Motors?
Yes. The 288 GTO is one of the most important Ferraris of the 1980s — the direct predecessor to the F40, one of only three cars to wear the GTO badge, and a technically significant twin-turbocharged supercar limited to 272 examples.
The Ferrari Lineup
Explore every Ferrari
250 Europa / Europa GT ’53250 GT Berlinetta 'Tour de France' (TdF) ’56250 GT Coupe 'Boano' / 'Ellena' ’56250 Testa Rossa (TR) ’57250 GT California Spider LWB ’57250 GT Cabriolet ’57250 GT Coupe (Pininfarina) ’58250 GT Berlinetta SWB ’59250 GT Berlinetta 'Interim' ’59
250 GT California Spider SWB ’60250 GTE 2+2 ’60250 GTO ’62250 GT Lusso (GT/L) ’62330 America ’63275 GTB ’64365 GTB/4 Daytona ’68Dino 246 GT ’69
365 GT4 BB / 512 BB ’73308 GTB / GTS ’75
288 GTO ’84Testarossa ’84328 GTB / GTS ’85F40 ’87348 ’89
F355 ’94F50 ’95550 Maranello ’96360 Modena ’99
575M Maranello ’02Enzo ’02360 Challenge Stradale ’03612 Scaglietti ’04F430 ’04599 GTB Fiorano ’06430 Scuderia ’07California ’08458 Italia ’09
599 GTO ’10F12berlinetta ’12LaFerrari ’13458 Speciale ’13F12tdf ’15488 GTB ’15GTC4Lusso ’16812 Superfast ’17Portofino M ’17488 Pista ’18Monza SP1 / SP2 ’18F8 Tributo ’19SF90 Stradale ’19Roma ’19
812 Competizione ’21296 GTB ’21Purosangue ’22Daytona SP3 ’22SF90 XX Stradale ’2312Cilindri ’24F80 ’24296 Speciale ’25
Buy, sell, source or lease this 288 GTO.
Studio Motors operates outside the dealership model — nationwide and off-market sourcing, custom lease structures, trade-in coordination. Tell us what you’re chasing.
